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Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking By David BaylesTed Orland ( Image Continuum Press )
Release Date: 2001-04-01
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $12.95
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Product Description
"This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially-statistically speaking-there aren't any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius."
--from the Introduction Art & Fear explores 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. The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is expeienced by artmakers themselves. This is not your typical self-help book. This is a book written by artists, for artists -- it's about what it feels like when artists sit down at their easel or keyboard, in their studio or performance space, trying to do the work they need to do. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic. Word-of-mouth response alone-now enhanced by internet posting-has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity nationally. Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. The original Capra Press edition of Art & Fear sold 80,000 copies. An excerpt: Today, more than it was however many years ago, art is hard because you have to keep after it so consistently. On so many different fronts. For so little external reward. Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues. You have to find your work...
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 Sometimes maddening.... ( lexart )
I got a lot out of the first couple of chapters in this book, but more often than not, I was frustrated with the tone, the flow, and the style of writing. I sometimes stopped and asked myself, "What is the point they are trying to make?" It also had a sort of joyless and depressing tone. It was hard for me to finish. The language could have been more simple and flowing....it was a difficult read sometimes, and peppered with thoughts in parentheses.....frustrating. In all, it felt heavy and sad.
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 Labor of love, love of labor ( wiredweird )
This book addresses flawed, fallible human readers, the ones who hopes to perfect craft despite their many and obvious imperfections. There is a lot to overcome: the inevitable gap between the vision and the actual result, the limits of materials and the difficulty of achieving their full potential, the times when inspiration seems to dry up, and the basic uncertainty that anyone will care about the eventual result. Even the term artist itself creates confusion, especially when capitalized into Artist. Self-doubt of myriad kinds creeps in: do I have enough (or any) talent? Am I just faking it? Why is it so hard for me, and so easy for everyone else?
The authors take a tough love approach: No, it's not easy. Yes you will have doubts and dry spells. If you're any good as an artist, then you'll be painfully aware of the flaws in your work, even the flawed implementation of your initial vision, which only you can know. And, once you've created your work, there's the whole problem of public acceptance and approval (not the same thing). Getting into the galleries and getting sold creates whole new vistas of difficulty and doubt, since neither the gallery owners nor the hoped-for buyers have the same goals that you do.
In the end, it comes down to some tiny core spark that the artist must have inside. It's not "natural talent" - maybe creation comes easily to the Mozarts of the world, but the authors address us mere mortals. That spark isn't some magical inspiration, either, since earning a living in art means you have to pay the rent whether inspired or not. That spark keeps the artist going when the world gives no reason to, and keeps the artist creating even when the magical Muse isn't there for inspirational hand-holding. In the end, the artist's human flaws aren't what defeats the art - they're what drives it. Seeing how each work falls short of perfection shows two things: it shows the flaws, of course, but it also shows a higher goal that could never have been seen otherwise.
-- wiredweird
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 Nothing is what happens while you think about making Art.... ( etherealtwin )
When I picked up Art & Fear, it was for personal reasons. I didn't quite understand why it was so hard to continue to make increasingly great photographs without feeling so naked. When you have a pro who's work isn't quite as good as yours but, due to a website, confidence, and experience he manages to get a bit further, questions arise about why even trying. This book will answer those question. Esentially, Nothing is getting done while you look at and think about art you want to make of any kind.
I enjoyed the read however found it difficult to continue at times due to the vast spread of artists they are trying to reach. [If you're interested, I found this book in the photography section of the bookstore.] I feel the approach was fair and there was plenty of great info for anyone in any contact with art (even at the level of a son or nephew who is an artist) Expectations are not causing the lower rating for this book as much as how I feel about the content not keeping me interested. The pages didn't grab me and keep me awake after 75% of it was finished. I felt like I was reading repetitive material. However, the messages that were redundant were nessisary. I would suggest this book to any artist. It's short and sweet but I may only suggest it to an avid reader due to the diffculty in completing it. Maybe it was inspiration that I wanted to put the book down so often at the end.... like... I got the point and there was no reason to continue. Regardless worth the read.
If you know an artist, are trying to understand the difficulty in being one, or are an artist... this is for you... IF you're a reader!
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FANTASTIC, inspiring read!
This small book is a fabulous tool for artists of any medium. The authors explain motivations and thought processes behind the fears that keep artists from producing work. At times it felt like they had read my diary and then psychologically analyzed it! Any artist can benefit from this wonderful read.
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One I turn to over and over again
I am reading this book now for the third time and have purchased many copies for friends - a must for the bookshelf of anyone on a creative journey.
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