Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

Before you even buy this book, I believe you need to determine what you hope to get out of it.

If you're hoping to identify with other artists who have faced doubts, fears and obstacles, you'll not be disappointed. This book delivers on its title: it is about ART & FEAR. It will describe where you are or have been. It could even help you stay there, if you choose.

This book says it explores "the way art gets made", why it often does not, and the difficulties along the way. As such, it is, in its own words "observational", not instructive. So it is not a "How To" book. It is also analytical, though not necessarily insightful, so it's not intended for your next meditation. And though other reviewers have said otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this book to help rouse anyone from their creative slumber.

If you're a practicing artist or would-be artist who is stuck, I don't believe this book will help free you. You may find identification or sympathy with other artists - maybe even justification - but not the inspiration, motivation or plain old instruction to get you going again.

Better to read something that is designed to be instructive or inspiring. (One inspiring book that springs to mind is Denise Sherkerjian's UNCOMMON GENIUS which profiles 40 winners of the MacArthur Prize. These artists cross all creative disciplines, face numerous obstacles and still create. It says a lot worth listening to and applying to the process of creating.)

I received ART & FEAR as a gift and read it as much out of curiosity as to honor the giver. I rated it 3 STARs because it (a.) has some good quotes, and (b.) helped me appreciate how differently I think about and respond to the doubt, ambiguity and chaos in my art. Compared to the Bayles & Orland landscape, I have more faith, trust and love in the process and the results of my creation.

First of all let me say that I am glad I read this book, I just don't know if I would do it all over again. I got a few things out of this book. There were some cool quotes from artists and some old proverbs that really hit home with me. Probably the most profound quote in the book for me was "if you chase two rabbits, you catch neither". I'm really glad I heard that one. It's also nice to have someone remind you that art isn't supposed to be perfect, art is supposed to be human and we humans are not perfect.
I'm also glad that I read some of the interesting discussions of art vs. craft and art vs. science. Their approach to explaining the differences was rather philosophical and not definitive, but it was interesting none the less since probably none of us are able to draw an exact line between those things.
However, I also have to say that I found this book very annoying and patronizing. It's full of constant reassurances as if they're speaking to someone that's got tears streaming down their cheeks and saying "I'm not sure if I can go on being an artist, boo hoo... I don't know if I have what it takes". The books tone kind of comes off like "there, there, Rome wasn't built in a day... you know what Picasso would say about this... well Mozart always said to keep your chin up!".
I also found it really annoying how the book is constantly pulling up some kind of story or lesson from a rotating selection of artists from random mediums. You'll be reading along and they'll throw in something like "Mozart used to cry for ten hours before he could even write a note" and "Ansel Adams was constantly on the verge of suicide because he felt insecure about his photography skills". Of course those aren't real quotes from the book, but they are examples of what I find annoying. I know they were writing a book about art in general and they have to throw in things about different art forms occaisionally, but it just seemed really patronizing.
Like I said I'm glad I've read it, but I probably wouldn't have if I really knew what it was. This book is for people that are very afraid and very insecure. It will give you lots of reassurance and make you feel better about yourself. However, if you are not depressed and on the verge of quitting, then I think you may find this book to be very annoying.

I do not describe myself as a practicing artist. I have practiced Emergency Medicine in large urban teaching hospitals for 25 years. Until a year ago, I hadn't played a 'cello or bass viol for 35 years, and hadn't written a poem in almost as many. I started writing letters to a friend making a difficult passage 8 months ago, to suport the process, and began to recall the letters and poetry I used to write. I wrote 50 letters in 6 months, then "hit a wall." After reading this book, I began rediscovering my "art," outside of my professional and personal life. Art may not be my life, but my Life is more Artful after reading this book. It will not get the "disappointed and afraids" a good job after art school, but it may help anyone began to reconnect to that Fearlessness that permeates early childhood, and from that, a richer expression of themselves. I will not write the great american novel, and probably nothing publishable, but the authors have made a genuine contribution to the quality of my life today. Try it.

I am seldom moved to write a review but I really disliked this book. It exposes both the arrogance and irrelevance of the academic art world. It is written pre internet and it shows. I would recommend passing on this. It supports a point of view that should be dead. Really never even uttered. It is merely an attempt to justify the existence of a very small group of people’s hold on a pretty worthless world view. Obviously art school is an indulgence if you art going there to “learn to be an artist”. The main premise of the book is why do 95% of students stop making work after art school. It certainly isn’t fear. The need to press on with it in order to promote the idea that “I am an artist” is obviously a bad move. There is nothing special about making things. Either it is something you must do or it isn’t. 95% of people stop not because of fear but because of time and money. It is that simple. It has nothing to do with courage and the neurotic self important view that this book promotes.

I gave it two stars because I don’t value opinion enough, mine as well, to bash it completely. I just believe that if you have been making things for a long time then this book is worthless and if you are just starting out this is a point of view that should be eradicated. Maybe if art professors didn’t push their own insecurities and inflated self importance on the students then more would continue. But unfortunately just like every where else it is competition and ego that is pushed.

No where does competition belong less than in art. Whatever that is. Your work is a personal journey. Unless you are making money and on some kind of consignment. Then it is a job like any other and your skills are craft like any other artisan.

I can’t believe I spent this much time on this but it hit a nerve. All of my art school friends struggled with these issues and it was the perspective itself that was impossible to overcome. The perspective in this book encourages fear in the form of insecurity and then gives a view that resolves fear which is self importance.

