How To Live An Artful Life: 366 Inspirations from Artists on how to Bring Creativity to Your Everyday

by Katy Hessel

From the award-winning, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Story of Art Without Men: see the world anew with artistic inspiration for every day of the year.

The year ahead is a gift that has been given to you. What might you do with it?

Gathered from interviews, personal conversations, books and talks, How to Live an Artful Life moves through the months of the year offering you thoughts, reflections and encouragements from artists such as Marina Abramovic, Nan Goldin, Lubaina Himid, Louise Bourgeois and many more.

The year is full of the promise of work that has yet to be written, paintings that are yet to be painted, people who have yet to meet, talk, or fall in love. With this book in hand, pay attention, and see the world anew. Go out and find it, taste it, seize it, and live it – artfully.

With a thought for every day of the year, whether looking for beginnings in January, freedom in summer, or transformation as the nights draw in, this is a book to cherish and inspire.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art Design, Art History, Womens

483 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2025

About the author

Katy Hessel is a British art historian, broadcaster, writer and curator, living in London, whose work is concerned with women artists.

Hessel was born and raised in London. She studied art history at University College London.

She writes on the subject of women artists for various publications. She has written and presented the BBC arts documentaries Artemisia Gentileschi (2020) and Art on the BBC: Monet (2022).

She runs the Great Women Artists Instagram account and in 2019 created a podcast by the same name in which she interviews art historians, art curators, writers, and art lovers about women artists and also talks to women artists about their work and career.

In September 2022, Hessel published the book The Story of Art without Men, a 500-year survey of art by women. It won the 2022 Waterstones Book of the Year. Also in 2022 she became a curatorial trustee of Charleston.

Reviews

[Aletta · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times a bit repetitive, but overall full of lovely advice, ideas, quotes and reflections ranging from George Eliot and Virginia Woolf to Ali Smith, Tracey Emin and Claudia Winkleman. I found it genuinely inspiring, and it also introduced me to many new artists and writers. A warm and encouraging read that invites you to slow down, notice more, and stay open to creativity.

[Monika · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess I wasn’t the right audience for this book, but it really only skims the surface and is packed with repetitions and clichés.