The Good Enough Studio


Book Description

Organize your space in the best way to achieve therapeutic significance. "The good enough studio"-derived from D.W. Winnicott's notion of the good enough mother-serves as a safe space where clients, students, and artists find modes of expression and being that unveil their own authenticity and connection to the archaic creativity of humanity. As a global art therapist and educator, Nona Orbach facilitates this profound alchemy of self-transformation by attending to the nonverbal, intuitive choreography that each individual uses in order to create. In Orbach's groundbreaking therapeutic model, the consciously organized studio is a place of acceptance where actions, materials, and the space itself "speak" and guide discovery.In this book readers will learn how to: Organize an open-studio setting Create an environment of acceptance and choice that facilitates transformation Understand action-material relationships as emotional and pedagogical communication Discern and mirror each individual's creative blueprint The insights of The Good Enough Studio will cultivate the work of those interested in the phenomenology of materials: artists, educators, therapists, and parents, as well as the nonprofessional and curious reader. Through guidance and case studies, Orbach shows how the creator's poetic truth can lead to integration and well-being. Nona Orbach is a multidisciplinary artist, therapist, blogger, lecturer, and facilitator of workshops for art therapists in Israel and around the world. Her artwork engages with archeological and historical contexts and is compiled under the title Tel-Nona. As an excavator in the Tel (mound) and preserver of the artifacts in a blog/virtual library, Nona metaphorically revives the great Alexandrian library that burnt down with its million scrolls in the first century BCE. Tel-Nona preserves its spirit of sharing knowledge in an international humanistic project. She also leads a social movement to change the Israeli education system through the learning and understanding afforded by the studio and the language of materials. Her online learning community includes over 7,000 participants from the fields of education and therapy. She has created an English blog and a study group with the title of this book to circulate her ideas internationally. Her previous book, The Spirit of Matter, co-authored with Lilach Gelkin, has been an immensely useful tool for therapists and educators for many years. Published in Israel in 1977, the PDF English version of the book is sold on her website.




The Art of Tinkering


Book Description

Some of the most creative artists from today’s maker scene discuss their process, workspaces and more in this inspiring guide to tinkering. The Art of Tinkering is an unprecedented celebration of what it means to tinker: to take things apart, explore tools and materials, and build wondrous, wild art that’s part science, part technology, and entirely creative. Join 150+ makers as they share the stories behind their beautiful and bold work—then do some tinkering yourself! This collection of exhibits, artwork, and projects explores a whole new way to learn, in which people expand their knowledge through making and doing, working with readily available materials, getting their hands dirty, collaborating with others, and problem-solving in the most fun sense of the word. Each artist featured in The Art of Tinkering shares their process and the backstory behind their work. Whether it’s dicussing their favorite tools (who knew toenail clippers could be so handy?) or offering a glimpse of their workspaces (you’d be amazed how many electronics tools you can pack into a pantry!), the stories, lessons, and tips in The Art of Tinkering offer a fascinating portrait of today’s maker scene. Artists include: Scott Weaver, Arthur Ganson, Moxie, Tim Hunkin, AnnMarie Thomas, Ranjit Bhatnajar and Jie Qi.




