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I Shock Myself: The Autobiography of Beatrice Wood
Book by Wood, Beatrice
192 pages, Paperback
Published March 2, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 23, 2022
Enjoyed this very much, though iconic California ceramicist Beatrice Wood is not really a writer, but the story she tells, of her early life, the headstrong daughter of a socialite San Francisco family who becomes an artist and an actress, battling a domineering mother, getting involved through the luck of the draw with the dadaist artists Duchamp and Picabia, the writer Roche, whose Jules et Jim many believe to have been partially based on their love affair. Much local California/Los Angeles history, which I love, as we see her setting up shop in one of the earliest outdoor 'malls', Hollywood's Crossroads of the World, selling to Bullocks Wilshire and other posh department stores but having to be instructed as to what an invoice was, her path crossing with influential Theosophist Annie Besant and breakaway Krishnamurti, also her disastrous marriages to men she was not in the least attracted to, and disastrous romances with men she was--the only successes were in rich and varied friendships with people like the collectors Walter and Louise Arensberg, who brought Modern art to America. She lived to be 105 and in her in her breathtakingly beautiful, whimsical lusterware pottery, her own adornment with jewelry and colorful saris, it is easy to mistake this icon for a sage--her picture book 'Playing Chess with the Heart' definitely adds to the mystique. In this book the legend is blown open, with a picture of a bright, romantic, misdirected, hardworking, courageous and funny individual who only came into her own quite late in life.
March 18, 2010
I must qualify my five star rating: it's not due to the quality of the writing. I don't claim this book is an example of great literature. So why did I give it 5 stars? Because, quite simply, Beatrice Woods was a 5 Star human being. Beato, as we Woods-o-philes know her, was among many, many other things, a potter, great friend and one time lover of Duchamp, close friend of Krishnamurti, and an eccentric bon vivant who, for the last half of her 100+ year life, exclusively wore bright silk saris and pounds of silver jewelry. Every day. No matter what.
She's my hero. I love Beato with all my heart.
That's why I gave the book 5 stars.
She's my hero. I love Beato with all my heart.
That's why I gave the book 5 stars.
April 6, 2010
An amazing book by an amazing woman about the first 90 (or so) years of her amazing life. Beatrice, or "Beato" to her friends, kept daily journals for 85 years -- i.e., most of her adult life -- so she was able to accurately recount with vivid detail what she considered to be the highlights of her life.
It is noteworthy that she lived on for more than 15 years after her autobiography was first published in 1985. And, in those 15+ years, she continued to truly live each day to the fullest, and on the days she was strong enough, continued to accept and entertain visitors at her home in Ojai.
It is also noteworthy that James Cameron started to develop "TITANIC" in 1987 and that, unbeknownst to Beatrice at the time, "I Shock Myself" was providing Mr. Cameron with his primary inspiration for the senior version of his “Rose” character. Ten years later, when the film was finished, Beatrice was invited to attend the Hollywood premiere, which was held on December 12, 1997, but she was too ill to attend.
However, once Beatrice had regained enough strength to again have visitors, Mr. Cameron and Gloria Stuart (who played the Beatrice-inspired character) arranged to dine with her on March 6, 1998 -- i.e., three days after her 105th birthday. They presented her with a video of TITANIC, but Beatrice declined to watch it, because she believed that it would be sad and that it was too late in life to be sad. Nonetheless, she had heard wonderful things about the film, was honored to be Mr. Cameron's muse and took the special occasion to award Mr. Cameron with the Fifth Annual Beatrice Wood Film Award. She passed away six days later -- i.e., on March 12, 1998 -- just eleven days before TITANIC swept the Academy Awards.
It is noteworthy that she lived on for more than 15 years after her autobiography was first published in 1985. And, in those 15+ years, she continued to truly live each day to the fullest, and on the days she was strong enough, continued to accept and entertain visitors at her home in Ojai.
It is also noteworthy that James Cameron started to develop "TITANIC" in 1987 and that, unbeknownst to Beatrice at the time, "I Shock Myself" was providing Mr. Cameron with his primary inspiration for the senior version of his “Rose” character. Ten years later, when the film was finished, Beatrice was invited to attend the Hollywood premiere, which was held on December 12, 1997, but she was too ill to attend.
