Making Room for Making Art: A Thoughtful and Practical Guide to Bringing the Pleasure of Artistic Expression Back into Your Life

by Sally Warner

This book offers constructive advice for artists who are becoming discouraged or feel stalled and those who yearn to rekindle their passion for making art. Several life-long artists in mediums as diverse as drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, and sculpture share philosophies and outline strategies for remaining an artist despite chronic challenges such as financial worries, social pressures, family obligations, “day jobs,” and self-doubt. From setting up a studio and establishing a realistic work schedule to finding the right subject matter and reconsidering every option, Making Room for Making Art discusses important changes in attitude and offers practical suggestions on how artists can rediscover the pleasure of making art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Reference

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Sally Warner is a writer of fiction for children and young adults and of books on creativity. She made the Lily series and Emma series for children's books. Sally Warner was born in New York City and grew up in Connecticut and California, where her family moved when she was eight years old.

Reviews

[Robert]

This is not at all the book I expected. I expected a book for busy grown-ups who still have a passion for creating art or perhaps still entertain pretensions of becoming accomplished artists. I know how to make art but can't seem to clear away all the distractions, balance my work priorities with my home life and find enough time left over to make it. I was hoping for some constructive advice that would help me to take up my passion again without sacrificing my career, my "bread and butter" and family time. What I felt I got was a basic orientation to art-making overstuffed with various quotes from unknown artists who do not seem to struggle with these same challenges.

[Rachel]

This is a great read for artists who are trying to develop their process alongside other priorities, such as work, family, and other life responsibilities. It acknowledges the lack of external structure, and provides a guide for understanding why you create. There are many topics I plan on revisiting as I reflect on my own art making process.

The main issue I had with this book was the interviews with working artists. Some of these responses are fantastic! It is reassuring to see artists struggle with the same problems I struggle with.

However some of these artists were not named (they would be quoted as 'one working artist said. . . .'), and while reading this book, I didn't have an understanding of who these artists are, so I felt like I couldn't fully contextualize their answer. The formatting could have been better. Some of their answers were lumped together in one long paragraph, and interviewee bios were the last chapter of the book.

Since this book was published in 1994, some of the information feels dated. Not a fault of the book, it couldn't have predicted the future, but some of the advice feels lacking for today's world.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a guide to start assessing and developing your own art making process.

[Renee]

This book was life changing for me. It helped me to understand my own thoughts with clarity. It finally clicked that my identity is my art, not the thing I do to earn a paycheck. It is a book that told me that it was ok to be who I am.

[Debbie Hoskins]

I read this while my son was taking swim lessons. It kept me wanting to create and being creative about how I fit time in to create.

[LemontreeLime]

Excellent. Can i say that again? This is excellent. I'm going to have to read it a second time.

[Lynn]

I needed to read this book. I have been searching for a way to make art part of my life. This book provided some useful guidance.