Insightful Exploration of the Creative Process: 'The Work of Art' Review Summary

Ripoff of Mason Currey’s better book. Support the OG and buy Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.

A thoughtful and well written exploration of the art of creating a work of art. Highly recommended!

Beautiful cover and book… exquisitely designed and executed. Ambitious topic to tackle and done very well. Moss is a great writer, funny and engaging—and easy and enjoyable to read. You will not be disappointed, and will return often and enjoy as an object on the table in between reads. Also a perfect gift!

I find myself buying multiple copies so I can gift them to friends and colleagues. This book is inspiring for anyone who wonders about the creative process and its many twists and turns.

PROS
- organized into 4-8 page interviews, so you can read a little at a time
- highly visual!
- inclusive of all kinds of creatives
- humble
- funny

CONS
- heavy? Weighs like 5lbs bc the paper is nice 😍

I’m about halfway through and I can already tell you this is actually a five-star book. In fact, simply holding the book with its book cloth cover and just seeing the quality while browsing the pages, I had a feeling I would love it. This is one book you can judge by its cover (in a positive way)! The author (Adam Moss), who I’d actually never even heard of, “interviews” 43 artists who work in a range of media. There are visual artists, filmmakers, producers, composers, writers, and musicians, to name a few. Several I was familiar with, many I was not. I put interviews in quotes because though many chapters do include interviews, there is also biography and some narrative. I’ve read other books that interview artists but this one is just so engaging! I don’t know if it’s the author’s writing style or his questions, the artists themselves, or all three, but I can’t seem to put this book down. The author gets into the artists’ heads in a way I haven’t read before. He’s uncovering their process to greatness. Just A+ all around.

This book should be available on all college campuses. Great insights shared from the vast life experience the author has had. a must read for scholars and anyone interested in the study of the arts.