{"product_id":"an-absorbing-errand-how-artists-and-craftsmen-make-their-way-to-mastery-paperback","title":"An Absorbing Errand: How Artists and Craftsmen Make Their Way to Mastery - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJanna Malamud Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Absorbing Errand\u003c\/i\u003e uses stories of artists' lives, personal anecdotes, and insights from the author's work as a psychotherapist to examine the psychological obstacles that prevent people from staying with, and relishing, the process of art-making. Each chapter is devoted to a problem intrinsic to the creative process and illustrates how these very obstacles, once understood, can become prime sources of the energy that actually fuels the mastery of art-making. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUltimately, \u003ci\u003eAn Absorbing Errand\u003c\/i\u003e provides a philosophical, historical, and analytical look at the creative impulse and how certain artists from a wide field mastered their craft. From Julia Child to Charlie Chaplin, Lady Gaga to Michael Jackson, famous painters to established writers, Smith shows us how each overcame the obstacles they faced in the pursuit of their creative visions. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMany people carry within their hearts an aching sense that they have something they want to express through art; or that they will not feel complete until they've brought out some hidden part of themselves. Yet they cannot begin to do the work of bringing their creative idea into the world. Or, maybe they've begun over and over, but they can't stay with their labor long enough to finish it. An Absorbing Errand is a supportive companion, an enlightened and compassionate ballast, a guide for anyone who has ever picked up a pencil to write, or a paint brush to paint, or any tool --from chisel to loom-- to pursue any serious craft, and then put it down again frustrated, discouraged, and unable to continue. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eAn Absorbing Errand\u003c\/i\u003e is unlike any book about creating art of any kind, and aspiring and working artists alike will find it both original and invaluable.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJanna Malamud Smith\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of \u003ci\u003eAn Absorbing Errand: How Artists and Craftsmen Make Their Way to Mastery\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eA Potent Spell: Mother Love and the Power of Fear\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003ePrivate Matters: In Defense of the Personal Life\u003c\/i\u003e. Her titles have been \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Notable Books and \u003ci\u003eA Potent Spell\u003c\/i\u003e was a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers pick. She has written for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ethe Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eThreepenny Review\u003c\/i\u003e, among other publications. A practicing psychotherapist, she lives with her husband and two children in Massachusetts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 272\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.69 x 7.93 x 5.16 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 06, 2013\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51760324608288,"sku":"9781619021860","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/626455398d31f46a6bdfbcc45604b88c.webp?v=1780177611","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/an-absorbing-errand-how-artists-and-craftsmen-make-their-way-to-mastery-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}