With Teeth Exposed

The Creative License: Giving Yourself Permission to be the Artist You Truly Are by Danny Gregory


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The first book read for my 2010 reading list. A older selection that jumped out at me in a strange time, after the Holidays, when I received a plethora of books to read. I bought this book in 2006 after reading select passages in a HOW magazine. I was in the early years of design school and trying to regain my confidence to draw after year away from the art board. I grabbed the book and shortly realizing the book was gauged for someone entering the art world for the first time and not some who knew how to draw and just needed a boost,so I skimmed through the back half for a few day and relegated the book to depths of my book shelf. At the time I took from the book to journal everyday and that advise helped. But, now four years out and my art projects are starting to grow I need another boost and with my reading list for this year calling for me read, of the twelve book goal, two books in my field of art and design this book jumped off the shelf at me. To bottom line it, which is a phrase I hate to use, if you are looking to get into art grab this book it is great. If your like me and need a pep talk borrow it but you don't need to buy it. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book I did I just think the real joy of this book would be me giving it to someone to blossom their art journey. I did get a lot of good advise and took a lot of influence away from the book. The great encouragement and advise I took was: to 'be' and to grow and explore and be willing to fail and learn and work hard. Which is what I am doing and hope to do. This book gave me the boost I needed and is great for artist starting out. I dug the author and his writing and will look for more of his work in the future.

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I posted my blog entry from my Goodreads account because I know a few close people who read my blog but not everyone else. So I wanted to throw a nod out to a book that is great for people entering the art field. If you want to get into art and free your creative genius, which we ALL have, grab this book. It's not a how to on drawing people, super hero of manga it a how to be you and see the world and open your life up to being the artist in all of us. I have a handful of how-to art books. This is hands down the most useful and best of them.