Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians, and Actors from America's Foremost Creativity Coach

( 3 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$10.16

NOOK Book

——

$10.16

Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians, and Actors from America's Foremost Creativity Coach (eBook) Pub. Date: 3/1/2011 Publisher: New World Library
$8.85

$11.15

Paperback

$8.85

$11.15

Mastering Creative Anxiety: 24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians, and Actors from America's Foremost Creativity Coach Pub. Date: 3/1/2011 Publisher: New World Library

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

In his decades as a psychotherapist and creativity coach, Eric Maisel has found a common thread behind what often gets labeled "writer's block," "procrastination," or "stage fright." It's the particular anxiety that, paradoxically, keeps creators from doing, completing, or sharing the work they are driven toward. This "creative anxiety" can take the form of avoiding the work, declaring it not good enough, or failing to market it - and it can cripple creators for decades, even lifetimes. But Maisel has learned what sets successful creators apart. He shares these strategies here, including artist-specific stress management; how to work despite bruised egos, day jobs, and other inevitable frustrations; and what not to do to deal with anxiety. Implementing these twenty-four lessons replaces the pain of not creating with the profound rewards of free artistic self-expression.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781577319320
Publisher: New World Library
Publication date: 3/1/2011
Pages: 272
Sales rank: 393,586
Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

Eric Maisel, PhD, is America’s foremost creativity coach and is widely known as the creativity expert. He is a columnist for Art Calendar magazine, the number one business online and print magazine for visual artists, coaches individuals and trains creativity coaches, and offers workshops and keynotes nationally and internationally. He is the author of Brainstorm, The Atheist’s Way, A Writer’s San Francisco, Coaching the Artist Within, Fearless Creating, The Van Gogh Blues, Ten Zen Seconds, and thirty other books. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Introduction ix

1 The Anxiety of Creating and Not Creating 1

2 The Anxiety of Mattering and Not Mattering 17

3 The Anxiety of Identity 27

4 The Anxiety of Individuality 35

5 The Anxiety of Choosing the Creative Life 47

6 The Anxiety of Surviving 59

7 The Anxiety of Day Jobs 69

8 The Anxiety of Choosing 79

9 The Anxiety of Compromising 89

10 The Anxiety of Possibility 99

11 The Anxiety of Working 109

12 The Anxiety of Thinking 117

13 The Anxiety of Ruining 127

14 The Anxiety of Failing 139

15 The Anxiety of Completing 149

16 The Anxiety of Attaching and Caring 159

17 The Anxiety of Ego Bruising 169

18 The Anxiety of Performing 177

19 The Anxiety of Selling 187

20 The Anxiety of Promoting 197

21 The Anxiety of Procrastinating 207

22 The Anxiety of Waiting 217

23 The Anxiety of Repeating 227

24 The Anxiety of Success 237

Notes 247

Index 249

About the Author 259

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5

( 3 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

BartonStudioDB

Posted June 1, 2011

Highly Recommend!

Only wish I had it this book years ago.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
GertrudefromMN

Posted March 22, 2011

Creative Anxiety Management Techniques

Twenty-four lessons for managing your feelings of anxiety. The subtitle suggests that artists of all kinds tap into these chapters, "24 Lessons for Writers, Painters, Musicians and Actors.." I believe these techniques would help any procrastinator out there. Have you ever started a project only to run out of enthusiasm? I know I have. I started painting a small apartment in the end of December and admit that I still have finishing touches to add and it's mid-March. Even as recently as a few days ago I was painting. I have one more color to touch-up and then I can officially say the project is complete. I believe that this book helped me put the excuses aside and change my attitude from project as chore to project as gift to myself. Two of the 24 lessons particularly appealed to me. Chapter 14, The Anxiety of Failing, provides new visualization techniques. I loved the suggestion to visualize yourself in the presence of someone who is calming for you such as a loved one, a deceased one, a close friend, etc. Usually these techniques center on placing yourself in a safe environment or stepping your mind through the process visualizing a successful ending. Chapter 21, The Anxiety of Procrastination, says, "Anxiety causes procrastination, and procrastination produces more anxiety. Get out of this vicious cycle by recognizing how much anxiety is at play." That's what I needed to hear. I felt like I was avoiding anxiety by pushing off my painting needs and yet what I was actually doing was making the feeling grow. Once I realized that, it was a matter of time before that color line between ceiling and wall became straighter. It was a great gift to give myself to wake up the day after painting and say, "Wow, that wall looks great." Rather than saying, "I've really got to fix that awful bleed-over. It looks so bad." By focusing on the negative, my energy fled from painting over to anything else I could find to do that day. And, it was easy to go on and on finding an ever-growing list of other chores less taxing. When I shifted focus to relieving my anxiety, I woke up one morning, changed into my paint clothes and got to work. I did not like the format of the book, however. Each chapter contains a parable. A little fictional story demonstrates the chapter principle. I just skipped them and got to the point. I felt like they were used more as filler and adding fiction to a non-fiction work didn't appeal to me. So maybe I missed out on an insightful bit but really, I feel much relieved because my project is now complete and that anxiety is gone.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted November 29, 2011

No text was provided for this review.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble