5 Must Have Artist Books for Self Confidence, Creativity, Self Development and Business Growth

08/31/22 • 15 min

I've dusted off my bookshelf and selected 5 top 'Must Have' reads/resources to help you with artist self confidence, creativity, self development and business growth. No matter where you are in your current journey there's at least one book here to spark interest and intrigue. Scroll to the bottom for the show links to all 12 books.
Episode Highlights:

[5:00] And it's again, one that you go back to over and over again, when you're sort of stuck with things, because there are so many tools, there's lots of things to do as far as practice, process and tasks within the book. So things that you actually work on. And an example of some basic tools within the book are 'morning pages'
[7:15] And over time, this practice will teach you that your mood really doesn't matter. That some of your best creative work gets done on the days where you feel like everything is just going to be plain junk. Now the practice continues on from there. It helps with your ability to stop judging yourself and also to feed your inner artist, child. But this is just an example of one of many tools and practices that every artist should undergo.
[8:50] Which means we shouldn't feel badly about embracing the influence of others. If we think we're creating something unique, we're not. The key however, is to remix those things that we admire in other artists work and re-imagine them in our own so that we can discover our own path.
[9:05] I have a new course coming out in early 2023 called Fused Harmony. And within it, I'm going to be teaching multiple techniques and ways of incorporating resin, encaustic and metal altogether, all in one. Obviously those techniques on their own are nothing unique. Lots of artists create with resin. Lots of artists create within encaustic and many artists create with metal. But the way I'm going to be bringing in all of these techniques together are going to be completely different.
[10:50] because any painting we see on a wall, in a gallery, there's always a reference of another artist within their work. The key is to incorporate multiple ideas and multiple elements into the work and to add that little something extra that differentiates yourself from somebody else.
[12:00] She really dives into vulnerability and that without it, you cannot create. And with vulnerability comes fear, self doubt, comparison, anxiety, and uncertainty. So if you're feeling any of those things that I've just mentioned, you really need to search for this talk. It is going to be one of the best things you've ever watched or listened too.

SHOW NOTES:
12 Book Resources >> Janes Reads List with Bonus Titles
Instagram Account >> @janelovesdesign
Main Website >> taelife.com
If you feel this list can help another fellow artist, please feel free to share this episode with others :)

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[5:00] And it's again, one that you go back to over and over again, when you're sort of stuck with things, because there are so many tools, there's lots of things to do as far as practice, process and tasks within the book. So things that you actually work on. And an example of some basic tools within the book are 'morning pages'
[7:15] And over time, this practice will teach you that your mood really doesn't matter. That some of your best creative work gets done on the days where you feel like everything is just going to be plain junk. Now the practice continues on from there. It helps with your ability to stop judging yourself and also to feed your inner artist, child. But this is just an example of one of many tools and practices that every artist should undergo.
[8:50] Which means we shouldn't feel badly about embracing the influence of others. If we think we're creating something unique, we're not. The key however, is to remix those things that we admire in other artists work and re-imagine them in our own so that we can discover our own path.
[9:05] I have a new course coming out in early 2023 called Fused Harmony. And within it, I'm going to be teaching multiple techniques and ways of incorporating resin, encaustic and metal altogether, all in one. Obviously those techniques on their own are nothing unique. Lots of artists create with resin. Lots of artists create within encaustic and many artists create with metal. But the way I'm going to be bringing in all of these techniques together are going to be completely different.
[10:50] because any painting we see on a wall, in a gallery, there's always a reference of another artist within their work. The key is to incorporate multiple ideas and multiple elements into the work and to add that little something extra that differentiates yourself from somebody else.
[12:00] She really dives into vulnerability and that without it, you cannot create. And with vulnerability comes fear, self doubt, comparison, anxiety, and uncertainty. So if you're feeling any of those things that I've just mentioned, you really need to search for this talk. It is going to be one of the best things you've ever watched or listened too.

Previous Episode

#2 When It's Scary To Jump: How to move forward and grow as an artist and in your business.

