There are innumerable (almost) books out there for artists, many of which repeat each other. I own about half of them and actually was pleasantly surprised by this book. Creative block is a huge problem for most artists at least at some point, and the advice given in many of these books boils down to: find your muse, set a working schedule, create your niche. These suggestions do have their place, but often the ability to move ahead with one's art has more of the feel of an existential crisis that resists simple solutions. So, imagine my surprise when I opened Ms. Pickens' book and found a treasure chest of valuable wisdom for people like me. The chapters present actually useful considerations on issues like "time" and "work", yes, but also on less obvious challenges such as grief and other people. The author is a practicing therapist who has been through the wars with artists who are locked in the tortuous and torturous pathways-cum-dead-ends that live and multiple in their minds. They (we) can play endless dialogue games about what keeps them from picking up the paint brush or sitting down at the computer or continuing to map out that dance routine. We know the problem and "solutions" but between Point A and Point B we somehow slide off the edge of the earth and land on shame, fear, or other catastrophic continents. (Do any of the metaphors in this review help?) Ms. Pickens has new insights into all of this, is empathetic, and - wait for it - creative. I heartily recommend this book as a prescription for what ails the creatives described above.

Make Your Art No Matter What is a treasure trove of advice for creative professionals (or anyone, really) who struggle to make their art. Pickens is a counselor who works with artists, and her tone in this book is encouraging and non-judgemental. She focuses each chapter on a different common difficulty artists face, and gives realistic, practical steps to move past these blocks. Her emphasis on balancing work, enjoyment, and mental health is refreshing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to include more creativity in their life.

I'm recently into drawings, and I need something to keep me motivated. I was looking for a good book to inspire me. Reading this book is not only I find my answers but also I feel like I'm listening to a conversation about arts and making arts. This book is more realistic. It covers pretty much everything: money, management, time, etc.

I thought this was interesting book although it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It deals with a lot of issues an artist or anyone might be facing and offers some good tips on how to manage those issues. It covers everything from fear of failure, time management to grief. It’s small package with a big punch.

As an artistic mom stuck in midlife questions and 5 minutes increments of time to myself, I wanted to read this book to see if Beth could give me some new ideas that I hadn't thought of or just hadn't had TIME to think of. And yes, she definitely did. She made me think on so many levels why art is important for me to make whether I make money from it or not but...... what if I could? That was the most intriguing idea that got planted as I read. What if I just went for it? Made my art and then put it out in the world on purpose. Could I foster my love of the creative world AND make some money on the side. After reading her book, I want to find out. Thank you, Beth, for spring what you've learned over the years helping others to help me.

Some advice on art in different kind of categories (time managament, money, beliefs, etc.). It doesn't go in depth enough in my opinion, as it is written in a very airy and easy writing style. The writers own experiences are on the forground, but that is fine.

Overall, I skimmed a bit, there is some good advice, it's fine.

*I received an E-Arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This wonderful little book gave many good insights and tips on making ones art no matter how they're feeling, would recommend everyone to give this a shot.

**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

I like the division targeting different areas of life that may be impacting your work, so it makes it easier to find the part you need or want to read. The author does a nice job of keeping the book conversational without talking down to the reader.

Overall, it's practical and would be a good purchase for those looking to overcome some of the things that may be holding them back.

Thanks to Netgalley for this digital ARC. The opinions expressed within this review are my own and unbiased.

This is a useful book for artists (for the author writers are classed under this umbrella as well - I don't disagree) who are struggling to practice their craft through various blocks. I've encountered some of this advice before, but it is distilled into an accessible format here.

This is not a book about the creative process itself, it focuses on removing obstacles so that one can create art (mostly) unhindered. The most useful section for me was on marketing and self-promotion and overcoming an inner resistance of such things.

I enjoyed the author's conversational tone. As someone around the same age, certain references were particularly entertaining. I too am of "Generation Catalano" and grew up watching Ab Fab on Comedy Central. Perhaps being something of a peer to the author made the book more accessible to me. Perhaps not everyone will enjoy the Joy Division reference, but I sure did.

I loved every part of this book. I will definitely buy it because I will need to open it and read some of it again and again! If you are an artist you will find yourself here! Actually, at the age of 30, I never had the courage to describe myself as an artist. But this book changed it And that, I call a life-changing book.

Making art, of whatever kind, isn't easy. Beth Pickens offers advice that goes beyond the topics of fear and money and time. More valuable though, is Pickens advice on how to ask for something, how to deal with grief and questions about education.

This is a very useful book, lots of important information for any (struggling) artist out there.



Review based on an ARC provided by the publishers.

This author shares her own stories and experiences as well as others when it comes to the struggles that artists face. Organized well if you’re looking for a specific topic. As an older artist who has “been there done that” I can’t say I resonated with the book or learned anything new from the “should dos”, but I think if offers a lot of sage advice for an artist struggling with their creativity.

"Here is my thesis, and it will not be the last time that I tell you this: You are going to die. I will, too. We have to make choices about time because we have the nite gift of one existence. You should make your art."

This book is written for artists. Even though the author does an excellent job defining what an artist, I couldn't decide if I was one or not (which maybe means I am not), but I decided to put that aside and just enjoy her solid advice.

"The more you give time and resources to your art, the more you’ll understand paid employment as something that supports your art and life. We get this backward, thinking that we are on the planet to work and earn money. Let’s ip it—we earn a living to pay for our lives."

The book is divided into different sections that cover different areas of worry: time, work, asking, money, fear, grief, other people, education, thinking+feeling, isolation, marketing, death+god. Each section dives deep into that area and explores what is holding the artist back and gives ways to shift that thinking.

"It is said that we are not responsible for our first thought. We are responsible for our second thought and our first action...Our first thought could be steeped in fear, judgment, old thought patterns, and stories; perhaps it’s distinctly someone else’s voice—an ex, a family member, an authority figure from long ago. We’re not responsible for that first bullshit thought. We are responsible for our next thought, the second thought, which we consciously conjure in response to that first thought. Then, we’re responsible for our first action."

There is so much gold in this book. Regardless of if you're artist or not, I am convinced you will get solid value out of this book. And if you're an artist, you might get even more. Above all, the author makes this excellent reminder (you can substitute "your art" with anything else that's meaningful to you):

"Your life is finite, and you should make your art. Things will get in the way and you should still make your art."

with gratitude to netgalley and chronicle books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As someone looking to develop and take their art from a hobby into hopefully something more, I have definitely cherry-picked some useful practical nuggets from this book.

The author covers a wide range of topics including money, fear, education, isolation, grief and more. I found the practical tips such as approaching potential mentors, asking others for help and advice, sourcing ideas for art and exhibition opportunities particularly useful. I also love the idea of a Personal Inventory Day - a day - the same date each month - for getting on top of admin matters.

The book goes much further than just the practical side of being an artist and talks about therapy, isolation (and when might be too much), death and grief. There is a chapter on education but this is completely geared to those living in the US and didn't mean much to me being in the UK.

This isn't a book I would probably be referring back to on a regular basis but I have picked up some new and practical tips to try. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

This book is exactly what the title suggests. A book to help artists make their art no matter what stands in their way. It breaks down the common issues (or at least what the author determines as common) that many artists encounter and then seeks to give practical tools that will help. The chapters are each self-contained and have multiple exercises to help with the topic. I appreciated this organizational approach and the author's conversational tone. It makes it easy to pick up the book and go directly to what you think you need help with. In the early pages, I found some good insight but as I continued I resonated less with the content and advice. Eventually, I found myself skimming. I found many of the personal antidotes and the focus on critical theory categorization of people to be offputting.
My sense is that how helpful this book is will depend on the reader's past experience with similar content. Other artist-related books they have read, lectures they have attended or therapy they have paid for will impact how useful they might find this. If you already understand CBT then the write and release exercises will seem obvious. If you have read anything about basic finance that chapter will not have much to offer. Personally, it just didn't pack as much of a punch as other art books I've read–but then that might be the problem.

Just like the rest of life, making art doesn't always go smoothly. Beth Pickens offers bits of practical advice, like that friend who listens to you, cuts through the junk and asks the question you need to consider. She also goes beyond the expected topics of time, money and fear. Dealing with grief, asking for something, feelings about education, and hating the thought of having to 'sell yourself'. These areas and more are addressed. Some will be more useful than others. Overall I found this to be a useful book that doesn't oversell it's message.

Thanks to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for an advance copy.

I may be a little too old for this book, but I'm giving it 4 stars because I really want to buy this book many of the young people in my life. This book is great because it's filled with little wisdom nuggets, broken up by catchy headers, and has useful chapter titles. I envision it being a book you skim through and then come back to as you need it. I liked the subtle artwork inside the book as well - very soothing.

It covers everything from fear and anxiety, to marketing your art, to establishing a workflow and more. It's like a little toolkit for talking yourself off the edge when confronted with obstacles that artists often face. The author also includes resources for further reading. Not a book I would have bought for myself as a young person, but one I would have cherished as a gift.

One thing I did get from the book was the license to call myself an artist, at least in my head. The chapter on what makes someone an artist really rang true to me. I appreciated the author's use of their own experiences to help illustrate the points backed up by the sources they cited.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

When I picked this book, I expected something motivational or inspirational. It is that, sure, but it's something better: it's practical. I offers a realistic, clear-eyed view of the possible challenges for artists to make their art and offers specific advice to overcome these hurdles. What a nice surprise!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a writer going through a creative block, I really appreciated this book. It's practical but also inspiring, and contains plenty of good advice for persevering through your art.

Make Your Art No Matter What covers advice and strategies with artists in mind. Pickens narrows down topics that come up in her sessions with artists as a psychologist. Topics include: time, work, asking, money, fear, grief, other people, education, thinking & feeling, isolation, marketing, and death & God.

This book was great for its unique approach for supporting artists from a counselling perspective. The sections dedicated to topics that come up frequently in Pickens' practice were informative and provided tangible support for topics that often leave artists feeling blocked or unable to continue their work as effectively as they would like.

I found the sections helpful as they broke down certain issues and gave concrete examples of how to fix or deal with them. The examples of situations where these issues had come up were also particularly helpful to relate to which I found made the book more realistic and readable overall.

I think the tortured artist trope is not 100% accurate, but I do feel the creative people in my life often encounter some blocks when trying to make it in these circles. It can be a very tough career path and disheartening without the proper supports in place to thrive. Make Your Art No Matter What is a handbook I would definitely pass on to an artist looking for more tools to keep embarking on their journey no matter what life throws at them.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.