Fearless Creating

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Eye-opening, very good - Rated
A very useful book for everyone, but artists in particular. I am a photographer and I rely on my inspiration to see me through. But from time to time, it goes walkabout and I'm left scratching my head. I search for my inspiration, and end up getting rather anxious when it doesn't shoot up in me. The second artist issue is confidence in one's own voice. The book addresses both anxiety and confidence very well. What was particularly helpful was his take on anxiety - or perhaps he didn't say this but this is how I understood it: when you are in a space of the unknown, one is naturally going to be anxious for the VERY FACT that it is as yet unknown. And, the artist is there to uncover the mystery. Indeed, as an artist, you always want to be discovering the unknown or what makes your work unique. Now, perceiving anxiety as simply a signal to myself that I have approached a door to an unknown is actually very encouraging. I never saw anxiety that way. I always fought hard with myself to get rid of it. But, now, I see it as a 'good' sign...never thought that would happen!

Best book on the creative process! - Rated
I've read many books on creativity and Eric Maisel describes it as no one else has. FEARLESS CREATING takes you through the steps of the creative process, predicts the typical anxieties and pitfalls, and offers specific suggestions to get past them. I especially liked his explanation for attending to your rhythms as your work and distinguishing between needed quiet time and using quiet to avoid the inevitable anxiety of creating.

As an author, I found Maisel's principles and advice to resonate with my experience. Working on an outline for my next book as I read, I found the book inspirational and fun as well as reassuring. If you liked Julia Cameron's THE ARTIST'S WAY, you'll love this book as much as I did.

I am recommending it to all my creative friends.

The best of the creative workbooks - Rated
Maisel has done something unique: written a creativity workbook that is actually creative. Avoiding some of the cliché's which make some of the more popular "artist's" books a bore, he zeros in on the central issues which prevent artists from being productive. If I were to recommend one creativity workbook, this would be it.

A book to give to all your friends and family - Rated
This is a wonderful book! It is one which helped me, and could help anyone who has ever desired to create anything, from a Pulitzer-level work of art to a community craft activity. Maisel outlines both the big picture principles of creativity and what blocks us, as well as very detailed, practical exercises which guide the reader through the logical, common sense steps of creativity. I've given it to five friends already!

If you're afraid of your own voice, this book will help. - Rated
This book, used in conjunction with Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones," helped me to develop the discipline to write every day. I ordered it twice - once for myself and once for a friend.