Jerry Saltz is the senior art critic at New York magazine and its entertainment site Vulture. The winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize in Criticism, he has lectured at MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, and many other museums, and at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and elsewhere. Saltz lives in New York.
Praise for How to Be an Artist:
“An imaginative “handbook” for creatives of all kinds, full of wit,
exercises, and insightful advice.” – The Cut
“Saltz has a rare ability, useful for a critic, to speak
declaratively without coming off as pushy or didactic. . . . The
overwhelming impression is one of urgent generosity. . . . While
others have written about the fear of failure that lies at the
heart of any creative pursuit[,] few have offered such concrete
advice for overcoming it.” —Slate
“Saltz has not written a book for insiders, but for the novice
enthusiast – something all of us have been at one time. Valuable
insight on the creative process [with] a surprising amount of solid
advice.” —Frieze
"The creative salve you need to assuage self-doubt and find
inspiration." —Fast Company
“How to Be an Artist dispenses practical wisdom, inspiration, humor
and honesty to nourish the artist in all of us. For those already
taken by Saltz’s passionate criticism and witty storytelling—as
well as those looking to persevere in creative professions—the book
will prove to be a beautiful resource.” –David Graver, Cool
Hunting
“Saltz is to be applauded for his direct confrontation of issues of
personal trauma, systemic sexism and financial hardship – and for
proclaiming, in the fifth tip, that ‘All art comes from love’. Joy
is palpable in these pages. We are told to connect with our raw
emotions, to admire the constant creative work our artist’s brain
is undertaking, to learn from our mistakes and to shake off
criticism. Saltz even tells us to dance. We need such thinking
right now.” – Apollo
“An excellent read for any would-be artist who's looking for a
blast of uplifting and inspirational advice[,] grounded in the real
world.” – Creative Boom
"Trim, brilliant. . . . Whether you’re a proud amateur or a
frustrated expert, these are words worth taking to heart. Saltz’s
knowledge veins run deep, and his voice is crisp, frank, intimate
and urgent." —BookPage
“Saltz offers ebullient, practical, and wise counsel to those who
wonder, ‘How can I be an artist?’ …A succinct, passionate guide to
fostering creativity.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Inspiration leaps off the pages from Jerry Saltz’s new book on
creativity. One wants to say he’s revealing secrets, but really,
he’s revealing intuition—intuition formed from decades of thinking
about art. This book is for the artist or non-artist, for the
person who gets plain English, for the person who understands that
practical talk can coax out the mystical messages that
lie underneath.”
—Steve Martin
“How to Be an Artist has relevance way beyond the art world. With
his typical clarity and compassion, Jerry Saltz outlines a path for
anyone who wants to dedicate their lives to chasing something they
believe in. Even as a chef, I have Jerry’s advice ringing through
my brain at all times.”
—David Chang
“In How to Be an Artist, Jerry Saltz is so right-on it scares
me.”
—Cindy Sherman
“Jerry is an impassioned lover of all art and all artists,
heartbroken when they’re not good and joyous when they are. You
don’t read so much as bathe in his prose, turbulent but clear,
emerging each time as hopeful as this morning.”
—Peter Schjeldahl
“ A ferociously positive and exuberant primer on being an artist. .
. . Divine pragmatic advice with hope and intelligence.”
—Maira Kalman
“An inspiring guide to making your art, putting it out into the
world, and dealing with the consequences. I found a lot to steal
here, and you will too.”
—Austin Kleon
“What is an artist? If most things make you bored or sad, but
creating things makes you feel better, that's a sign that Fate is
ushering you over to a tiny, rickety chair with a sign overhead
that says, Hey, you. You might be an artist. The challenge then is,
how to be a better artist. And Jerry Saltz is right: The truest
answer is work. Practice. Make mistakes. Tear it up. Do it again.
Get better. Keep going.”
—Roz Chast
“I am so blown away by [How to Be an Artist], because it takes the
tools of the literal masters and offers them to whoever wants them.
Any reader would be lucky to escape their self-doubt to indulge in
this straightforward, funny, and delightful guide.”
—Jill Soloway
“Being an artist is a lonely pursuit—twenty-four hours a day, seven
days a week, for the rest of your life. Most of the time it hurts.
This book will help the pain.”
—Tracey Emin
"How to Be an Artist is such a fun and juicy read for artists of
all kinds. ‘Artists are cats,’ he says—such a simple but brilliant
description of the artist’s relationship to the world. I read this
and thought, I guess I am a real artist!"
—Kim Gordon
“I was so moved by Jerry Saltz’s incredible new book, How to Be an
Artist. . . . Deep and beautiful insights into how humans
create.”
—Amy Sedaris
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