Reviews

Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking by Ted Orland, David Bayles

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evadecker's review against another edition

5.0

I would rate this 10 stars if I could. Highly, highly recommend for any friends creating art in any form—this book is a crystal clear reference about "the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way." Totally unpretentious. Funny and concise, to boot. I will be returning to this book often.

netts's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

noahlemen's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

palomahelen's review against another edition

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informative inspiring fast-paced

3.0

this book pissed me off at first because it felt so corporate america in it's presentation of art making - but then the second half shifted its tone and i was able to enjoy some of the philosophical meanderings and critiques of academia.

it does pose some interesting questions for artists about what makes art successful and why, but the delivery of the message felt clunky and forced. i feel it could have been more effective if there was more of the author's personal artistic experience woven in. okay but not excellent, and there are so many other wonderful books about the creative process that feel more challenging and discerning.

jamiethomasss's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was so bloody good. My first non-fiction for the year and I highly doubt any other will top it. I read this one as an e-book, but as soon as I can, I'm going to buy a physical copy so I can scribble all over it. This is truly a survival guide for any artist and I'm going to carry it around with me whenever I start to struggle with my writing. Just the mere act of reading it made me inspired to write.

Reading this felt like having a philosophical discussion on the nature of art and artistry with an old friend. The style is extremely easy to read, it has funny moments as well as darkly depressing moments. Even published nearly 30 years ago, everything in the book is just as relevant today as it was then.