If I would have to choose only two books about the art process, mindset, and creativity to take with me on a remote island and just give up everything else, these two are the ones, with no hesitation.
There are also some honorable mentions, like both of Ted Orland's books ("Art & Fear", and "The View From The Studio Door"), maybe parts from "The War of Art" (I did not like the tone, art is an escape for me, not a war), and maybe "Creative Authenticity" by Ian Roberts, but nothing comes close to these two, which I have read multiple times.
I keep them by my bedside and open them to a random page once in a while before I go to bed. I find that to be a very cathartic experience.
They seem to have been written by me, for me, that's how profoundly they hit home. In ways only "The Snow Leopard", though not an art book but a deeply spiritual journey, had such an effect on me.
When Rick Rubin speaks, every creative in the world should shut up and take notes, because @rickrubin is a treasure, a gold mine, and an enigma. His achievements over a vast area of genres are simply unprecedented, yet he remains humble and grounded, like few I've ever seen. I've consumed EVERYTHING Rick Rubin in the past few years, some of them multiple times (I've watched that Pharrell interview 4 times, at least), and I can definitely say this book is the magnum opus of all his wisdom.
Luckily for the world, he started a podcast (@tetragrammaton.now ) where we can bask in his wisdom more often. Everything regarding him was extremely rare before that.
Robert Henri is no longer with us, but he is a must-have for any art student that is interested in art. Real art, the one that evokes and stands the test of time.
I have a few other books by my bedside. But that's for another episode.
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