"Get Messy Art: The No-Rules, No-Judgment, No-Pressure Approach to Making Art" by Caylee Grey promises a liberating and uninhibited approach to artistic expression. Unfortunately, the book falls short of delivering on its premise. While the concept of encouraging creative freedom is commendable, Grey's execution leaves much to be desired.

One of the book's major drawbacks is its lack of substantial guidance or techniques. Instead of providing meaningful exercises or practical tips for readers to experiment with, Grey's approach feels scattered and lacking in depth. The book leans heavily on generalized statements about artistic freedom, leaving readers searching for tangible tools to implement in their creative practice.

Furthermore, the book's content may come across as repetitive and lacking in substance. Grey's writing style tends to circle around the same concepts without offering meaningful insights or actionable advice. This can leave readers feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, longing for a more substantial and enriching exploration of artistic expression.

In conclusion, "Get Messy Art" is a missed opportunity to provide readers with a truly transformative and liberating approach to making art. Caylee Grey's lack of concrete guidance and depth of content leaves much to be desired. While the idea of embracing artistic freedom is admirable, the execution in this book ultimately falls short of providing a meaningful and enriching artistic experience for readers.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A good book for those wanting some inspiration for an art journal or junk journal. bringing in other journalers and techniques to help reader out.

Really well made book! I really enjoyed reading it and turning the pages. There is nice pictures and beautiful project ! It helps you to develop your creativity and give great inspiration. I will recommend this book for every artsy people around.
I guess it is time to get messy and creative :) .

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Perfect book for anyone wanting to get more creative. This book gives you permission to express yourself without being too serious. You don’t need expensive materials to create.

This was a fantastic artsy inspiration. I love the lack of rules and expensive supplies. It's filled with photos and creative ideas for using what you have. Fans of altered books will love this one. A joy.

I'm trying to be more creative but didn't know where to start. So I was excited to read Get Messy Art! Caylee provides enough structure to get started with the tools and techniques, but isn't so instructional that you're boxed into a corner. My favorite is working with watercolors! I've seen beautiful art journals that my coworkers makes before, and now I can make my own! It's hard accepting the imperfections in my work but it helps to know I'm in the same boat as the whole Get Messy Art community. I would recommend this book!

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

Get Messy Art is the permission and the guidance towards a freer and more authentic art practice. The book details principles and gives practical methods for artists who are itching to explore their practice but held back by perfectionism or lack of motivation. I loved this book. The photographs, guidance, and exercises were a lot of fun to leaf through!

Art journaling always looked amazing to me, but also a little intimidating. What to do, how to do it, am I being incredibly self-indulgent by spending time on it, don't you have to have insane artistic talent? Not so much, according to this book.

Get Messy Art invites you to do just that - get messy. Start where you are, with what you have. Play with different textures, mediums, colours, styles. Buy a journal / book, or make your own. Make LOTS of art, understanding that your style and skills will grow with the work you put in. And you do have to put the work in. There is an amazing amount of projects and prompts in this book, but the author and her guest artists cannot do your work and fill your journal (s) for you - that's on you. There is a wealth of tips and ideas for everyone from the beginner making their first art to veteran journal makers, along with beautiful photography throughout the book that makes you want to get started right away.

Caylee also talks about community, about sharing your art with other messy makers, for a sense of connection, inspiration and the joy of sharing what you make with others who "get" it. It's not imperative to do this, but who knows what new friends and ideas you might find if you do? Stop reading this, and go Get Messy!

(Disclosure: I am one of the guest artists in this book). The Get Messy Art book is packed with practical steps and tips to start your art journal habit. Beginners will especially appreciate the explanations of what art journaling is, what kinds of supplies you can use and how to bind your own book. The book explores many styles and ways of making art journal pages, which means it would be especially good to use as a prompt: read a couple pages and then go make your art, then come back and repeat.

Art without rules, judgment, and pressure
Caylee Grey is a South African artist, facilitator of the online Get Messy art journaling community, without any formal training, living in Germany, and likes action steps. She presents her book "Get Messy Art. The No-Rules, No-Judgment, No-Pressure Approach to Making Art - Create with Watercolor, Acrylics, Markers, Inks, and More" which was published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. Grey sees her book as the catalyst, but it is up to the readers to turn that spark into a blazing flame (p. 8). She states: "I, along with the incredible artists in this book, have done a massive chunk of the work. Almost all of it. We’ve learned the lessons, we’ve put in the time, we’ve articulated it all. There’s just a tiny bit of work left to do, and it is yours. It may feel big and insurmountable, but you can do big things" (p. 8).
In the chapter "The Messy Movement" Grey talks about "The Messy Manifesto" and "How to be a messy Artist." The chapters that follow treat topics such as "The Power of the Journal," "The Magic of Habit," "The Anti-Supply List," and "Creating Your Messy Journal." The second part of the book is entitled "The Trail" and includes four parts: 1) Sparks, ") Grow, 3) Cultivate, and $) Connect. The book also includes some additional information (e.g., "Tips for swatching," "Have fun with pen and brush lettering," or "Dyeing paper with coffee"). Furthermore, Grey present s guest artist from various parts of the world with some of their take on art as well as one project from them. The index and the list of resources at the end of the book are helpful. I highly recommend this book to beginning and advanced artists who are open to creative ideas which are outside of "the normal". The book might be nothing for artists who see their art well organized or it could be a challenge to them to "go beyond their borders."
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#GetMessyArt #NetGalley