However, once Beatrice had regained enough strength to again have visitors, Mr. Cameron and Gloria Stuart (who played the Beatrice-inspired character) arranged to dine with her on March 6, 1998 -- i.e., three days after her 105th birthday. They presented her with a video of TITANIC, but Beatrice declined to watch it, because she believed that it would be sad and that it was too late in life to be sad. Nonetheless, she had heard wonderful things about the film, was honored to be Mr. Cameron's muse and took the special occasion to award Mr. Cameron with the Fifth Annual Beatrice Wood Film Award. She passed away six days later -- i.e., on March 12, 1998 -- just eleven days before TITANIC swept the Academy Awards.
May 3, 2022
3.5* A remarkable woman who created an amazing body of work. Having lived in Ojai California for a decade Beato was a household name. Her life was fascinating. The book is straight forward, more focused on events than an exploration of her creative life. I would love to read her journals if they exist. I bet they would be juicier.
May 23, 2012
During L.A.'s six-month-long citywide celebration of post-war art (Pacific Standard Time), my friend Jen turned me onto this book. I devoured it in about four sittings. I read it because I was curious as to how a woman in her 90s writes the story of her life. I loved it because Beatrice Wood was such a strong individual, and yet her writing creates a sense of familiarity --- I felt as if I actually knew her. She writes with complete candor about everything in her life, from her sensual love affairs to her sexless marriages to her midlife entry into the art world ... an entry that she describes with such genuine modesty (and straightforwardness) that you would never guess she was one of the most famous ceramicists in the world. Though she had a long affair with Marcel Duchamp and was close pals with many famous artists, she never seems to be name-dropping. Nor is she in irritating awe of those around her, even though it doesn't always seem as if she feels she fits in. I suppose what all this is leading to is that I have never read an autobiography (or memoir) that felt so sincere --- in the best sense of the word. After I finished this book, I wanted to run out and take a ceramics class, drive up to Ojai to see Beatrice's workshop, and, most of all, live life as she lived it, with unfettered passion.
September 25, 2024
American intuitive Dada sculptor contemporary of Miro/Picasso 😍😍😍😍
January 4, 2008
A charming woman. A charming artist. A charmed life. She loved Duchamp; she loved life; she loved being alive...she deserved the century plus of creativity she enjoyed...and the planet should be very grateful she stayed around that long...check out a catalogue of the works...they are just sumptuous....but these memoirs are priceless...many of them are illustrated with her charming line drawings...i snagged some signed copies of her books since i adore her...i want to get out to Ojai one day...i hope they kept her studio intact....a hero....we don't need the word heroine...she's just a hero...how people will live a century from now she lived almost a century ago...
January 9, 2009
I always give a 3-4 star rating for books I enjoy and would recommend to others but also recognize that my reason for being interested in a book does not always equate to other people's interest. This book I found interesting because it is real and reflects the ecentric atristic reality of other people. We are all driven by intrinsic interests and motivations that others may not understand or feel. I felt like this is what Beatrice expressed in her autobigralphy - it took her a lot of years to actually become an authentic artist - she was simply compelled by internal motivation and natural talents prior to that time...sound familiar to anyone??
Oh yea, this is my first actual review.
Oh yea, this is my first actual review.
February 29, 2012
It was kismet when my friend found this book and bought it for me from the dollar bookstore! We had just recently been to Beatrice Wood's Exhibit in Santa Monica, and I languished over the glow of the luminous glazes which she brilliantly experimented with. I enjoy reading biographies and autobiographies of other artists, and this one didn't disappoint. Interesting characters, love and the devastation that comes with it, making art and the devastation that comes with it, traveling the world, losing your house to a mudslide.. quite the read!
July 21, 2022
A remarkable story about the importance of being oneself.
I loved this book, so full of passion, hard work, overcoming challenges, and living the life of a true artist. So full of adventures, romance and surprises, laced with a remarkable caste of characters. Even the died in the wool, scientist and Philistine, that I am, could not put it down. A life well lived. Highly recommended. Kevin Thomas Morgan
I loved this book, so full of passion, hard work, overcoming challenges, and living the life of a true artist. So full of adventures, romance and surprises, laced with a remarkable caste of characters. Even the died in the wool, scientist and Philistine, that I am, could not put it down. A life well lived. Highly recommended. Kevin Thomas Morgan
July 18, 2019
I didn't really know what i was walking into when I started this book but i was pleasantly surprised by a journey of a woman who was kind of unsure and stumbled her way into her own. Her search for her own identity and the relationships she experienced along the way were affirming and comforting to one suchas myself in that it was not easy or clear most of the time. I came to this book at just the right time in my life and as Beatrice might say some sort of "fate" or "guidance" in it.
