Making Art a Practice

Book by Cat Bennett

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Being an artist is a way of life and the creative life can be a challenging one. In Making Art a Practice, Cat Bennett, author and artist of 25 years, addresses the question, ‘How can artists nurture their creative freedom to explore and fully express themselves in their art?’ The book is for all artists, for those exploring art for the first time and those further along who want to learn to enter the flow of creativity with ease, manage ‘stuck’ moments and find their unique path. Many art books focus on painting or drawing techniques; this book focuses on the artist’s creative journey. It contains 30 action practices designed to help the visual artist find their free creative selves and grow their art.

The book is beautifully illustrated with the art of well-known contemporary and beginning artists working in various media. Bennett, who wrote the acclaimed The Confident Creative, shows how an art practice can grow the personal qualities necessary to make art and bring it into the world—including open-minded exploration, courage, discipline and a sense of humor. Her writing displays compassion and understanding for her fellow artists. Her 30 practices are experiential and devised to get the reader creating art in their own way. The practices, some of which are based in yoga, include beginning rituals, ways to work with the mind, hands-on exercises, and suggestions to study a particular artist, learn new skills, explore different materials, take work into the world and more. The practices are rigorous and can be worked through sequentially or dipped into at any time inspiration is needed.