Rainer Maria Rilke
Tr. Stephen Mitchell 1984

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It is difficult to say anything in ordinary words about Rilke. He gives advice to his young poet - written a hundred years ago - that is even more necessary for us to hear and follow, in the midst of our now impossibly noisy world. This is in many ways a meditation on the place of solitude and relationship in the life of the artist. You will not be sorry if you take the opportunity to be accompanied by Rilke when you are struggling with creative expression. This small book is a gem.

Annie Dillard
1989

Dillard writes about the fierce and uncompromising working life of the writer who, armed only with pickaxe and headlamp, struggles unseen, deep underground, to mine her own vein of gold. She doesn’t talk about the technical aspects of writing; she evokes the writer’s private field of combat, brilliantly, with humorous anecdote and vivid metaphor. Highly recommended especially if you write, but all creators will recognize this experience. 

Learn It and Use it for Life
Twyla Tharp
2003

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Interview on On Point

Whether you are a fan of Tharp’s dance or not, she presents here a big workbox of techniques for preparing the environment for creativity and for stimulating new ideas. She uses lots of examples from her own career, but draws from wide reading and knowledge of other artists to focus on practical things that are applicable to a wide range of arts. All artists face fundamentally the same set of difficulties, and some of her methods of solving them may surprise and inspire you. She has a refreshingly no-nonsense attitude toward the level of commitment and willingness to work hard that are required for producing worthwhile art, balanced with a recognition of the necessity to make the actual work as easy as possible, supported by the right environment.

Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story
Christina Baldwin
2005
Website
Review of Christina Baldwin's writing retreat

Baldwin, one of the visionaries who started the personal writing movement, has written another beautiful book about how authentic being leads to real connection, this time in relation to telling and writing our stories. 

The book explores three premises about story:

• How we make our experiences into story determines how we live our personal lives.
• What we emphasize and re-tell in our collective story determines whether we quarrel or collaborate in our community.
• What we preserve in larger human story determines what we believe is possible in the world.

Whidbey Island, Washington, 2005.
Gay Enright

It wasn’t until I was on the ferry crossing the bay to Whidbey Island that I understood I would be in for an adventure.  The scene outside my window was different than what I’d grown accustomed to on the inland Piedmont area of North Carolina: seagulls flew nearby greeting me and wishing me well on my journey, charming seaside cottages on the evergreen- covered hillside whispered their best wishes, and majestic mountains hovered in the distance sending me their power and glory. I was on my way to my first writing seminar.  This retreat was to be a gift to me and my writing – and indeed it was that, plus more.

Betty Edwards
1989, 1999

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Still one of the best books for anyone who wants to learn to draw. The photo is of updated version of this book out now, but the original edition has the basic goods.  Some think the new edition is cluttered with unecessary stuff.  She breaks drawing down into five basic skills that must be mastered, and gives exercises which develop each skill. Anyone who follows the instructions, and practices enough, can radically improve their abilities in both seeing and drawing  Excellent for beginners and can also be a good tune-up for the more experienced.

A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Julia Cameron
1992, 2002

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Many artists swear by following the 12-week plan laid out in this book as a method for getting unstuck with your art, as Cameron will tell you at length in the newest edition. Personally, I find her two basic exercises—the Morning Pages (write 3 pages about uncensored anything every morning) and the Artist’s Date (once a week, go somewhere or do something by yourself that you have been wanting to do that has to do with your dream or your art—helpful for keeping on track under difficult circumstances.