Customer Reviews

Making Room for Making Art: A Thoughtful and Practical Guide to Bringing the Pleasure of Artistic Expression Back into Your Life

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I know what it's like to abandon your art. After being disappointment by slim vocational possibilities as a young adult, I tried to forget I even knew art. I tried to be what others wanted me to be and do. I floundered for ten years, even went back to college later to pursue a bachelor's in a different area. But no matter how much I'd shove my artistic bent into the recesses of my mind, it came gurgling back with a vengeance almost as soon as I got my degree in engineering physics. I made the decision to be true to myself. While still not employed as an artist, I consider no longer have qualms about considering myself one.

I wish I had this book when I was younger, or at least the chapter on dealing with external pressures. I connected so well to a lot of the stories related in this book. There are so many passages where I felt, "I felt that way!" An especially powerful subchapter for me is Perspective--Valuing your Art and Creativity more than Society does.

A minor complaint: I wish that the author had included more resources in the Artists Materials appendix, and had included the web page addresses to the businesses that were listed. If we truly are no longer at the mercy of the local hobby store, as Ms. Warner says, these are important. There's only one artist supply store and three framing companies listed; I've found several other artist supplies on the web that could have been included on this list; still it's good information for those who still like to do business by telephone.

I've got two years of junior college study as a commercial artist, but I'm a self-taught artist, and I'd recommend this book to anyone who was engaged in art study, especially to first-year students. With this book to guide them, if it turns out being a professional artist isn't in the cards, maybe young people won't be discouraged, like I was, and they can at least assess the extent to which they can take their talent without the debilitating loss of self-esteem, such as that which I suffered. Here's a book that says even if you're not a paid artist, you still are one, if deep in your gut you say so, and it tells you how to keep art out of the closet for good.

"Society" often makes it difficult for artists to feel that their work is important This book is about taking resonsibility making room in your life for your art. The book is filled with insights from various artists and gives practical advice for artists at all levels. Also included are profiles of the artists and illustrations of their work. If you want to work at your art, Sally Warner's book sets a course for you that will undo even your most creative excuses of why you can't.

Wonderful book. I have read and re read many times and always find total inspiration. This is the artists' bible. Thank you for writing it.

A jump start, freeing, and practical approach to truly making your art a priority in your life. A very good read for anyone who is "stuck" or "uncommitted." I never underline in books. This one was an exception!

This is not at all the book I expected. I expected a book for busy grown-ups who still have a passion for creating art or perhaps still entertain pretensions of becoming accomplished artists. I know how to make art but can't seem to clear away all the distractions, balance my work priorities with my home life and find enough time left over to make it. I was hoping for some constructive advice that would help me to take up my passion again without sacrificing my career, my "bread and butter" and family time. What I felt I got was a basic orientation to art-making overstuffed with various quotes from unknown artists who do not seem to struggle with these same challenges.

This book was life changing for me. It helped me to understand my own thoughts with clarity. It finally clicked that my identity is my art, not the thing I do to earn a paycheck. It is a book that told me that it was ok to be who I am.

This book was way too touchy-feely for me. It's basically a book about how several "case studies" (aka, artists I have never heard of, and you probably haven't either) and how they "came out" to their friends and family as (semi?) professional artists. If you want a book on that topic, then this is the one for you. If you are looking for something that isn't a "Here's John's Story" type of thing, then save your money and keep looking. It is VERY rare for me to not be able to find anything useful in a book, but sadly this book is at its best when used as a coaster.