December 8, 2008
She shocks herself, but she only shocks you if you are a granny. Still, I'm really enjoying this book. If only life were this simple now. Have a lot of money. See a lot of wonderful places. Be scandalized by men and modern art. Have poor judgment. Lose all your money. Take up pottery and Eastern Philosophy. Initially I found myself frustrated by Beatrice's foolish attachment to manipulative men, and her rather pretentious attitude toward art and artists. But given that this is an autobiography, one cannot expect too much accuracy. I imagine that, at the age of 92 (when she first wrote the book), one remembers the past selectively. As the book progressed through the 60's and 70's, Beatrice seemed to become more settled, with her recollections becoming more concrete, more philosophical and less disjointed.
"Pottery for me is not a pursuit of glory, but a daily discipline of pursuing accuracy. In India it would be called my dharma. Life is dual. There is matter and spirit and one cannot function completely without the other. For creativity, the spirit side, to work, the matter side must be strong enough to hold the spirit side. If the form has cracks, the spirit leaks."
Beatrice Wood lived to be 105, and it sounds like she was still actively pursuing her craft until the end. I was completely heartened to read that she did not even discover her "life's work" until she was 40, and her best-remembered and most unique style until she was 90.
"Only in action do we discover what is wrong or right. Edison, the great inventor of the electric bulb, when consoled on having made ten thousand experiments, replied the time had not been wasted, because he had learned what he did not want. If the sea offers no challenge the navigator cannot learn to sail."
I never would have read this book if Jennie and I hadn't done our 3-2-2-1 project; one of her random library books was this one, and it looked interesting enough for me to pursue it. Thanks, weird zine project!
"Pottery for me is not a pursuit of glory, but a daily discipline of pursuing accuracy. In India it would be called my dharma. Life is dual. There is matter and spirit and one cannot function completely without the other. For creativity, the spirit side, to work, the matter side must be strong enough to hold the spirit side. If the form has cracks, the spirit leaks."
Beatrice Wood lived to be 105, and it sounds like she was still actively pursuing her craft until the end. I was completely heartened to read that she did not even discover her "life's work" until she was 40, and her best-remembered and most unique style until she was 90.
"Only in action do we discover what is wrong or right. Edison, the great inventor of the electric bulb, when consoled on having made ten thousand experiments, replied the time had not been wasted, because he had learned what he did not want. If the sea offers no challenge the navigator cannot learn to sail."
I never would have read this book if Jennie and I hadn't done our 3-2-2-1 project; one of her random library books was this one, and it looked interesting enough for me to pursue it. Thanks, weird zine project!
September 10, 2016
I have long been fascinated by the ceramics of the late Beatrice Wood who had a studio in Ojai, CA where I like to visit. But, I knew very little about her. This autobiography was $3 on the sale table at The Peninsula Friends of the Library book sale last month so I read it and learned so much about her. This autobiography was written in 1995 when she was in her 90s. She died in 1998 at the age of 105. This link to the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts tells about her long and fascinating life journey: http://www.beatricewood.com/biography.... Here is an excerpt: Beatrice Wood was an important contemporary artist, craftsperson and writer. Her life ran the course of the 20th century and included many of the figures that shaped it. Ultimately, her genius was in the marriage of wide-ranging influences in her work. The spirit of Dadaism, impact of Modernism, embrace of Eastern philosophy, influence of folk art and even the ornament of ethnic jewelry were all combined in her ceramics. Her work reveals a mastery of form, combined with a preference for the naïveté of folk art. Ultimately, it is impossible to separate her life experiences from the work she created, as she truly mastered the art of a life.
July 22, 2024
I recently read a biography about the life and times of Pancho Barnes.
It had been sitting on a shelf for years.
Next to it sat I Shock Myself by Beatrice Wood, which had also been patiently waiting for years.
I’m happy to say I finally read it and don’t know why I didn’t do so earlier.
