Survival Notes: Life Lessons from Contemporary Artists

by Lydia Rachel Figes

Weaving artists' reflections and anecdotes with their invaluable words of advice to aspiring creatives, this inspiring book explores the practical realities of the art world and demystifies the route to professional success.


Survival Notes is an inspiring narrative weaving artists' reflections on success with advice to aspiring creatives. Featuring direct quotes and exclusive interviews with internationally acclaimed artists such as Anish Kapoor, Shirin Neshat, Tracey Emin, Jesse Darling, and Shahzia Sikander, this book offers authoritative counsel on how to thrive in a highly competitive art world as well as thoughtful insights on what it means to be an artist in the twenty-first century.


Nine thematic chapters offer essential guidance on how to negotiate the practical realities of artmaking, with discussions relating to education, self-discipline, gallery representation, mental wellbeing, mentorship and more. In a climate where emerging creatives feel less empowered than ever, Lydia R. Figes provides a hopeful message about perseverance and perspective, while questioning whether the advice given by established practitioners can still be applied today.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Tabish Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is filled with great advice for artists from the author and leading artists, including Tracey Emin and Anish Kapoor. It covers whether art school is right for artists, how gallery representation works, and how to engage with politics in art.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great gems of advice and interviews throughout, but the book itself felt like it didn't quite know what it wanted to be. Supposedly for all artists, writers, creators, etc. but then suddenly very specifically for the type of artists who might benefit from gallery representation, and tbh with all the stories of "then this rich person came along and spotted them and their career was made" it felt less like a book about how to survive as an artist and more like a book about how wealth runs the art world – both in terms of who has the time and privilege to make art, and how the tastes of the wealthy decide who makes it and who doesn't. I'm not bitter, I'm maybe just... dreaming more about a world in which everyone has a right and the time and access to inspiration and materials to make art in some shape or form, but I guess this book never promised me that either, so I'll just stop here.

[Lou Reckinger]

At first I thought this was too technical for me (focusing on business aspects and routines), but turns out- I just didn’t like it. Even on more philosophical questions, I often thought the premise was off to begin with, the interviews felt repetitive and overall I was just kind of uninterested

[Arun Dhanjal · Rating 5 out of 5]

essential reading for anyone who is interested in the arts across all disciplines.