Art from Your Core - by Kate Kretz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A practical, holistic guide to the discovery and development of the art that each individual was born to make.

Through real-life examples and exercises, this book tears down the cultural, educational, and psychological obstacles to finding an authentic visual voice and explores methodologies to tap into the subconscious, cultivate breakthroughs, create environments to maximize the gestation of ideas and instill bravery to produce deeply layered, unique works of art.

In addition to helping undergraduate and graduate students who are looking to identify, articulate, and hone their artistic vocabularies, this volume serves as a tool for established artists to step up or refresh their practice. It is a book that artists will keep on the studio shelf, to pick up time and time again, as their responses to the exercises will change throughout the course of their career.

Review Quotes

"Art from Your Core provides a poignant reminder to artists that living and expressing their truth through art is fundamentally important, and ever more so in a world where authenticity and the value of lived experience are under constant assault. Kretz draws upon decades of expertise in teaching and making art to offer this invaluable resource that supports the artist-creatively, psychologically, and professionally. This is a must-read for artists and art students at any stage in their career."-- "Micol Hebron, Artist, Activist, and Professor, Los Angeles"

"Kate Kretz is your erudite, generous guide to "cultivating the core" of every creative soul. Art From Your Core is filled with amazing insights and exercises--useful for beginners and experts alike, no matter the medium--that will encourage you to look differently at the world, into yourself, and find your voice as an artist. With wisdom gleaned from thinkers and makers ranging from Seneca to Sontag to El Anatsui, this book is a precious toolbox to help you uncover the unique, genuinely felt art that only you were meant to make."-- "Maria Elena Buszek, PhD, Author, Professor of Art History, President's Teaching Scholar, University of Colorado Denver"

"Like the layers of an onion, Kate Kretz peels back the levels of art and art making through an invasive and comprehensive dissection. Not unlike a scientist searching for the core of discovery, she unwraps and peels back those layers of thoughts, considerations, opportunities, and conundrums that artists face making art from the core. Part guide, part philosophical musing, and part how-to, she makes real and understandable the complex and complicated world of the contemporary artist."-- "Joseph Seipel, Dean Emeritus, School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University"

"The art world is full of static. In the art market, there's the buzz of money and the fear of failure. In social media, there's the continuous jostling for scraps of praise. In art criticism, there's the fear of a bad review. In academia, there's the pressure of learning, the guilt of not producing, the competition for jobs. In the gallery scene, there's the expectation that your work will be consistent and on schedule. It's disempowering and distracting, and the result is thousands of artists who produce what they think the world wants. This book is like a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. It will let you concentrate on what you desire, who you are, what art does for you, what you need to make. So go back to your studio, shut down your social media, and clear out your library. This is the only book you need."

-- "James Elkins, author and E.C. Chadbourne Professor in the Department of Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism, School of the Art Institute of Chicago"

About the Author

Kate Kretz is a Fulbright specialist, an associate professor, and a former BFA director with thirty years of teaching experience. She has received several distinguished artist awards for her internationally exhibited and reviewed work that spans many disciplines.