I mention the two women together because as very different as they were, they had a lot in common.
Both from California. Barnes from Pasadena and Wood from San Francisco.
Both came from wealth, had very strict overbearing mothers that disapproved of their free spirits and desire to live their own lives.
Both found great poverty in their choices but made great successes through hard work.
And they were both American treasures.
We had first heard of Beatrice one evening in 1998 while flipping through tv channels looking for something interesting to watch. PBS was showing a documentary called The Mama of Dada. After it was over we found out she had passed away a few days earlier at the age of 105.
A few years later we were in LA at the Museum of Art to see a show of Arts and Crafts furniture featuring the work of Charles and Henry Greene. After marveling at what we saw we went into an adjoining room that just happened to be exhibiting a collection of Beatrice Wood’s ceramics.
Her unique style and amazing glazes were breathtaking.
A few years later we stayed in Ojai and went up the hill to see her home and studio.
Unfortunately it was an off day and not open to the public, but we were able to walk around the building and peer into the windows where we could see her studio and shelf after shelf of jars that hold the glazes she is so well known for.
It looked as if she had just walked out of the room, everything just as she left it.
Such a memorable experience.
My favorite quote from the book:
I told my students:
“Educate your eye, go to wonderful museums, absorb the magnificent culture that has been built up through the ages. Spend time in libraries, look at art books. Culture is the meeting of minds; when a spark is born, one man adds a pearl to the chain of another. Do not imitate, but listen to the small voice which is your own and true.”
Wise words.
It had been sitting on a shelf for years.
Next to it sat I Shock Myself by Beatrice Wood, which had also been patiently waiting for years.
I’m happy to say I finally read it and don’t know why I didn’t do so earlier.
I mention the two women together because as very different as they were, they had a lot in common.
Both from California. Barnes from Pasadena and Wood from San Francisco.
Both came from wealth, had very strict overbearing mothers that disapproved of their free spirits and desire to live their own lives.
Both found great poverty in their choices but made great successes through hard work.
And they were both American treasures.
We had first heard of Beatrice one evening in 1998 while flipping through tv channels looking for something interesting to watch. PBS was showing a documentary called The Mama of Dada. After it was over we found out she had passed away a few days earlier at the age of 105.
A few years later we were in LA at the Museum of Art to see a show of Arts and Crafts furniture featuring the work of Charles and Henry Greene. After marveling at what we saw we went into an adjoining room that just happened to be exhibiting a collection of Beatrice Wood’s ceramics.
Her unique style and amazing glazes were breathtaking.
A few years later we stayed in Ojai and went up the hill to see her home and studio.
Unfortunately it was an off day and not open to the public, but we were able to walk around the building and peer into the windows where we could see her studio and shelf after shelf of jars that hold the glazes she is so well known for.
It looked as if she had just walked out of the room, everything just as she left it.
Such a memorable experience.
My favorite quote from the book:
I told my students:
“Educate your eye, go to wonderful museums, absorb the magnificent culture that has been built up through the ages. Spend time in libraries, look at art books. Culture is the meeting of minds; when a spark is born, one man adds a pearl to the chain of another. Do not imitate, but listen to the small voice which is your own and true.”
Wise words.
November 5, 2017
Beatrice Wood was an amazing woman and one of the top ceramic artists of the twentieth century. She held her own as an artist in that heavily male-dominated world. The book is easy to read, but it has some serious shortcomings. The word Dada is hardly mentioned, and Wood is known as the 'Mama of Dada". There are only a few photos of her work and none are in color. I didn't get a sense for the luster glazes for which is she known. Surely, she was an unconventional woman and lived outside the box. Also, she never knew true love. She loved two men who betrayed her, and married two others whom she did not love. Another example of a great artist with a tragic life.
January 23, 2018
Couldn't really get through all of it, parts were very depressing and felt more like name dropping the whole time, skipped to middle to end about a disastrous marriage and relationships with absolute idiots, skipped back to beginning, I'm sure she was controversial for her time but couldn't really appreciate this book.
January 16, 2017
In her own words, Beatrice Wood tells of her life's many adventures with art, artists and friends. I loved getting to know this bold, daring lady.
July 11, 2020
My favorite ceramicist is an amazing storyteller. If you love interesting women this is a book for you.