Quite an interesting concept in art journalism, one that gives you permission to let oneself go and just experiment with feelings and art..
It certainly is messy and all over the shop, but I can see that the more one the does more one develops ones style and creativity.
Nice idea

I've been journaling for awhile and was interested in adding to artistry to my journals. Something to really express how I was feeling in that moment. Problem is that I'm a perfectionist. Errors are usually what has made me stop exploring my artistic exploits. But the book is more about making messy art. I enjoyed reading it and will use some of it's suggestion.


I received this book for free from netgalley.

Less mess, more journaling. Great for journal enthusiasts. This art book includes samples from other art journalists.

I didn't realize until sitting down to read this that it was specifically about art journaling. The most useful part to me was information about the different tools and paints to use, and creative ideas about materials I hadn't thought of using before. The pictures throughout the book are beautiful but they actually might be a little too beautiful if you are really trying to follow along with each step of the projects. Sometimes the number of pictures and the amount of object / paints / tools in each picture can be a little overwhelming, but that's just my personal style. My favorite project was the one about minimalist art! Thank you to Carlee Grey, Quarto, and NetGalley for this free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very creative art journaling how to book. It starts with the basics of the necessary tools, and how to use them. Then, it begins with binding, and works through various techniques. It's astounding how many unique art techniques the author demonstrates. Everything is clearly illustrated with color pictures, and it's very inspiring! I can't wait to try some of the techniques myself! I'm going to try using an existing book, and turning it into an art journal. If you're a scrapbooker, you will likely have most of the products on hand. This is an excellent reference book.

This is a lovely, enthusiastic guide to journaling. The difference here is that the author promotes the enjoyment and regularity of your journaling as opposed to perfection, hence the title. The idea is to just keep building on your skills. It is full of suggestions and has several ideas from guest artists. This would be a super gift for any keen to try journaling but not sure where to start. Thank you to Cayley Grey, Net Galley and Quarto for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not one that enjoys journaling but for someone that does there are some inspirational ideas here.

Free Netgalley book for review ~

I enjoyed reading this! To anyone who thinks they can’t draw a straight line… but they do like to write arms are visual persons—this book is for you. This book embraces making fast art and sitting down and making marks on a page. They don’t have to be beautiful; they don’t even always have to be meaningful. Just draw or paint something, be there to write and draw. and it’ll already be truer to yourself than copying perfectly some Pinterest image. :-).

This book is definitely geared more to art journalists but I could also see it appealing to the same set of folks who liked Keri Smith’s “Wreck this Journal.”

I've been interested in starting an art journal for the last few months. I have watched some videos, looked at art journals on Instagram and Reddit, and when I saw Get Messy by Caylee Grey on Netgalley I knew I had to request it.

Luckily I was picked for a free copy. I started reading it almost immediately. Although I haven't officially started an art journal, I have per Grey unofficially started as I have been doing something daily to inspire creativity and working on ideas on scraps of paper.

Get Messy doesn't present anything new but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Often I need to be reminded of the what, why, and how of art and creativity.

After going over supplies, she gets into the trails, spark, grow, and cultivate. Kinda like choose your own adventure but with art and creativity! Each trail offers several activities to help spark ideas and spreads in your art journal.

Her writing style is easy to read and feels like I'm talking with a friend. I also liked that there were several color photos to go along with each project. It really helps to have images to go along with the written instructions. Sometimes you read something and go huh? But having a photo to reference is extremely helpful

This would be a great book for those looking to start or very early in their art journal. Even though I'm a beginner, I don't know that this would provide much help for those that are more advanced art journalers. I may reference it as I start my art journal but I don’t see using it much once I get further into the hobby.

I have been a long time fan of Caylee Grey and so that my color my opinions...
However, this book is both inspirational and motivational and I really look forward to using several of the ideas in the new year (I'm gonna try to focus on pumping out art, I've been in a slump toooooo long)
The pictures are beautiful and plentiful and the writing is clear and concise. What more can you really ask for?