The Artist's Journey: On Making Art & Being an Artist

by Kent Nerburn

Overview

The creative life is not easy. From the outside it can seem romantic and exciting, but in fact it is a unique journey filled with doubts and dreams and complex challenges that most people never imagine. From the obvious issues of making a living and dealing with rejection, to more rarified questions like how to know when a work is finished and the delicate balance between inspiration and craft, the creative artist – whether writer, painter, actor, or dancer – lives in a world of profound questions and subtle choices.

The Artist’s Journey takes you into this world with an emotional honesty that few books offer. At once practical and spiritual, it is a rare exploration of the inner landscape of the artistic experience and an essential guidebook to the artist's journey, for creative artists in all fields, whether young or old, accomplished or just beginning.

Also available as a collectable giftable hardback edition, titled Dancing with the Gods.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781838851484
Publisher:	Canongate Books
Publication date:	10/15/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Kent Nerburn is a sculptor and award-winning author of sixteen books. He has been writing about Native American history and culture for almost thirty years, and is the founder and director of 'Project Preserve', working on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation helping students collect memoires of tribal elders. He lives in Portland, Oregon. kentnerburn.com
Kent Nerburn was born and raised near Minneapolis, he studied American Studies at the University of Minnesota, then went on to Stanford University to study Religious Studies and Humanities, then to the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, where he received a Ph.D. in conjunction with the University of California at Berkeley. After several years living in Europe he returned to Minnesota and worked on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation helping students collect the memories of the tribal elders. He has been writing about Native American history and culture for over twenty years.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Dreams and Fears Choosing the artist's life xiii

The Journey Begins

1 Courting the Muse: Finding the place where time stands still 3

2 Finding a Vision, Finding a Voice: The search for authentic personal expression 13

3 Inspiration and Training: The essential responsibility of learning your craft 25

4 Dancing over the Abyss: The courage to fail 33

5 The Unwavering Beacon: The inviolable imperative of excellence 43

The Hard Places

6 The Peril of Easy Blessing: The need for long patience and the pitfalls of early success 53

7 Dark Nights and Waterless Places: When inspiration fails and doubt sets in 59

8 The Slamming Door: The pain and challenge of rejection 67

9 The Merchants of Doubt: The harsh reality of critics and criticism 75

10 The Dark Companion: The toll of money on the creative spirit 85

11 The Golden Handcuffs: The tyranny of success and recognition 101

The Hidden Secrets

12 The Divine Thread: The psychic connection between artist and audience 113

13 The Hummingbird's Heartbeat: The gossamer line between discovery and mastery 121

14 The Architect and the Gardener: The magic of accident and faith in the unknown 131

15 The Right Stroke: The fine art of the appropriate choice 139

16 Abandoning Your Children: The hard decision to leave works behind 149

17 Time and Timing: The art inside your art 159

The Unseen Joys

18 Many Hands and a Common Heart: The joys and challenges of collaboration 171

19 The Solace of Unlikely Friends: The wisdom and insight of other arts 181

20 On the Shoulders of Giants: The magical bond of artists across time and space 191

21 The Fist in the Velvet Glove: The dream of a better world 197

22 The Voice that Cannot Be Stilled: Why art matters in a world of human need 207

23 The Eternal Youth of the Endless Imagination: The power of art to keep the heart young 215

Coda: Expressing the Inexpressible 227

Acknowledgements 241

Permissions credits 245

Editorial Reviews

Helpful, deceptively simple, straight-shooting, celebratory” MARGARET ATWOOD

“With a poet's grace and a craftsman’s precision, Kent Nerburn has written a powerful and deeply moving meditation on what it means to live the life of an artist—and, ultimately, what it means to be human. On Making Art & Being an Artist might be the most inspiring book you'll read all year” DANIEL PINK

“Kent Nerburn's understanding of the transcendent nature of the creative process is vividly on display in his uplifting new book. His enthusiasm is contagious. Tune into his wise words and make something beautiful” RICK RUBIN

“A master teacher with the most generous heart, filled with lifetimes of wisdom” DARREN ARONOFSKY

From the Publisher

A book of revelation . . . a true-life fable and a provocative call

ROBERT PLANT on NEITHER WOLF NOR DOG

Helpful, deceptively simple, straight-shooting, celebratory

MARGARET ATWOOD

A master teacher with the most generous heart, filled with lifetimes of wisdom

DARREN ARONOFSKY

A rare invocation of pure spirit. I loved it like an old song

ANDREW O'HAGAN on NEITHER WOLF NOR DOG

Kent Nerburn's understanding of the transcendent nature of the creative process is vividly on display in his uplifting new book. His enthusiasm is contagious. Tune into his wise words and make something beautiful

RICK RUBIN

A tender and beautifully written guide for anyone working in the arts . . . [a] little gem of a book

The Wee Review

Kent Nerburn reveals to us that which lies beyond the surface appearance of reality. His writings are permeated by stillness. In a world gone astray, they are of inestimable value

ECKHART TOLLE

With a poet's grace and a craftsman's precision, Kent Nerburn has written a powerful and deeply moving meditation on what it means to live the life of an artist - and, ultimately, what it means to be human. On Making Art & Being an Artist might be the most inspiring book you'll read all year

DANIEL PINK

Like Paulo Coelho, Nerburn takes on a spiritual grandfather role. [This] encouraging piece of text . . . hinges on well-researched, inspirational quotes from great artists. Sometimes that is what we all need . . . If you're in need of a creative pick-me-up, cherish this

DJ Mag