Books I'm reading (3)

A few months ago I bought Creative Block by Danielle Krysa a.k.a. The Jealous Curator and I’m very glad I did! First I had my doubts. Again and again I would go to the American Book Center, stare at the book and wonder: ’Was this just another self-help book or…’ I was flipping through the book once more when my eye caught a sentence that made the buy a sure thing:

‘Do you ever equate your self-worth with your artistic successes?’

Guilty! My self-worth has been entwined with my art since a very early age. Not a smart thing to do but hey, what do you do?

Danielle Krysa interviewed 50 successful artists and asked them about the way they work, why they make art, where they find inspiration but also:

- Which artist’s work / life/ career are you most jealous of and why?

- Does your inner critic ever get to you?

- What do you do when you’re feeling blocked?

Every interview consists of more or less the same questions with very different answers. At times recognisable and at times not at all. Funny and good to know there are so many ways to look at this art-thing. All 50 interviews end with a creative unblock project by the interviewee.

 

Another word that stuck was ‘process’. Different artists would say process is what drives them to continue making art, not the end-product or the success. This made me re-think my own process and I concluded that I skip some very important steps.
This book is a fun read, good questions, funny and helpful answers. Next to that it’s filled with really beautiful pictures of the artists artwork. Buy this book!

 

Please don’t forget to check www.thejealouscurator.com and learn why Danielle Krysa calls herself that.


Creative Block by Danielle Krysa. Chronicle Books. Pentel Aquash Water Brush with Talens ecoline.