Play, Make, Create, A Process-Art Handbook


Book Description

Packed with joyful and educational art experiences for kids, Play, Make, Create offers fun and engaging imaginative activities focused on the fun and reward of creating, not just producing a final project. Founded in a process-based philosophy, this unique book includes more than 40 activities set up as invitations, or thoughtfully designed prompts to explore, create, and play. Author Meri Cherry has more than 20 years of teaching experience, and her blog (mericherry.com) has set the standard for meaningful and enriching process art experiences that are both manageable for parents, and appealing and fun for kids. Play, Make, Create begins with a guide for parents, teachers, and facilitators that discusses how to set up materials in an inviting way, how to present an activity and talk to kids about art, and how to stock the right materials for ongoing creativity. Also included are best-practice tips for clean-up, answers to frequently asked questions, and more. The book offers four types of creative invitations: Invitations to Explore (easy ideas for fun and play), Invitations to Create (open-ended, craft-based activities), Invitations to Play (sensory-based activities), and Big Projects (ongoing process-art activities). Most feature basic materials and tools (paper, inexpensive paints, pencils, glue) that require little setup. Among the projects and activities you’ll find: A collage project that takes a no-rules approach to creating with cut-out drawings and pictures. Ideas for building a science station that allow kids to experiment with kitchen cabinet supplies such as soap, measuring spoons, cotton balls, and baking soda. A prompt to draw a self-portrait, using a mirror (parents can draw themselves, too). Instructions for making homemade colored playdough. The activities in Play, Make, Create promote active, meaningful, and socially interactive learning. Children are encouraged to wonder, experiment, and use critical thinking—and most of all, enjoy the process. By following their own inclinations and making their own choices, children gain self-confidence and hone their problem-solving skills. Get Play, Make, Create and give children the gift of creativity!




Just Enough Research


Book Description

Start doing good research faster than you can plan your next pitch.




The Good-Enough Life


Book Description

How an acceptance of our limitations can lead to a more fulfilling life and a more harmonious society We live in a world oriented toward greatness, one in which we feel compelled to be among the wealthiest, most powerful, and most famous. This book explains why no one truly benefits from this competitive social order, and reveals how another way of life is possible—a good-enough life for all. Avram Alpert shows how our obsession with greatness results in stress and anxiety, damage to our relationships, widespread political and economic inequality, and destruction of the natural world. He describes how to move beyond greatness to create a society in which everyone flourishes. By competing less with each other, each of us can find renewed meaning and purpose, have our material and emotional needs met, and begin to lead more leisurely lives. Alpert makes no false utopian promises, however. Life can never be more than good enough because there will always be accidents and tragedies beyond our control, which is why we must stop dividing the world into winners and losers and ensure that there is a fair share of decency and sufficiency to go around. Visionary and provocative, The Good-Enough Life demonstrates how we can work together to cultivate a good-enough life for all instead of tearing ourselves apart in a race to the top of the social pyramid.




The Art of the Simon and Kirby Studio


Book Description

"The names Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are synonymous with comic books, and their partnership ushered in the Golden Age of comics starting in the 1940s. Together they created memorable characters such as Captain America and the Sandman, and were the first to publish the genres of western, crime, horror, and romance in comic books. Over the course of three decades they wrote and illustrated several hundred comics, many of which are reproduced in this oversized volume organized by genre and covering all aspects of their amazing career. With commentary by Mark Evanier, the foremost authority on the work of Simon and Kirby, the book includes artwork photographed from the original art in Joe Simon's private archive and showcases the seminal work of Simon and Kirby and their artistry as it has never been seen before"--




The Artist's Way


Book Description

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks — write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example — The Artist’s Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone’s got it."—The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"—Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.




The Organic Artist


Book Description

This is an art book which highlights the possibility of using natural, organic materials as art supplies and inspiration.




Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table


Book Description

A former basketball star, Farmer Will Allen is an innovator, educator, and community builder. When he looked at an abandoned city lot he saw a huge table, big enough to feed the whole world. This is the inspiring story of his determination to bring good food to every table.




The Quality Instinct


Book Description

How do we judge what is good in art? Or more to the controversial point, can we judge art? Acclaimed museum director Maxwell Anderson, newly named Eugene McDermott Director of the Dallas Museum of Art, enters the fray with The Quality Instinct. Part personal memoir, part thinking person's guide to the museum, The Quality Instinct is filled with wit and humor, anecdotes, and insights from the author's 30 years in the highly competitive, often contentious art world. Anderson takes us on a grand tour of ancient and contemporary art, sharing five simple metrics of quality that help us to increase our "visual literacy" as we learn to see, not simply look and judge.