Are you scared to make a decision that will help you move forward? It can be hard to take a leap but sometimes you have to do it if you want to grow into something better.
In today's episode I share my story on how I got to this point in my artistic endeavours and how I'm still learning, growing and making mistakes. I also share 5 key points to help you take action and build confidence.
Remember you're not alone and we all have ups and downs as artists and people.
Here's a glance at this episode:

[6:00] I had a friend who had just the most amazing radio voice.
You can just imagine those movie trailers, his voice fits perfectly into that style of advertising. He introduced me to the local radio station and some of the people there. And I ended up with this summer job at the local radio station. I actually had my own daily live show. It was called, Believe It Or Else and my radio host name was Heather Hope.
[10:00] We all have creativity in us. But I feel as though it's been racing through my veins since I was just a small child. And as far back as I can remember, I've always been in love with art and all forms of it. Now, of course, I haven't always been an artist, obviously.
I've had a number of different roles and responsibilities.
[12:00]I remember sitting down with my husband saying, I need to make a change. I'm very upset. I'm frustrated. And I even went through a small stage of depression. I really felt insignificant. I didn't feel worthy. I kind of felt like I wasn't of benefit to anybody. How was I contributing to my family by not doing anything, which couldn't be anything further from the truth. I was home raising my son being a mother.
[13:00] I decided to take a small little floral design course. And in my mind, I was going to open up this florist retail shop. I was going to find the perfect building, and I just envisioned myself selling these beautiful floral displays. Well, obviously that did not work out. Things fell apart.
[00:14:00] an opportunity presented itself from this company that installs crash mats in school, gymnasiums the manager called and said, Hey, you know, we need somebody to come in and create and paint a mascot on a school gym mat. And you know, this individual has moved. And would you like to come in and just do this for us as this one-off project? And I went in not knowing anything.
[17:00] I do believe there are certain cues or prompts that present themselves. Whether they are ones that come from our inner voice or from something somebody tells us. I think they're light bulb moments that help guide and direct us down the path we're truly meant to take.
[18:00]I learned a lot about running a business and being a solo entrepreneur. But after 10 years, again, the driving really started to wear me down. It fatigued me, getting in my car and spending several hours at a time driving to and from schools.
[19:00] it was 2016, at least that is when I first started my own account on the platform. It wasn't initially as an artist, however, it was more of a fitness type account.
And I really thought I was going to move in that direction and I even attempted to self

Next Episode

#4 The Role Of Video On Social Media And Do You Need It To Be Successful?

I'm no stranger to video. I've used it many times to grow my Instagram quickly in the past. There's no doubt that video is here to stay and it can rapidly increase your social media account following. In today's episode I discuss if it's really necessary in order to be successful. Certainly it's a great tool for reach and potential new followers but how you use video can impact your account both positively and negatively.
Is it right for you? Here's the breakdown of today's episode:

[00:03:00] do we really need video in order for us to be successful on Instagram? And I want to use the word successful. In replace of rapid growth with video. Because that does not necessarily equate to success. I want you to keep that in mind because we tend to really get wrapped up in the numbers game, that follower count. And we assume when we see an account with a high following that they're automatically successful because they've used video to exponentially grow their account. But that's not always the case. So you really want to ensure that you're using video in the right way that aligns with your goals.
[00:04:00] But I think it's cyclical. Just like anything. When the algorithm changes, everybody gets frustrated. Everybody feels as though their performance on the platform is tanking. And we feel as though it's just crickets. Like nothing is happening, no matter what we're doing, nothing seems to be working.
[00:05:00] there are many artists that I know on Instagram who have a quarter of the following that I have and hardly post any type of video content. Sure they do a little bit, but most of their feed is photos and they are extremely successful. I also know the other extreme of artists who are doing very, very well, who create video nonstop. They have hundreds of thousands of followers and yes are successful in their own, right with what they're doing.
[00:09:00] It's really easy to become overwhelmed in thinking that you've got to jump on the bandwagon with everyone else and do the same thing. But it just means you're going to become more frustrated with yourself when you take that direction instead of taking the one you initially intended. As well, it may not necessarily align with your values and who you are as an artist.
[00:12:00] So again, you really need to think about who you are as an artist and your goals on the platform. Now, maybe you haven't, you had decided on direction. Maybe you don't know what you want to do or how to grow on social media. This then could be a viable option for you, especially if you love experimenting, you love lots of different mediums and you love to create It's an avenue you could pursue working with other brands and being paid to post art content.
[00:17:00] You don't need your video to go viral but it's still important to utilize video well and get it out there so you can gain some of that extra reach that you wouldn't normally get from photo.

Thanks so much for joining me on today's episode. I hope you found value and don't be a stranger. Feel free to drop a comment on my latest Instagram post. I'd love to hear what you're up to and what you think about this podcast.
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The Curious Creator - 5 Must Have Artist Books for Self Confidence, Creativity, Self Development and Business Growth

Transcript

Jane: [00:00:00] What is creative living? Well it's any life that is driven more strongly by curiosity than by fear. And that quote is by Elizabeth Gilbert. From her book, Big Magic. Today, I'm going to be sharing with you some must have books for you, the artist, looking to gain inspiration, motivation, confidence.

As well, I'm going to be sharing books for self-development and if you're in the business of art, then how you can indeed grow your business as well. So so