The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom

by Christine Valters Paintner

Summarized in the phrase "pray and work," "The Rule of St. Benedict" provides the inspiration for Christine Valters Paintner's newest exploration of the mutually nourishing relationship between contemplative practices and creative expression. Artists of all stripes and stations in life—poets or painters, potters or photographers—will discover how traditions of Benedictine, Celtic, and desert spirituality can offer new sources of inspiration for their work. Through this twelve-week course, themes like "Sacred Tools and Sacred Space," "Creative Solitude and Community," and "Nature as a Source of Revelation and Inspiration" are enriched by Paintner's perceptive discussion and enhanced by insightful quotations from well-known artists and writers. Each week offers suggestions for grounding both the creative and the spiritual life through three basic practices: walking, lectio divina, and journaling. In sync with Paintner's vibrant Internet presence, The Artist's Rule is supplemented with online resources, including guided meditation podcasts, video lessons, and discussions.

Genres: Spirituality, Art, Nonfiction, Writing, Poetry, Faith, Christianity

171 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Christine Valters Paintner, PhD is the online Abbess at AbbeyoftheArts.com, a virtual monastery and global community. She is the author of over 20 books on contemplative practice and creative expression including three collections of poetry. She lives in Galway, Ireland where she leads online retreats with her husband John. Christine is a Benedictine oblate, living out her commitment as a monk in the world.

Reviews

[Bonnie Westmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had the summers of Nouwen, Merton, Chittester, Rupp, Thoreau, Jefferson, and Angelou. This is the summer of Paintner. I can’t get enough of her words. She has become a morning ritual. Sister Lucy has referred to this book so many times, I can’t believe I didn’t make time for it until now. It’s not a book you can just read. I will continue to use it on Friday evenings over Zoom in my contemplative prayer group. The words are made for lectio and call to be read again and again. I think she must be guided by the Holy Spirit to find just the right quotes and poems to go with her readings. In this world of interesting times, she makes me proud to be a Benedictine, and teaches me how to live a life of meaning and faith, joy and gratitude, despite the circumstances our world is currently facing. She truly helps me to see the sacred in everything and God’s presence in my need to garden and teach. People look at my garden and say it’s so much work for one person to keep up. It’s not “work” for me. It’s prayer time, and being with God. This book explains why creating in my garden is like breathing for me. It’s soul work, and I need it like I need air.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a twelve-week program designed to help you explore how a contemplative spiritual life can both inform and be strengthened by expressing yourself creatively. Paintner, a Benedictine oblate, has modeled this program on the Rule of St. Benedict. Although I'm sure that someone who is familiar with the Rule will get more out of this book, Paintner has written a book that can be used and appreciated by an interfaith audience. For each week, Paintner explores a different aspect of the Rule and links it to exercises to develop one's creativity. After each topic, she discusses some contemplative exercises linked to the theme of the week, usually centered on lectio divina and questions for reflection. These are followed by a guided meditation and exercises for exploring the week's theme visually and sometimes through writing.

I enjoyed this book, although I've only read it, not tried to put the program into practice. It did come across as a little generic at points, but that might be expected of a book that is meant to be used with all sorts of artistic expression. I don't think this book can teach you the Rule in much depth, but it did pique my curiosity to learn more about it. I think this would be a good book for people interested in trying to integrate their spirituality and their creativity.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone very wise and wonderful recommended this book to me. I love it, but I am cut from the same cloth (habit?) that the author is: I am an artist/poet/contemplative (though at work I try to convince them that I'm a university prof), as my friend is. (No wonder I think that she's wise and wonderful.) I keep wandering back to this book. I follow her suggested activities for a while, then for a week or so I go do my own thing (which is really the author's thing, art/poetry/meditation), and then I come back to her book, and say, Wow! She is wise and wonderful. Reminds me of my friend. She has you draw, paint, write (freely, usually), move (very freely), sit, read, center. Yes, always center. and accept. But why am I sitting here writing this when I could be reading her or drawing or painting or . . . ?

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I have not worked through the various exercises, I intend to because this is an excellent example of marrying one's spiritual life to the arts. Paintner is an oblate (a lay member of any of various Roman Catholic societies devoted to special religious work)who teaches lay people about various artistic practices with the intention of unleashing spiritual growth. Small and compact, this is a book that should be read slowly.

