Women's fiction

This book is all about creative freedom...FOR EVERYONE. Freedom from the fear-inducing voices inside our heads that convince us that we're not "real" artists, that we couldn't possibly paint pictures, because we've never studied art, because painting is for those other people, the ones who have the talent. How many millions of us deny ourselves the pleasure of creating pictures with paint, because we choose to believe these lies? THE TRUTH IS, we're all artists. If you create art, you're an artist. THE TRUTH IS, we all have something to say, and the ability to say it. When coming to this conclusion, back in 2007, I embarked on a painting adventure. Twenty four paintings later, I'm here to tell you that it's been an amazing ride. I've had so much fun that I felt compelled to share my journey with you. For the purposes of this book, it's important to understand that I've never taken an art class. As a result, I had no "technique" to temper my imagination, no rules to follow, no "right way" to paint. I believe this is key, because when you don't know "how" to paint, you paint purely by instinct, guided simply by what feels right to you. It's like being given a free pass to boundless artistic liberation. What I've also discovered is that in each of my paintings, my points of view, my sense of humor, my overall philosophy on life have all magically appeared, with no conscious intent on my part. It really is true, we are what we paint. So without further ado, I dedicate this book to you, and to your own fearlessly creative adventures that lie ahead.

For writers, painters, or performers in any field, new hope for overcoming creative blocks and finishing the art of their dreams. The blank page, empty canvas, or uncarved stone will often fill artists with dread. But so may the thought of finishing, showing, or even selling their work. It is in this "artistic anxiety" that creative blocks begin. With an understanding that could only be gained through years of experience in counseling artists, writers, and performers, Eric Maisel, Ph.D. discusses each stage of creation-wishing, choosing, starting, working, completing, selling--and the anxieties particular to each. He then shows how these inhibiting tensions can be turned to artistic advantages, how truth and beauty arrive in the work of art precisely because, and only when, anxiety has been understood, embraced, and resolved. Fearless Creating guides the reader, whether an experienced artist or someone just starting out, past the pitfalls that appear in each stage of the process. By following Dr. Maisel's exercises related both to the world at hand and the ongoing struggles of artistic life, readers will emerge from this book with a completed work of art and a new perspective on their potential to be a fearless creator.

Portable art-therapy for the over-worked and over-stimulated mind " Color Me Happy offers 100 coloring templates--and a much needed creative time-out--for grown-ups in a demanding digital age.

Portable art-therapy for the over-worked and over-stimulated adult - Color Me Calm offers 100 coloring templates for grown-ups looking to calm down and relax in a demanding digital age.

Collecting The Story of Samantha Smith #1-3 Three full-length novels: Fearless, Reckless, and Painless At the age of sixteen, Samantha Smith’s innocence was shattered in the blink of an eye. She kept the pain to herself for three years, burying her terrible secret beneath black clothes and black makeup, afraid to tell anyone. The price for her silence was the loss of her happiness and all of her friends. After moving from stuffy Washington D.C. to laid back San Diego, where Samantha is now a freshman at San Diego University, she is determined to find new friends and reclaim her optimistic spirit. Having thrown away her goth exterior, she hopes that her new sunny look will heal her wounds. Dreaming of adventure, she wishes to escape the humdrum middle-class existence that has repressed her fiery nature for as long as she can remember. But her parents are pressuring her to major in Accounting because it’s the safe thing to do. Samantha secretly considers ditching the business major to study Art, a choice that would horrify her parents if they ever found out. When Samantha crosses paths with a troubled, handsome, tattoo-clad bad boy, her life spins into overdrive, and Samantha finds herself juggling more adventure than she ever dreamed possible.

They said only men could paint powerful pictures, but Helen Frankenthaler (1928-2011) splashed her way through the modern art world. Channeling deep emotion, Helen poured paint onto her canvas and danced with the colors to make art unlike anything anyone had ever seen. She used unique tools like mops and squeegees to push the paint around, to dazzling effects. Frankenthaler became an originator of the influential “Color Field” style of abstract expressionist painting with her “soak stain” technique, and her artwork continues to electrify new generations of artists today. Dancing Through Fields of Color discusses Frankenthaler’s early life, how she used colors to express emotion, and how she overcame the male-dominated art world of the 1950s.