Feel Something, Make Something: A Guide to Collaborating with Your Emotions

by Caitlin Metz

An intimate, quietly revolutionary guide to using art to process, understand, and collaborate with your feelings, from the co-author of My Body, My Home .

Understanding our emotions is a lifelong process. Many of us were taught to avoid, suppress, or run away from intense feelings like grief, anger, and sadness. What if, instead of hiding from your emotions, you collaborated with them?

Feel Something, Make Something is a guide to experimental, creative self-expression and reflection. Caitlin Metz believes that making art—whether it’s a detailed scribble on a crumpled receipt or a 100-day series of photos—gives your feelings a physical form and provides space to observe them from a distance. To help kickstart your creative process, Metz offers tutorials on zine-making (complete with a pull-out DIY zine to keep in your wallet), drawing, bodymapping, mindmapping, self-portraiture, and writing personal manifestos.

This act of creation can be a form of release, documentation, ritual, conversation, or disruption. You may choose to sustain your feeling, to channel it into your work, or to shift it completely. To feel something and make something is both an invitation to take a breath and an opportunity to shift your perspective.

Feel Something, Make Something is not about making perfectly polished works of art. The outcome of your art-making is arbitrary. The process is the work.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Self Help, Creative, Mental Health

160 pages, Paperback

Published July 18, 2023

Reviews

[Juju Rodriguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Feel Something, Make Something" is the perfect read for anyone looking to explore their feelings through art. Metz illustrates the book and provides so many examples to supplement her writing. The book was easy to read and engaging and offers a lo of ideas to the reader on how they can take their feelings and transform it into art. I liked the additional resources she included throughout the book as well. I highly recommend this read.



Thank you to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for this E-ARC of "Feel Something, Make Something".

[Sarah Guldenbrein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very pretty to page through. The mix of warm creamy white and pink paper? Delicious.

But what I was hoping for was a lot of art and a little bit of feelings, and what this delivers is a lot of processing your feelings and a little bit of making art. I've been in therapy and practicing yoga for long enough that the somatic self-help aspect of this wasn't all that interesting to me. The art part is basically getting it down on paper in a slightly more freeform way than just journaling, plus blind contour self portraits. Which are rad - I love blind contour - but I didn't really get anything new from the exercise is presented here.

So not really for me. But that said, I'd buy this for an artsy teen in a hot second.

[Vicky Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so very much. It's a short, easy to access guide to creating art/craft/something when you are overwhelmed with emotion. A perfect gift either for yourself or for a loved one going through a hard time.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to see how the author journaled, mostly. Too much mind-mapping for her process to inspire me to try it.

[Valerie York · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feel something, Make something: A Guide to Collaborating with Emotions by Caitlin Metz

First of all, this book is visually intriguing. I asked to do a review and so glad I did. The book is the right blend of quirky, show but not lead too much. The supply list, how to’s and activities are not overwhelming or intimidating which is important when working with emotions, right? Nothing looks too time consuming or doesn’t look like it can’t be broken into steps for the time you have, when you have it. I will definitely be looking into getting a hard copy of this title and other works by this author/ artist.

[My24KaratHeart ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am of the persuasion that almost all arr-making is swlf-reflecrive. every little thing you consume, delight in, capture, produce, share, or pause to wonder at; is all a mirror back to you. "

-Caitlin Metz

I randomly came across this book at the library and I'm starting to embrace the fact that I find what is meant for me that way. Reading this book inspired me to get my thoughts on paper and to return to creatively expressing myself, which I've taken too long of a hiatus from due to lack of inspiration; but I'm realizing my daily thoughts are inspiration and I need to put it all to paper.

I found it super helpful that Caitlin gives a plethora of ways for you to start. I find her suggestions and prompts extremely helpful. I'm going to stay by doing daily self portraits and drawing my cat, which is how I got into drawing as a child. I also look forward to doing my first mindmap.

Great book for someone looking for the inspiration to create an outlet for themself.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got an early copy of this book for being one of the author’s Patreon subscribers. I looooooove Caitlin’s work (follow their instagram @caitlinhasfeels). This book gives you creative tools and rituals with which to a) explore your feelings, good and bad; b) investigate what those feelings are telling you or figure out where you might want to go from there; and c) creative practices to help you plan the next step. It sounds pedantic but omg it’s so not—it’s sweet and vulnerable and is basically a long distance gentle hug to help you on your way. Loooooove.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t wait to return to this book again and again as a way to find new ways to engage with the creative process. Caitlin has created such a powerful tool for us to access emotive markmaking as part of our daily lives. Their conversational writing style feels so right for this subject, and their illustrations are just a gift for us all. Highly recommend for anyone who is interested in getting more in touch with that strange, often somewhat difficult to discern, intersection between mind and body.