[Tracy Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book, though it's hard to finish. I've started it twice, once during an online class with the author. It really introduced me more deeply to lectio divina and using art to express my spiritual journey. Love that it's broken into weekly chapters, love the suggested meditations, writing prompts, art prompts, etc. But it's really really hard to stick with it every week for 12 weeks. It takes time to do it all. I have a suspicion that I'll be dipping into this book for a long time.

[Karen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is helping me stay sane...slowly moving through it as a back drop to the hectic spring/summer I had/having for prepping for an exhibit next month.

Since I view my studio as sacred space (the former name for my space was The Beauty of Holiness) where I become exhausted and rejuvenated all in the processes of making art, this book explores the Monk/Artist connection and enhances my studio time.

[Deidre · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my life. Reading it shifted my perspective on a life of faith and creativity and inspired me to embrace the beauty in life. It’s written by a Christian but cites multiple sacred sources in the call to an authentic, creative, spiritual life. I recommend reading with a trusted friend and agreeing from the beginning to participate in as many of the activities as you have the energy and space for. This is what I did, and now I want to start over and read it all over again with my book club.

[Nicholas George · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice, compact guidebook for applying monastic principles to a creative, artistic life. Painter divides her lessons into a twelve-week plan which, whether practical or not for most of us, all contain gems to take away and bring more simplicity, creativity and spirituality into our lives.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Book Full of Beauty!

Read this book with a group of women throughout the course of 12 weeks. What a wonderful experience! Don't be thrown off by the "monk" thing. It's about a living a mindful (that's the monk part) and creative (that's the artist part) life! This book is a treasure trove of ideas and suggestions and insight. We could have spent two hours on each chapter, and would still barely scratch the surface of everything in here.

[Maureen Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a gift to me. It gave me a bit of insight. I had been doing some of the practices already, and now I have deeper inspiration to keep doing them. It was a helpful guide, though I did not follow through on the exercises. I will keep trying to be more in the moment and bring an increase of joy and energy into my life. And especially nurture my creativity through the Artist Rule methods.

[Kelly Blevins Pittman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book you don’t need to read straight through. I have enjoyed picking it up and reading where it suits my current needs. It’s a lovely book with practical ideas for exploring faith, creativity, and worship. I teach a Sacred Art Journaling workshop and refer to this for my teachings from time to time.

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good resource for exploring the overlap between creativity and prayer both of which involve openness, reflection, attentiveness and for combining the two. Contains useful exercises.

[Michele Zuniga · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book seemed an almost direct plagiarism of The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron. Unethical.

[Therese Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book applying St. Benedictine's rule to artists!

[Mark Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book that really speaks to the creative spirit! For those artistic/creative types serious about living a contemplative life, this is manna from heaven!

[Gwen Velsor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book from start to finish. Fantastic exercises to accompany each chapter. I had some great insights and inspiration from the reflections this book holds.

[Samantha Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some lovely creative activities and prompts to inspire. I will likely return to this book in the future.

[Hannah Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great resource for writers and artists looking to savor and draw more inspiration from their artistic journeys. I like to think of this book as a mud room for creating – a place to come in, take off your shoes, sit down and reflect for a minute before leaving or entering your artistic space. I particularly enjoyed the reflections on the different times of day and the seasons of creating. I struggle with resting periods but they are so vital to any kind of growth, artistic or otherwise.

I jotted down so many quotes I could easily paper an entire wall with them. Here is a favorite from John Chryssavgis: “Silence is never merely the cessation of words…Rather it is the pause that holds together – indeed, it makes sense of – all the words, both spoken and unspoken. Silence is the glue that connects our attitudes and our actions. Silence is the fullness, not emptiness; it is not absence, but the awareness of a presence.”

[Ann Yeong · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a society where we constantly charge our devices so that we can use them virtually unceasingly until their batteries run flat, many of us have been reduced to living lives of hyper-charged monotony - always stimulated but rarely truly present. Our minds are always scanning from one thing to the next, our attention divided, and our souls alienated from the present moment. We look but fail to see, listen but do not hear. We often fail to perceive our own soul's inner cry for help - our own deep need for a holy rhythm of silence, solitude, rest, prayer and joyful work. Christine Valters Paintner's "The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom" is a book that can help us rediscover the life of our soul through the ancient wisdom of Benedictine spirituality.

