Are you looking to reignite your passion for art or seeking new sources of inspiration? Whether you’re a seasoned artist, an art teacher, or someone just beginning their creative journey, the right books can be a game-changer. In this post, we’ll explore some of the best books to inspire creativity and boost your passion for art. From essential art history to contemporary therapeutic works that push the boundaries of imagination and living a creative life, these art books for artists are must-reads. We’ll delve into inspiring books for artists, offer art book examples, and even suggest books for your art book club. Whether you’re curating your art bookshelf or expanding your art books collection, these recommendations are designed to ignite your creativity and provide endless inspiration. Let’s dive into my top six best books to inspire creativity.
1. Must Read Art History Books
Books to Inspire Creativity – Leonardo Da. Vinci – The Biography
About this book
To read this magnificent biography of Leonardo da Vinci is to take a tour through the life and works of one of the most extraordinary human beings of all time in the company of the most engaging, informed, and insightful guide imaginable. Walter Isaacson is at once a true scholar and a spellbinding writer. And what a wealth of lessons there are to be learned in these pages.’ David McCullough
Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo’s astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity, careful observation, and an imagination so playful that it flirted with fantasy.
2. Latest Art Books
Books to Inspire Creativity – Your Brain on Art
About this book
“Have you ever gotten chills while listening to a particularly gorgeous piece of music? Or felt a sense of calm while gazing at a painting of a serene landscape? We have experiences like those every day, but rarely stop to consider what’s happening internally to cause them. In Your Brain on Art, founder of the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Susan Magsamen and Google designer Ivy Ross explain how, by understanding how we biologically react to aesthetic experiences, we can not only heal as individuals but thrive as communities.
Using the new science of neuroaesthetics, which explores our physiological reactions to art, Magsamen and Ross show us how, for instance, gardening can help a person heal from trauma or listening to a major fifth interval can snap the body out of a fight-or-flight response. Beyond enjoyment and abstraction, art can change the way we operate on a daily, practical level. And, in addition to helping each of us heal from stress, anxiety, burnout, and other malaises of modern life. Neuroaesthetics can effect major change in society writ large, whether through public art murals in high-crime areas or music and dance therapy for patients experiencing neurodegenerative disorders”
3. Books for Creators
Books to Inspire Creativity – Creative Schools
About this book
A revolutionary reappraisal of how to educate our children and young people by Ken Robinson, the New York Timesbestselling author of The Element and Finding Your Element.
Ken Robinson is one of the world’s most influential voices in education, and his 2006 TED Talk on the subject is the most viewed in the organization’s history. Now, the internationally recognized leader on creativity and human potential focuses on one of the most critical issues of our time: how to transform the nation’s troubled educational system. At a time when standardized testing businesses are raking in huge profits, when many schools are struggling, and students and educators everywhere are suffering under the strain, Robinson points the way forward. He argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students, develop their love of learning, and enable them to face the real challenges of the twenty-first century.
Filled with anecdotes, observations and recommendations from professionals on the front line of transformative education, case histories, and groundbreaking research—and written with Robinson’s trademark wit and engaging style—Creative Schools will inspire teachers, parents, and policy makers alike to rethink the real nature and purpose of education.
4. Books Every Artist Should Read
Books to Inspire Creativity – Art is a Way of Knowing
About this book
An art therapist and member of the art therapy faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Allen gives excellent instructions on using image-making as a way to understand personal fears, dreams, and identity while giving us a look at her own life and image-making process. Especially useful for nonartists, Allen’s text explains which art materials to purchase and how to begin a drawing or sculpture.
Led into the field by the mother of art therapy, Margaret Naumburg, Allen tells the story of her life and struggles: coming to terms with her mother’s death and her father’s alcoholism, finding and understanding her feminine side, dealing with a loss of tenure and a change in professional identity. Through it all, she shows how image-making has helped her to understand herself, her emotions, her relationships, and her dreams. Allen has produced a wonderful book for anyone, artistic or not, who is interested in using art to know more about himself or herself.
5. Must Read Books for Artists
Books to Inspire Creativity – Steel like an artist
About this book
Unlock your creativity.
An inspiring guide to creativity in the digital age, Steal Like an Artist presents ten transformative principles that will help readers discover their artistic side and build a more creative life.
Nothing is original, so embrace influence, school yourself through the work of others, remix and reimagine to discover your own path. Follow interests wherever they take you—what feels like a hobby may turn into you life’s work. Forget the old cliché about writing what you know: Instead, write the book you want to read, make the movie you want to watch.
And finally, stay Smart, stay out of debt, and risk being boring in the everyday world so that you have the space to be wild and daring in your imagination and your work.
6. Art Book Inspiration
Books to Inspire Creativity – The Artisan Soul
About this book
In The Artisan Soul, Erwin Raphael McManus, author, thought leader, and founder of MOSAIC in Los Angeles, pens a manifesto for human creativity and the beginning of a new renaissance. McManus not only calls us to reclaim our creative essence but reveals how we can craft our lives into works of art. There are no shortcuts to quality, and McManus celebrates the spiritual process that can help us discover our true selves.
McManus demonstrates that we all carry within us the essence of an artist. We all need to create, to be part of a process that brings to the world something beautiful, good, and true in order to allow our souls to come to life. It’s not only the quality of the ingredients we use to build our lives that matter but the care we bring to the process itself. Just like baking artisan bread, it’s a process that’s crafted over time. And God has something to say about how we craft our lives.
With poignant, inspirational stories and insights from art, life, history, and scripture interspersed throughout, McManus walks listeners through the process of crafting a life of beauty and wonder.
Conclusion
Incorporating these books to inspire creativity, inspiring books for artists into your reading routine can profoundly impact your creative practice. Whether you’re browsing through the latest art books or diving into must-read art history books, there’s something for every artist in this collection. From practical guides like the Art Teachers Book of Lists to thought-provoking art book quotes, these titles are more than just books—they’re companions in your creative journey. By adding these art books ideas to your bookshelf, you’ll not only expand your knowledge but also fuel your passion for art in new and exciting ways. So, pick up a book, join an art book club, and let the inspiration flow!
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