[Pamela Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy, quick read with great ideas and brilliant suggestions for noticing what you’re feeling, how to keep track of those feelings, and how to make them work for you (or to make them go away).
I finished reading the book in five days! But now I will go back to the beginning with a pen and paper in hand to write down the good points and create my own roadmap of feelings, mark-making them like leaving breadcrumbs to follow. Or to decide not to go down THAT particular pathway again.
I recommend this helpful intuitive self-care guide.

[Sekar Writes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully designed and deeply thoughtful book that invites readers to explore emotions through creativity. It’s not about perfecting art but using it as a tool for self-reflection and emotional release.

The book itself is a work of art, with stunning illustrations that complement its heartfelt message. My eyes, heart, and mind were truly spoiled while reading it.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by emotions and didn’t know how to process them, this book will help you turn those feelings into something meaningful.

[Rose Wh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book at the right time - it's a quick read, concise (though borders on pretentious every now and then), with enough personal detail to be compelling but not so much that it distracts from the point. I've actually journalled consistently from the 6th of Jan until today, so I appreciated the creative reflection ideas. It was also weirdly validating to read some of the ways I have always processed things descibed in the text.

[matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly the message is wise, and straightforward, the author presented it pretty well, she also writes very beautifully but what bothers me is she repeats like 3 times, that something is the most intimate form of art making, then says the same about something different, i mean okay, i get that art is personal and intimate, but come on, that's just tiring, besides that it's a great book

[Nancy Hinsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different kind of "self-help" book, this one speaks to the artist inside each of us. An intimate, personal conversation about working through blocks, feeling your emotions and energies and expressing them on paper. Lots of great ideas, suggestions, examples and you can take them or leave them, according to your biggest supporter - the author. Worth a read, worth engaging. N

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge self-help reader, but this one was enjoyable and informative. It was not repetitive, and it was a quick read. I am going to go through again and try some of the activities and read some things the author recommends. For me, in this season of my life, I really enjoyed it and can use some principles introduced to help me.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m having trouble rating this one, so I’m just gonna go with my gut. It’s great for what it is, but wasn’t what I expected/wanted it to be. I was hoping for some stuff to help in my creative avenue of fiction writing, but it’s pretty much all journaling/adjacent stuff. Great for what it is, but not very useful for me personally. That said, I love the idea of creating personal zines, and I plan to try that.

[Samantha Steipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just reviewed Feel Something, Make Something by Caitlin Metz. #FeelSomethingMakeSomething #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] I have really enjoyed this book. I think that it is a great way to look into our emotions, and I think that it is a good book to share with othera.

[Rachael Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful and was a delightful read. I’ve enjoyed exploring the body and mind maps described in part 1 of the book and am feeling inspired and excited to explore the makings of part 2. I love that this is the first book I’ve read in 2024.

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using art to process your emotions, this book is written in a fun, down to earth, talking to your art bestie sort of way. Great project ideas and explanations so you can do your own exploration without it being a huge thing.

[Amrita · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you only want to get one book in the 'self-help' category, let this be the one. From start to finish, there isn't a single word banal in there. Everything feels fresh, original, incredibly interesting and full of so much genuine warmth and love. 5 stars and a zillion more.

[Zofia Spiegel]

Very beautiful illustrations, it was a delight to page through. At the risk of being way harsher than I intend, when you see the title you kinda get the whole gist. I just need to get off my phone and make things 🫡

[Caylee Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book of the year. So needed. So beautiful. So articulate. So gentle.

[marcia]

DNF'ed @ page 54.

[Valerie Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

"if you don't think you're good at 'art-making', call it 'mark-making'. Anyone can make marks"

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun easy uplifting read. Great tools that are easy to implement into one's life

[Lisa morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful introduction to feeling your emotions through art

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good concrete guide for creating expressively and attempting to transform abstract feelings into something concrete. Sometimes a little too earnest for my taste but I'm hella cheesy sometimes too so idk.

[Manuela Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75🌟 good reminder to create to live and live to create! Feelings = source of inspiration

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Caitlin’s work so I was so excited to read this book. I enjoyed reading this book and loved seeing more of Caitlin’s art. I liked the prompts, but wish there was more.

*Thank you NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

[Kate Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is unlike anything i've ever seen/read before.
On the face of it, it looks like a ton of 'doodles' - but when you do a more detailed look it's so intricate and detailed.
There is so much to this book! Its a great one to dip in and out of.
Its also a good 'pick-me-up' when you're feeling a bit low, or need some inspiration!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet little book.