Art Is a Spiritual Path [Paperback]

Pat B. Allen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2005

Art is a spiritual path—not a religion, but a practice that helps us knit together the ideals and convictions that guide our lives. Creating art can be prayer, ritual, and remembrance of the Divine. And the sharing of this creativity with others in small groups can serve as sanctuary, asylum, ashram, therapy group, think tank, and village square. Pat Allen has developed a reliable guide for walking the path of art through a series of simple practices that combine drawing, painting, and sculpture with journal writing. Designed for readers at any level of artistic experience, the book shows how to:



   •  awaken the creative force and connect with the divine source of creativity
   •  access inner wisdom and intuition about life issues, including both personal and community concerns
   •  find a path to meaning that includes honoring, celebrating, and giving thanks
   •  explore the images and symbols of traditions such as Catholicism, Judaism, shamanism, and Goddess worship
   •  join in spiritual community with others who are following the path of art
   •  discover that artmaking can help us live our ideals and be of service in the world




Detailed examples from the author's own practice of art, plus the stories and images of several other people, are presented to illustrate how art becomes a spiritual path in action. At the author's virtual studio, www.patballen.com, readers can post their images and writings, communicate with the author, and subscribe to an electronic newsletter. The site also contains an archive of the images in this book in full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Allen (Art Is a Way of Knowing) offers a particular paradigm for making art, a model for meditation in action designed to help artists deepen their relationship with "the Creative Source" and to "become vessels for new wisdom." The paradigm's first step is to craft a specific intention to guide "how we manifest our thoughts, beliefs, and desires" during that art-making session. The next step is actually making the art through inquiry, engagement and celebration. The final step is that of "witness," in which the artist concludes the session by engaging in dialogue with the image and writing down the "deepest truth" the image is conveying. Allen provides frequent examples of these "witness dialogues," which read as actual q&a sessions between artists and their work. The rest of the book comprises specific examples of the transformative effect this approach has had on Allen and her students vis-à-vis specific issues, such as dealing with gender roles and inherited religious traditions. Although Allen outlines a detailed methodology for art as a spiritual path, the book is more a reflection on the benefits of the paradigm than a how-to primer. In fact, the writing—while insightful and often eloquent—can become discursive, at times leaving the reader at loose ends. This makes the book best suited for practicing artists or those making art in a studio setting with a teacher and guide. (Aug. 9)
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About the Author

Pat B. Allen Ph.D., ATR, is an artist and a registered art therapist who teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She produces workshops, events, and collaborative projects around the country and directs an online image community at www.patballen.com, where readers can post their images and writings, communicate with the author and one another, and subscribe to an electronic newsletter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (August 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590302109
• ISBN-13: 978-1590302101
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pat B. Allen, Ph.D., A.T.R., is an author, artist, art therapist, and teacher who connects to the Creative Source through art and writing. Her two books - Art Is a Way of Knowing (Shambhala 1995) and Art Is a Spiritual Path (Shambhala 2005) - explore the borders between art, psychology, spirituality, and social action. Author of numerous professional articles, Dr. Allen lectures and delivers workshops throughout the country using the Open Studio Process which she has developed. Her artwork has been exhibited in a wide variety of juried and invited exhibits.

Dr. Allen has been a Registered Art Therapist (A.T.R.) since 1977. She earned a Ph.D. in Art Therapy from Union University in 1986. Dr. Allen has been on the faculty of the Art Therapy Department of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1988. Dr. Allen was a co-founder of the Open Studio Project in Chicago and founder of Studio Pardes in Oak Park, IL, where she provided a community art space for herself and others to explore the creative process, and from where she directed the Facing Homelessness Mask Project.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, March 28, 2010

By 

Sheila M. Conner "S. M. Conner, Etc." (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Art Is a Spiritual Path (Paperback)

I TOTALLY DISAGREE with the review above. Glad I didn't read it until now. There is another point of view! My muse LOVES this book. I enjoy facilitating art days for women and children and this book gave me a whole new way to go about it. I've worked with mandalas and soul collage and I've written about the work before, but I love this "conversing" with the piece and the "no comment" rule. I can't wait to try it in community. And my Muse seems to appreciate this book...I am in the process of being bombarded with images to work on. It's opened my mind, my heart, and my spirit. Thank you Pat Allen!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not What the Title Says, October 28, 2009

By 

Port Wynn "Yankee" (PNW, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Art Is a Spiritual Path (Paperback)

I expected a Spiritual Journey shared with the reader. This was like a thesis that had nothing what so ever to do with spirituality. It was boring, verbose and just plain dull. It seemed as though the cover had been put on the wrong book. I junked it, something I never do with a book. Dissappointment is an understatement for my experience.

2.0 out of 5 stars No spirit to be found, January 28, 2012

By 

Psychological Art - See all my reviews

This review is from: Art Is a Spiritual Path (Paperback)

I agree with the reviewer who said this book is like a thesis. It was a surprise to me because the publisher is one that puts to print very dynamic contents by the likes of Ken Wilbur and Pema Chodron. After awhile I found myself rushing through this one so that I could move on to something that might recharge both mind and spirit. It did not convince me that art is a spiritual path. Perhaps this was a sales pitch for what is called an open studio art therapy technique? I could not decide. The author is a decent writer and just needs to be more focused on what her book title is proposing.