For All The Artists

Are you a musician? A poet? A writer? A painter? A creator? If so, do I have a book for you...

A few months ago I was head over heels in love with the song "Beautiful Things" by Gungor and so, like anyone who has ever been obsessed with a song, I played it over and over and over again until the lyrics seeped into the crevices of my brain, forever altering my perception of musical reality.

And after I memorized the song frontwards and backwards, I went online to stalk look up information about the band.  I went to their website and while saying prayers under my breath that they might be playing somewhere in a two hour radius, searched for tour dates and cities.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't find anything but I did see a blurb about a book that Michael Gungor, the lead singer of the band, recently penned and I bought it that very second.  I was eager to know more about this Michael Gungor, this writer and musician that wields his skills like a master chef, mixing and blending sounds and words together to make scrumptious, decadent masterpieces.

The book is called "The Crowd, The Critic and The Muse."  If you are creative in any way or are interested in good writing or of seeing what goes on behind the scenes of creativity, you must read this book.  Trust me. You won't regret it.

It speaks of the agony of fear that lives inside of every creator, the impact on our culture and world when we birth new things into it, of faith in all it's complexity.  He discusses all of the delicate nuances that are embedded in our music, art and writing that are seen and heard but not understood on a surface level but one so intrinsically human that it's almost reflexive.  He speaks of how our creativity connects us to the ultimate creator and it's all written with such elegance, wisdom and wit.

"All human creativity depends on something deeper than itself."  

"All art is rooted in whatever is the foundation of everything." 

 "This is a book for creators, for those down in the valley with the dirt and the bugs.  that is where the real work of creation happens, not up in ivory towers or scenic overlooks, but with blistered hands and stained clothes."  

 "This is a book for creators who might need a reminder of why they do what they do.  It is for those in need of breath.  It is a trail guide to the edge of the canyon, the lifting of a head to behold the fullness of the dress.  Without vision and breath, work has nowhere to go, nothing to accomplish.  Clear vision and full lungs give strength and determination to the artist; they become a sort of faith that gives the work meaning.  Work without faith is dead.  The artist who knows what she is creating and why she is creating it possesses a flame that is very difficult to extinguish."

For anyone who ever desired to create or whose creativity is in that dead, dry place so parched of new ideas that they can scarcely remember a time when they were alive with imagination, I highly recommend this book.

May you be filled with inspiration and life.  I can't wait to see what you can imagine.