Do you like to read?

I have friends who are constantly reading multiple books at any given time – I’m not one of them 😀 I would get so confused if I did that!!

But, I do like to read for fun and also read books that are related to business and creativity (which is also fun for me!)

If you’re looking for motivational, cure-your-self-doubt books for your creative practice, I highly recommend these 3 books!

They’re all pretty easy to read and offer lots of practical and actionable tips.

1. Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

I’ve heard of this book recommended for artists for a long time but just picked it up a few months ago and loved it!

I loved Austin’s drawings and encouraging messages throughout the book.

Especially this piece in the picture above spoke to me when I was feeling my work was all over the place (I’m interested in making art in different medium and styles etc. Who isn’t??) and feeling insecure about it.

I’d also been intentionally avoiding watching tutorials of artists whom I admired (and I thought our work had similar vibes) because I was afraid I’d unintentionally copy their work.

But after reading the part about human hands not being able to copy something with 100% accuracy, I felt better about it and totally let go.

Now I watch whatever classes I want from whomever and learn something useful without “stealing” their work. After all, I can only make work that looks like mine. It was liberating!!

2. Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I may be an anomaly, but I didn’t know about Elizabeth Gilbert until last month 😀

I’d never read Eat Pray Love or watched the movie. Somehow I never came across her work until I watched her interview with Marie Forleo on this episode of Marie TV. 

I was actually listening to the podcast version of the show while I was on my afternoon walk, but it was SO GOOD I had to stop and post the screenshot to my Instagram Stories 🙂

Her advice for nurturing creativity while living with fear was so spot-on. I also really appreciated her sense of humor 😀

As soon as I got home, immediately ordered her book on Amazon and devoured it.

I always find it encouraging to hear that someone as successful as Liz wasn’t always so successful – reading about how she had series of day jobs and received hundreds of rejection letters for many years before she could make a full-time income from writing reminded me that I need to be patient and keep making art and putting it out there even if I don’t see the desired outcomes, like, right NOW!

BTW, I started reading Eat Pray Love after I finished The Big Magic. It’s good 🙂

3. The Crossroads of Should and Must by Elle Luna

My dear friend gave me this book back in 2015 while I was contemplating whether or not to quit my job to pursue art full-time.

I had so many questions – mostly out of fear – about making a transition from my regular job to being a working artist.

What if I fail? What if I don’t make enough money? What if Dave loses his job? Do I have what it takes? What if I lose my passion??

This book addresses many of those scary questions and offers helpful tips for finding your passion and following them in a way that makes sense to you.  Elle helps you to become more confident with your voice, making time for your creativity, getting over your fear, and much, much more in a compassionate and encouraging manner.

Just reading the first couple of chapters about Elle’s own transition from a well-paying job to being an artist helped center me while I was going through the big changes in my life.

My situation was different than hers, but it was encouraging to know that it is possible.

Of course, I loved all the art and lettering! When I got the book, I paged through quickly to see all the art first 🙂 Do you do that, too?

If you read any of these books, let me know what you think! Do share in the comment if you have other recommendations!

xo

p.s. I’m going to be on my sabbatical week, so no new blog post next Sunday! See you in a couple of weeks 🙂