The Zen of Creativity: Cultivating Your Artistic Life Buy Now

It is virtually impossible to write the definitive review of "The Zen of Creativity" because, like the koans it contains, this book will elicit no single, uniform response from those who read it. I hesitate even to use the word "read" because the book asks for a response well beyond simply reading it. The quotes and koans alone require unhurried contemplation. One way to treat this book is to take a contemplative walk through it over a number of months, experimenting here and there with the practices John Daido Loori describes. You may be surprised at the new depth you achieve in your chosen art medium as a result, whether it is photography, painting, writing or music making.

I once owned two copies of Mozart's concerto for flute and orchestra No 1 (K313). One version had perfect technique and the passages were as smooth as cream, but it left me unmoved. I gave it away. The recording I kept has a rough texture in places, but it dances with joy. It demonstrates the essence of what Loori is talking about.

"The Zen of Creativity" is not just a play on the word "zen." It IS zen. Neither does it mimic the popular format of "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance" as so many other authors have done. Loori draws the reader into the very nature of the creative process itself, giving far less importance to technical skills. In fact, if you are looking for ways to improve your artistic competence, you will need to look further afield. Loori's focus is on making a work of art real rather than on making it commercial. His quote from Leonardo Da Vinci is apt; "Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."

There are many useful books on art techniques out now that teach how to apply your art medium in a skilful way. But none of these provide what "The Zen of Creativity" does in helping the artist recreate the essence of what he or she sees.

If "The Zen of Creativity" seems too great a leap into the philosophy of art, a simple introduction to these concepts can be found in a book produced by the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (SLMM.) It is "The Art of Layering: Making Connection." Short excerpts from the book are available on their website. For photographers, "The Tao of Photography" by Tom Ang has much the same philosophy of putting heart into one's art.













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