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moh's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
I love Kyo Maclear's descriptions of the quiet wonder and calming effect of birding. When my partner and I first started bird-watching, one of the things I found addicting was how a winter trail that seemed bleak and lifeless was anything but; I just needed to shift my focus. That shift is the closest I've come to a reliable pathway to quieting my anxious, hypervigilant mind long enough to be fully present for hours at a time, and I haven't done it nearly enough in recent years.
Birds Art Life beautifully captures that feeling and places it in the broader context of creating art, being part of a family, the loss of unoccupied habitats, caring about social justice, and the author anticipating the death of her father. (The term “anticipatory grief” was new to me, but it's perfect.) Her defense of “small” is just gorgeous, and obviously well-suited for a profound, relatively short book. I think people who have no interest in birds could also love this book. It's as much about reaching a point in life when formerly reliable means of solace stop working, and figuring out how to fit new patterns into a full life, as it is about anything else.
I love Kyo Maclear's descriptions of the quiet wonder and calming effect of birding. When my partner and I first started bird-watching, one of the things I found addicting was how a winter trail that seemed bleak and lifeless was anything but; I just needed to shift my focus. That shift is the closest I've come to a reliable pathway to quieting my anxious, hypervigilant mind long enough to be fully present for hours at a time, and I haven't done it nearly enough in recent years.
Birds Art Life beautifully captures that feeling and places it in the broader context of creating art, being part of a family, the loss of unoccupied habitats, caring about social justice, and the author anticipating the death of her father. (The term “anticipatory grief” was new to me, but it's perfect.) Her defense of “small” is just gorgeous, and obviously well-suited for a profound, relatively short book. I think people who have no interest in birds could also love this book. It's as much about reaching a point in life when formerly reliable means of solace stop working, and figuring out how to fit new patterns into a full life, as it is about anything else.
didireadthat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
3.0
nancyboy's review against another edition
3.0
3 to 3.5 stars.
This book is a memoir about the author, Kyo Maclear, deciding to go bird watching for a year. But really this book isn't about birds, Maclear uses birds to talk about art, life and death, as the title suggests. I did like this book, though at times I thought some sections were a bit boring or explaining someone that was kind of cliche. However, I do listen to a lot of podcasts and interviews about artists discussing their work, art, life and ideas, so that's maybe why I found some sections cliche or boring.
My favourite section was February where Maclear talks about "small art", making art that might seem meaningless or ordinary. The art isn't life changing or isn't about something that is grand or extraordinary, which she refers to as "big art". Everyone excepts her to create "big art" but she doesn't too and thus she wrote a book about bird watching! I really related to that as someone who loves to paint and create things in general, I feel a pressure to create things that are grand and life changing but sometimes I don't want to create that, I just want to draw my face, or a water bottle or whatever. And then she lists a bunch of artist through out history that created "small art", which I thought was quite interesting.
This book is a memoir about the author, Kyo Maclear, deciding to go bird watching for a year. But really this book isn't about birds, Maclear uses birds to talk about art, life and death, as the title suggests. I did like this book, though at times I thought some sections were a bit boring or explaining someone that was kind of cliche. However, I do listen to a lot of podcasts and interviews about artists discussing their work, art, life and ideas, so that's maybe why I found some sections cliche or boring.
My favourite section was February where Maclear talks about "small art", making art that might seem meaningless or ordinary. The art isn't life changing or isn't about something that is grand or extraordinary, which she refers to as "big art". Everyone excepts her to create "big art" but she doesn't too and thus she wrote a book about bird watching! I really related to that as someone who loves to paint and create things in general, I feel a pressure to create things that are grand and life changing but sometimes I don't want to create that, I just want to draw my face, or a water bottle or whatever. And then she lists a bunch of artist through out history that created "small art", which I thought was quite interesting.
nancyboy56's review against another edition
3.0
3 to 3.5 stars.
This book is a memoir about the author, Kyo Maclear, deciding to go bird watching for a year. But really this book isn't about birds, Maclear uses birds to talk about art, life and death, as the title suggests. I did like this book, though at times I thought some sections were a bit boring or explaining someone that was kind of cliche. However, I do listen to a lot of podcasts and interviews about artists discussing their work, art, life and ideas, so that's maybe why I found some sections cliche or boring.
My favourite section was February where Maclear talks about "small art", making art that might seem meaningless or ordinary. The art isn't life changing or isn't about something that is grand or extraordinary, which she refers to as "big art". Everyone excepts her to create "big art" but she doesn't too and thus she wrote a book about bird watching! I really related to that as someone who loves to paint and create things in general, I feel a pressure to create things that are grand and life changing but sometimes I don't want to create that, I just want to draw my face, or a water bottle or whatever. And then she lists a bunch of artist through out history that created "small art", which I thought was quite interesting.
This book is a memoir about the author, Kyo Maclear, deciding to go bird watching for a year. But really this book isn't about birds, Maclear uses birds to talk about art, life and death, as the title suggests. I did like this book, though at times I thought some sections were a bit boring or explaining someone that was kind of cliche. However, I do listen to a lot of podcasts and interviews about artists discussing their work, art, life and ideas, so that's maybe why I found some sections cliche or boring.
My favourite section was February where Maclear talks about "small art", making art that might seem meaningless or ordinary. The art isn't life changing or isn't about something that is grand or extraordinary, which she refers to as "big art". Everyone excepts her to create "big art" but she doesn't too and thus she wrote a book about bird watching! I really related to that as someone who loves to paint and create things in general, I feel a pressure to create things that are grand and life changing but sometimes I don't want to create that, I just want to draw my face, or a water bottle or whatever. And then she lists a bunch of artist through out history that created "small art", which I thought was quite interesting.
pmoreside's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know if I “got” creative non fiction before, but I think I do after reading this book.
floatingcoward's review against another edition
Finished as physical book instead of audio
njones97's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
3.75
a really touching collection of essays about birding and life’s big and small worries
especially loved the formatting of the book and the way maclear takes us through a year in her sketchbook
especially loved the formatting of the book and the way maclear takes us through a year in her sketchbook