Happy Birthday little blog & book revival
This month marks my blog’s 4th birthday! When I began writing it I included a monthly book recommendation, something I’d been reading on the theme of creativity, personal development, that sort of thing. Somewhere along the line I stopped doing it, despite those posts beings some of the most popular, and despite people still asking […]
Some Summer Reading
Something that comes up again, and again, for me when I review the state of things in my practice, is the need for me to take quality time to do creative things that are not work-related and that nourish me. So often we hear about the need to ‘feed the well’ of creativity if we are to draw from it. We know it to be true and yet it’s so hard to do. Difficult to justify the time we feel we are taking away from other more useful or productive things. In the spirit of being kind to myself and doing things that are good for me I have decided to make an effort this month to start feeding that well again. Things I used to do automatically (like read a book or go to an exhibition) have become things I have to plan to do, and I’d like that to change. So, here are some books I’ve read recently, as I’ve returned to the habit, and some exhibitions I’d like to visit to inspire me.
Self-care in December: nourish
December is a challenging month on all fronts – professional and personal – that it can be easy to get lost in all the activity and things to be done and forget to look after yourself. All this month on the blog I’m going to be taking self-care as my inspiration and looking at ways you can look after yourself a little better. I’m going to be sharing ideas for finding energy and preparing for the new year in your creative practice, and suggesting ways to support your mental wellbeing. No matter how much you’ve got going on with work and family this month, the goal is to reach January feeling fresh and ready for the new year, not exhausted and in need of recuperation.
Today I’m looking at a fundamental aspect of managing your personal wellbeing: nourishment
Books to inspire: Wired to Create
I am fascinated by creativity and am always happy to read anything that might give me better understanding about what is happening in the minds of those people I spend a lot of time with – namely highly creative people working in all sorts of disciplines (not just the obvious ‘creative’ arts jobs). I enjoyed this book because not only does it helpfully break down creativity into 10 traits (and thus makes reading it in short bursts at bedtime that much easier) but it is also based on current research in neuroscience and psychology. Because, who doesn’t love pages of notes to follow up with? (Ok, maybe not everyone, but it gives me a nice sense of being in good hands).
Books to inspire: Art & fear – observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking
In last week’s post on Acknowledging the Fear I mentioned the book Art & Fear: observations on the perils (and rewards) of artmaking. It’s such a helpful little book that I thought it deserved its own post. So here it is…
Books to inspire: Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet
This month’s book recommendation is something that has been on my radar for years and I’ve always had a ‘yeah, yeah, Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet – that’s got all sorts of insights into being an artist. I know I should read it, but…’ attitude towards it. Which, of course, was stupid. And I (wrongly) assumed it was quite long. So when it was recommended, again, by a newsletter I love and trust completely I was compelled (in the spirit of doing stuff now and not putting it off) to go out and buy a copy. And blow me if it isn’t a tiny wee slip of a book (52 pages) and this edition cost a whopping £1. That’s right, people, £1. There are NO MORE EXCUSES for you not to read this!
Now, this isn’t a life-changing book, because what writing can live up to the hype? But it is full of interesting ideas on living a creative life, and insights into the mind of a formidable creative force, and that’s really all I need on a grey autumn day when I don’t have a lot of energy to be focused and concentrate.
Books to inspire: Hands – What we do with them and Why
Ok, so I know it’s not fair to expect much from a book which is, generously put, slim. But when the quote on the cover says “an intriguing meditation on how vital our hands are to our understanding of ourselves and our world” well, am I not allowed to think this is going to be awesome? Spoiler – this book isn’t really that great. And so, I’m not calling this my ‘recommended book of the month’. It’s merely a starting point for a bit of a digression on the power of books to promise so much and deliver so little, and how I am always willing to take a chance that the next one will be just what I hope it will be.
Books to inspire: The Element
This month’s book recommendation may look like a personal development book from its title. I must admit that that’s why I picked it up at first, thinking that maybe it contains the secrets to finding your passion in life (and thus will change everything). I’m sorry to say that this book may not actually help you find your passion in life, but it does show us how creating the right educational environment, and honouring the role creativity plays within society, will lead to everyone having the possibility of discovering their passion. Which is something I feel strongly about.
Books to inspire: Playing Big
This month’s book recommendation comes with a caveat. Not because it isn’t very good (it really is) but because I feel a bit awkward recommending a book which is aimed so squarely at only half the population. My aim with highlighting books on my blog is to share what I’ve been reading and the things I’ve found enjoyable, provoking and inspiring with the hope you might find them similarly helpful. This book is one of the few ‘personal development’ books I’ve read when I felt like it was written about me, and about people I know. So I couldn’t not tell you about it, despite its narrow focus. I hope you’ll forgive me this once, and I hope you’ll consider reading it no matter how you gender-identify; there are good insights for all in it.
Books to inspire: On Looking
One of my favourite quotes (that I have stuck on my computer) is by Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” It’s a sentiment that I wholeheartedly believe and which transforms the quotidian into the extraordinary without much effort at all. This book embodies this quote.
In On Looking: about everything there is to see, author Alexandra Horowitz asks us to take a walk with her. (Well, to take twelve, actually). Her premise is that we are terrifically bad at noticing stuff. Every day we “miss the possibility of being surprised by what is hidden in plain sight right in front of us” because we are too distracted by our modern lives. We have lost the skills of attention and focus, we walk in a daydream, on autopilot going about our business. She advocates a more mindful approach, aiming to bring active attention to our daily lives by noticing new things. And these new things aren’t somewhere different and exciting, they are on your doorstep.