May 25, 2022
I could not engage with this book although some of the people Beatrice Wood knew were giants of the era.
June 22, 2025
very fun
July 15, 2016
What a wonderful, endearing Beatrice Wood was. This is a riches to rags to riches story, but Beatrice didn't let it get to her head. Throughout all of her difficulties she kept stretching and searching for a spiritual truth that I believe maintained an innocence about her, despite her avant-garde/bohemian life style.
How she became the great potter and sculpture is a great story. Her courage and sometimes lack of such is inspiring, as is her tender heart. She persevered with her art despite all sort of odds thrown at her and came out triumphant in the end. She was always searching for a sense of self and spirituality that you see from the beginning of the book she always had, she, like Dorothy and the shoes had to only believe.
This book was referred to me over two decades ago by one of my best and dearest friends, Jan McIntyre, and amazing animal sculptor in her own right. Before Jan passed from breast cancer in 1990, she said that someday I might need to read the book when I was ready. Well, I understand what she meant now.
It is inspiring, teaching, a great roller coaster ride, and I can say almost a early version in some ways of "Eat, Pray, Love". Her writing style makes you feel like she is sitting before you with a cup of tea telling you her story. Simply amazing!
How she became the great potter and sculpture is a great story. Her courage and sometimes lack of such is inspiring, as is her tender heart. She persevered with her art despite all sort of odds thrown at her and came out triumphant in the end. She was always searching for a sense of self and spirituality that you see from the beginning of the book she always had, she, like Dorothy and the shoes had to only believe.
This book was referred to me over two decades ago by one of my best and dearest friends, Jan McIntyre, and amazing animal sculptor in her own right. Before Jan passed from breast cancer in 1990, she said that someday I might need to read the book when I was ready. Well, I understand what she meant now.
It is inspiring, teaching, a great roller coaster ride, and I can say almost a early version in some ways of "Eat, Pray, Love". Her writing style makes you feel like she is sitting before you with a cup of tea telling you her story. Simply amazing!
March 26, 2016
The "mama" of dada lived a shocking life until the age of 105. She was born with rebellion and wanderlust of the heart; deep in her soul. A romantic who lived a bohemian lifestyle Wood writes that she never made love to the men she married and never married the men she loved. A ceramicist, writer and student of theosophy, Beatrice made Ojai her home but left her heart in many cities around the world. The autobiography takes you through her experiences with Duchamp, Roche, Anaiis Nin, Annie Besant and Krishnamurti.
December 30, 2021
I bought this book years ago but only now decided to read it. There is no denying that Beatrice has led a fascinating life, but to me she came across as arrogant and bragging. I'm not saying that is how she was in life but I did not like the demeaning way she described people, and the constant name dropping without elaborating. She did offer some good advice, and it's a shame she did not follow it herself.
July 11, 2014
FIrstly, I totally forgot I had read this already. I remembered once I started reading it, and remembering that even though I liked it alright, she really isn't a very good writer. Secondly, it was interesting to get re-acquainted with her, as she is such a fabulous icon! EDIT: The second half of the book is much better written than the first half.
July 3, 2009
Beatrice Wood is one of the most spirited and unique women I have ever read about. She rubbed shoulders (and maybe more) with folks like Marcel Duchamp. She lived to be over 100 and is a model to women - don't worry about your past, just do things that make you happy and challenge you.
September 12, 2013
I love "human" stories. Ms. Wood's is so very human... so much a slice of an era. Stories like hers make me want to go out and meet everyone and learn all the wonderful (and not-so wonderful) things people have done with their lives.
April 6, 2016
A very interesting read about a woman who seemed to know everyone in the art community of the 1920s through the twentieth century. She lived life with gusto and yet in some ways was unfulfilled. Filled with wonderful pictures, this book was a wonderful view into an amazing life.
February 7, 2017
i enjoyed reading about the life of Beatrice Wood, her lovers, her art, her associations with Dada and her discovery of her love for India. this is a wondrous book. i highly recommend it to creative and rebellious women everywhere.
April 2, 2021
An extraordinary, artistic, romantic, funny, adventurous woman. She didn't permit society to dictate how she should live her life. She made her own choices and filled her 105years with culture, philosophy, history, love, tribulations, and triumphs.
August 30, 2012
I'm about halfway .
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