Avoid it.

Review of:
Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

This book really helped me relax, get rid of my white paper paralyses, and unleash my creative potential.
I highly recommend it to anyone who has a burning desire to create, but can't overcome the paralysis caused by external and/or internal influences that keep you from doing your thing.

I have spent years reading/learning about art, and how to make it.
I am more knowledgeable about the how and why, the materials and practices of artmaking and artists, than most of the working artists I know.
But I could not overcome the paralysis, caused by the thought that, I will spoil/soil/waste any paper/canvas/ink/paint that I use to make something, if it does not produce a masterpiece comparable or better than, the best artwork I have ever seen, or earn me enough money to pay for my time and materials.

The easy to read/understand words in this book, finally gave me permission to use all those artists materials I have been collecting/hoarding, and actually make things with them.
I feel an incredible sense of relief, excitement, and exhilaration making art, that I have been waiting for all my life.

One of the reasons we feel free to create when we were kids, is that we did not have to pay for the materials, or know how precious they are, and we were given the time to create, that was not otherwise needed to do "more productive/important" things (like earn money, eat, sleep, shop for groceries, clean the house, find a mate, raise children, watch TV, read a book, pick your nose, scratch your butt, etc.)

Even though I still do most of those things, this book has motivated me to also find/make time for creating art, without guilt.

Hope it has the same affect on you.
Now go play!!!
Life dose not last forever, You have earned this, and deserve the joy of making art :-)
If you don't, you'll be depriving yourself and others of the enjoyment of your creations.
Don't sweat it if everyone doesn't dig it, that is an impossible/unrealistic goal.
Focus on the pleasure of the process, and not what happens afterword. That will take care of itself.
Happy trails...
Dave Finberg, the "Playing Mantis"

I didn't know quite what to expect when I picked this up. I bought the book quite a while ago on the recommendation of someone else. What the book is is a commiseration on the trials of art making, marketing, etc., the entire process. Based on my own experience creating art I question the word "fear". Doubt, frustration, creative blocks, external obstacles all apply, but I can't ever say fear has been what has hindered me. If you are looking for confirmation that you are not alone in dealing with these things and you don't have a circle of artist friends with whom you can commiserate, this just could be the book you need to prod you to plunge forward anyway. If you are looking for answers, tips or tricks to overcome the things that beset you, you will be disappointed. Indeed, those can only come from you anyway.

There is a certain class of books and authors that are parasitic on the real or imagined problems of their readers. This book purports to address "What is your art really about?", "Where is it going?", and "What stands in the way of getting it there?" It does so in prose that is by turns maundering, platitudinous, and smug. The tone can be breezy and self-referential ("the authors would like to employ this sentence to proclaim a self-imposed moratorium on cynicism in their future discussions") in a way reminiscent of a high school newspaper. You get platitudes like "a good work of art inevitably calls the viewer's own belief system into question. Is this threatening? Is the Pope Catholic?" Why not speculate on the woodsy habits of bears? The authors let you know they are more educated than you: ah, so J. S. Bach committed to writing a prelude and fugue in each of the twenty-four keys! Twenty-four; well, well. And they have insight into Bach's thought processes that show him to be just a good ol' boy: "'Let's see, I haven't begun to work on the F-sharp minor yet'". What a load of malarkey! You can get this book for $12.95 list, or for a dollar less (and SIGNED! which must give them a small thrill) from the authors directly. But don't do it. Don't waste your time. Paint a picture. Write a poem.

I'm a painter and this book is amazing. First I want to state that I am a strong self-assured person that defines myself through my faith & my painting in order to feel like myself. I began having specific fears that began to cripple me regarding my painting. Had it not been for this book, I was at a point to where I probably would've actually stopped painting. This book has helped me to get back into my studio and embrace painting again with the abundant knowledge the authors have passed along. I had absolutely no idea how many artist feel the same as I do. Most artists hide their fears very well. This book is such an eye opener in that I realized I wasn't alone. By understanding this along with the specific fears, it's helped release much of the tension and fear I've had, and the ones that return to me. It is my favorite book about art because I now see things with more clarity in my own work and that of others. When I view paintings by others then I wonder what was behind the minds of the artist regarding any fears. It would be a lie to state that an artist has no fears at all. The knowledge I now have from the book has made me feel a closer connection to all present artists and all from the past.

This book I was richly anticipating due to its wonderful reviews but alass! I was utterly dissapointed. Granted the book pin points the fears that go through an artist mind everyday, but tell me something I DON'T know. I'm aware of the voices in my head now tell me what to do about them. I am a student struggling with my work and the fear that I wont get a profitable job when I embark on a career. This book actually discurraged me from believing that an artist, unless allready financially secure, cannot gain profits from his work and that to do it is for the sake of art not income. Well thats great and wouldn't that be perfect, but unfortunatly, poverty is real and so is my desire to create. Don't tell me to except it as a hobby when I just signed my soul to...debt in art school. In conclusion, I found this book not motivating, it points out the real fear but offers little advice, this coupled with bizzar comparisons to Mozart I feel it would searve me best as a fire starter in my cold and heatless studio.

This book takes some simple ideas and beats you over the head with them over and over again trying to make them seem profound. It reminds of term papers you had to write, that had to be so many pages, so you word it up to fill the requirement. The helpfullness of this book isn't much and can be shortened down to an article. Not worth the money.