Day 60 - Why? Art Thinking

We are all a work in progress.  Each seeking strategies that best work for us.  Some strategies bring us life long happiness, meaning and purpose - and for some these strategies work temporary and believe they work all the time.  What I enjoyed about Art Thinking is Amy Whitaker’s view about what art is — that it is an exploration through a creative process.  Sure, there’s an outcome — the product of the exploration.  She gave a variety of examples throughout her book.  In using her framework from taking a larger view, being in the weeds, being a lighthouse, building a house, etc., she methodically gives a person a conceptual way to understand the creative process.  What I found helpful was her methods of reviewing the business side of a creative process.  There are different types of cost, but the one we seldom like to spend is the cost of one’s time.  What I found most surprising with her book was the call to finding a compassionate community.  In her example of Christopher Miner’s project of revamping an old Sears building into an artist, business community was delightful to hear.  As with her call at the end of her book for the reader to practice “radical curiosity,” within all of life’s adventures.  

I encourage you to buy a copy of Art Thinking for a better understanding of your own creative process.  Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book.

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