Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
David Bayles and Ted Orlando
Image Continuum Press
Nonfiction, Art
***+
Description
Art is easy. Being an artist is hard. And making a living out of art... well, that's basically impossible, isn't it? To be an artist of any stripe - actor, painter, musician, writer - is to face many fears: the fears that everything worth doing has already been done, that the next piece will never come, that nobody will value what one brings to the medium, that art will never be worth the cost and will never pay the rent. Those who persevere in the face of those fears create; those who give up never do. But it's not as easy as just deciding not to give in. The authors discuss the process of nurturing ideas, surviving the competition-driven art world, and remaining true to one's vision - even the matter of figuring out one's vision in the first place.
Review
I've seen this title recommended more than once, so when I finally found a half-price copy I figured I'd give it a try. Like many who endeavor to create, fears and uncertainties have been constant companions, enough that I sometimes (too often) let them get the better of me; there's far too much actual dust in my workshed and figurative dust on my story files at the moment. The authors present the seemingly-paradoxical idea that many fears faced by artists are universal, yet each person must find their own path forward if they mean to move forward at all. They also acknowledge that it's not simply psychological, or a matter of shrugging off fears in the name of a Higher Calling; some of those fears are valid and need addressing in the real world, and conquering one does little to conquer another... nor does it ensure that the same problem won't return again. At some points, the writing gets a bit circular and meandering, losing its own thread as it wanders through ideas and anecdotes, enough to cost it a half-mark in the ratings. In the end, it's a decent examination of the forces without and within that can thwart creative endeavors, and an assurance that answers can be found, even if they can't simply be given.