Coaching the Artist Within

January 1, 2005
Maisel, well known in self-help and creativity aids circles, brings to this resource for writers, actors, visual artists, and musicians--as well as your average Joe or Jane--a lifetime of experience. The author of " Fearless Creating" (1995) and " Affirmations for Artists " (1996), this advisor to rockers and screenwriters organizes his latest title into 12 skill areas. Early chapters deal with "Becoming a Self-Coach" and "Making Meaning." Later ones focus on generating energy (even in the midst of day-to-day demands), centering, managing anxiety, perfecting creativity planning, and maintaining a creative life. These "skill lessons" help would-be artists stifle negative thoughts and develop and use scheduling skills for starting and completing creative projects. Each lesson features as examples artists of diverse disciplines, such as a dancer, singer, poet, and painter, and provides exercises designed by the author to help readers incorporate his methods into everyday reality. To succeed in the arts, commitment must lead to effective, concrete action. Maisel shows the way to both. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)