The book is written in such a way that it can be experienced as a retreat. Each chapter closes with several different invitations for contemplative and creative exercises that are meant to allow the reader to absorb and experience the main point of that chapter. (Head over to amazon.com to get a glimpse of the chapter titles: http://www.amazon.com/The-Artists-Rul...)

I took a much longer time than usual to finish this book, and that is because every time I start reading it, I find myself slowing down and savouring it. Much of what Paintner writes here resonates with my own personal journey in the past year and as such, I found reading this book in itself to be a contemplative experience. (I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 because I didn't take to all the spiritual practice suggestions in the book, but that perhaps is more a matter of personal taste than anything else.)

I highly recommend this book to anyone who yearns to discover the beauty and wisdom of contemplative living. While this could apply to anyone, "The Artist's Rule" is especially apt for those looking to nurture their creative soul, whether it be in writing, music, art, cooking... anything! When our soul is rested and alive, we will often be surprised at how wonderfully creative and generative we can be.

[Raima Larter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would normally read a book like this more slowly, taking a week for each step, carrying out the exercises, journaling about the process, but I wanted to review the book as a possible resource for others, so read it straight through. Judging from the number of phrases and sentences I've underlined, I was struck by many passages in this book. There is a lot of wisdom here for those who wish to live both a contemplative life and a creative one - and, as it turns out, those are really two sides on one coin.

This book is basically "The Artist's Way," (the famous book on enhancing creativity by Julia Cameron) combined with "The Rule of Benedict," which codifies the life of a monastic. It is laid out like Cameron's book, with twelve weeks designed to go into different aspects of the creative/monastic life. The exercises included, though, are the ones traditionally associated with contemplative practice, at least in the Christian tradition - lectio divina, etc. The author also includes a lot of movement, vocalization and artistic exercises using paper and paint, as well as poetry-writing, etc, so most creatives should be able to find something that interests them in the suggestions.

I would have given this book five stars if it were a little meatier. I wanted to hear more of the author's own voice, but the pages are filled with quotes and excerpts from others' essays and poetry. Many of these were good, but I thought a lot of the examples drawn from her workshops did not particularly add to the presentation.

Overall, though, I liked this book and would recommend it to anyone seeking to enhance their own creative life.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving this book: The quotes, the pacing, the approach. I'm a Unitarian Universalist seminarian and this book is providing the respite I need in between courses and weeks, and just breathing, really. I can slow down and appreciate where I'm at after reading a passage or two if this book. I'm only a few chapters in, and only a few weeks into my semester, but already it's been a wonderful companion on the journey.

[bumblethunderbeast · Rating 5 out of 5]

It didn't take me 3 years to read this (despite what the dates above say). I've probably read this two or three times over. A group of women gather with me each month to discuss 1 chapter in the book. 1 hour of our time is sharing and speaking. 1 hour is for generative work. It has provided a sweet space for fellowship as well as some powerful insights into my own experience of the creative process.

[MountainAshleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lightweight, nothing particularly new, nothing particularly inspiring. Kudos, however, for addressing the problem of trying to restore the creative impulse in an age of overwork and exhaustion. The author claims all sorts of religious connections but in the end sounds like every other new agey inspirational writer.

[LemontreeLime]

This is definitely a book that needs time to read, i tried to rush through an interlibrary loan copy and that was a mistake. This deserves more time than I had, and came across as a very open and possibly inspiring way to explore your preferred art form... will finish this review as soon as I own a copy to spend several months on.

[Beth Booram · Rating 5 out of 5]

David cobbed my copy of this book and read it before I had the chance. He loved it and I can tell I am going to, as well. I have read others by Christine Valters Paintner and appreciate her writing and most of all her way of living her faith.

[Katarina Stenstedt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Christine's books, but this one is probably my favorite. If you're spiritual and creative, and if you appreciate the wisdom of contemplative Christian traditions (which is not at all the same as Christianity in American culture and politics!!) this book is for you.

[Callie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I relish this combination of information, reflection, guided mediation, and other practices. Christine Valters Paintner thinks deeply, has ways of creating space for feeling and experience, and is one of my very favorite writers to spend time with.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflections and inspirational activities. I enjoyed this.

[Shana]

i'm not finished. just post-poning

[J. Robin Whitley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautiful, it takes me much longer to read it. Thought-provoking and contemplative, it offers healing to those searching for something more than art.