Customer Reviews

Spirit Taking Form: Making a Spiritual Practice of Making Art

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Filled with artistic endeavors and meditations to get creative juices flowing. Healing in that it affirms that all creative process is worthy...not just the technical modems of art instructors, designers etc. The symbols that come forth during our artistic expressions, even the simplest ones, are coming from the deepest parts of our soul...the author hopes that we'll "come to view our inner selves as if watching a film", to see our own personal images and to be able to transform them into art we can appreciate. Worth a read, a study, there are lots of reflective stories that I found very inspiring, quotes from other students, artists...I found the exercises very propelling and I am all for moving forward, even small increments make progress...

I enjoyed the ideas in the book but found it ultimately not to be very useful. The book consists mainly of guided meditations focused around aspects of creativity. In a CD form it would be useful as an adjunct to actual meditation.

The information about the artist and her process was interesting and the guided meditations could be useful in a different format. My one biggest wish is for a lot more hands-on creative exercises. There were a few, but in a book geared towards creativity and "making", there should be alot more experiential stuff.

As the Executive Director of Women's Studio Center I find this book to be a great boon to artists and those thinking about becoming an artist. It has elements of "The Artists Way" with more substance and some biographical details.
Nancy Azara was the Director of the New York Feminist Art Institute, a wonderful women's art organization that closed in 1990. She taught a class "Visual Diaries" which included elements of consciousness raising and art or creating an "artists book". I think her ideas and exercises come from this class.
It's a wonderful creative motivator !

This book gave me an insight into the creative process that I had never experienced before. It was just as Gloria Steinem said "...how to meditate our way into our imaginations & to give our thoughts & feelings visible form" this book gave me a new found way to discovering my self and the artwork I produce. Thank you so much Nancy, I really appreciate what your book has done for me and hope that others find it as rejuvenating to the soul as I did.

In her book, Making a Spiritual Practice of Making Art, Nancy Azara writes about her own approach to art making that incorporates meditation and intention. The beautiful prose could be a book of poems. . . but its utility for artmaking is the absolute strength of her writing. One of the significant struggles for me as an artist is to volley each day between doubt and confidence in my work. Through Ms. Azara's book, I realized that there is also an artistry to trusting myself and my own experience. I have learned through her book and feel that it has helped me to make art with greater risk and richness. I recommend this book for everyone.

This is a wonderful book for artist and non artist alike. You do not need to have experience with meditation to follow the guidelines in this book. It has been a delightful experience to follow the exercises here. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to enjoy a thoughtful art making experience.

This book helps me find a place where I can look at things quietly.

I particularly like Nancy's personal writing style, in which she invites the reader into the artmaking process in a deceptively simple way. She uses the conflicts and complexities of her own existence to create art which is complete within the context of a real life.

I am both a sculptor and a consultant in the use of art's transformational power to generate social innovation and general well being. Ms. Azara's book is both a personal joy to read and a professional tool.
I recommend it to any person interested in discovering or revisiting their own artistic spirit.

I bought Nancy's book because I enjoy her artwork and was pleased at how it helped me understand her artwork as well as providing a great approach to deal with patients on their issues using a variety of art forms and mediums. Nice examples, and a generally great book!

This is the kind of book that I will pick up over and over again, and each time a new nugget of wisdom will be revealed. I can see why much praise was given to Nancy as a teacher, because of the gentle and insiteful ways she offers her experience. I especially love the poetic imagery in her personal essays. I would have liked, however, to see some examples of her wood sculptures.