{"id":5358,"date":"2014-12-09T13:00:56","date_gmt":"2014-12-09T17:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/?p=5358"},"modified":"2014-12-09T00:33:21","modified_gmt":"2014-12-09T04:33:21","slug":"book-review-creative-block-advice-projects-50-successful-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/national\/2014\/12\/09\/book-review-creative-block-advice-projects-50-successful-artists\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review – Creative Block: Advice and Projects from 50 Successful Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Author: Daniella Krysa (Chronicle Books, 2014)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Creative Block<\/em> took me a while to read. Not because it was difficult or heavy or even long. It took me a while to read it because every time I finished an interview (which is how the book is divided) I wanted to digest the descriptions\u00a0of how to move\u00a0beyond those dreaded creative walls we all hit. Not only did Daniella Krysa help to put together some of the best ideas on how to ‘unblock’ yourself, but she also gathered a fantastic collection of imagery and narrative to follow alongside.<\/span><\/p>\n

The book follows a very simple pattern, as eluded to above: there are a series of 50 interviews with artists that work with\u00a0different mediums. Each interview is set alongside\u00a0beautiful images\u00a0of their work and is capped off with their method of unblocking their brain from creative strife. <\/span><\/p>\n

The unblocking techniques are obviously some of the most interesting parts and, in the interest of being\u00a0thorough, I attempted as many as I could. Naturally, not all worked equally well for\u00a0me. After all, we all have our own unique ways of getting around a mental block. But because of their diversity, there were a lot of successes. They varied\u00a0from short and concise (\u201cFor my challenge I would like you to illustrate yourself as an animal. For example: are you a chilled-out, lazy sloth?\u201d) to being\u00a0quite long (such as Kate Pugsley<\/a>\u2019s which I won\u2019t repeat in full, but involved layering compositions of shapes in varying colors).<\/span><\/p>\n

On its own,\u00a0Creative Block<\/em>\u00a0stands out as being a great read\u00a0to get a meaningful conversation about creativity going. It shows readers\u00a0innovative art being done by 50 successful artists – exciting you merely by showing the\u00a0images of their work. It also ignites\u00a0one’s\u00a0creative instincts by reading\u00a0the\u00a0artist interviews, which probe into the depths of questions beyond those around creative\u00a0blocks, such as, \u201cHow do you curb your inner critic?\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>When you add in the helpful tools to overcome creative standstills, it makes the book that much stronger.<\/p>\n

Moreover, instead of being a self-help book, it politely asks the reader\u00a0to participate and in that participation, learn something about yourself, about how your creative brain works, and how you can ‘unstick’ it, if need be. Some of the projects on their own were fun enough that, even if you weren\u2019t stuck, they might be a good way to just get you thinking in a different direction.<\/p>\n

All in all ,\u00a0Creative Block: Advice and Projects from 50 Successful Artists<\/em>\u00a0was wonderfully succinct and\u00a0filled with lovely imagery that\u00a0perfectly accentuated each interview with each\u00a0artist – while adding the element of interaction really put it in a category of its own. \u00a0It is truly a great quick read (if you don\u2019t try all the unblocking tips at once!) and makes for a fun resource to return to when you are feeling stuck, or are just looking for that little spark of inspiration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

For more information, visit the Chronicle Books website<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

**<\/p>\n

Jeremy Senko<\/em><\/strong> is happily lost in the world of theoretical architecture and design. He is forever a student at heart, consistently reading, experiencing and learning about the world he inhabits. More specifically, he works as an Interior Designer in Vancouver and plays an active part in bettering the environments we live in.
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