Tag Archives: creativity

new books about art & creativity

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since i’m just beginning to listen to one of these and have the other one on hold at the public library, i can’t give you a review yet of either of them. but both of these books have been the subject of numerous podcasts recently that i listen to, and seem right up my alley so i thought many of you might be interested in them too. i just wanted to share my excitement about them both. i’ll probably end up buying them as hardcovers eventually but i think i will listen to them first.

the first is your brain on art: how the arts transform us by susan magsamen and ivy ross. (buy on amazon or bookshop.org. or do what i did and read or listen to it from your library. if they don’t have it, suggest it to them!)

i first heard about it on nicholas wilton’s art2life podcast where he interviewed both co-writers of the book and discussed how the book came about and the concepts of neuroaesthetics or neuroarts. as someone who has had brain surgery, which is a traumatic brain injury (tbi) in and of itself, and had to go through a long recuperation which involved re-learning to use my vocal chords (well, one was/maybe still is paralyzed) and how to swallow, dealing with double vision and droopy eyelids, as well as a host of other fun body issues, i’ve been acutely interested in learning more about how the brain operates and how i can continue to help it heal post-surgery. i am also getting older and want to understand how to keep my brain nimble as i age. and, well, as an artist, i’m always interested in creativity and the process of art-making and how that impacts or is impacted by your brain. so this book seemed like a – pardon the pun – no-brainer.

i’m only on the first chapter but already i’m very intrigued and want to do the exercises they recommend. it’s hard to participate in them while listening to the book driving around or while walking a dog, so i’ll have to go back and re-listen when i’m at home and can grab a pen and a notebook or journal to play along. but the concept of neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience or following injury – is super fascinating, and i’ve seen it in action in myself with my own brain. so i want to learn more, particularly the role creativity or art-making can play. i’ll try to remember to post a review after i’ve finished listening to it or have had some time to digest it.

the second book has a bit more popular appeal due to its author, rick rubin, who is a famous hip hop (and other musical styles) producer. the creative act: a way of being (buy on amazon or bookshop.org) has gotten a lot of media attention and rubin has been interviewed on a host of radio shows/podcasts. i think i first heard about it on debbie millman’s design matters podcast – she did a great interview with rubin.

it’s not a memoir but rather a rumination on the act of creativity and what it is to be an artist. it does draw on rubin’s lifetime of working with all kinds of artists, in helping them express themselves and tap into their unique creative voice. i was honestly surprised when this book came out, seeing all the rave reviews and the very philosophical slant of it; i didn’t expect that from the founder of def jam records. but when i thought about it, it makes total sense, as rubin has worked with so many musicians over his career and his job as a producer is to get the best out of artists, help them be true to themselves. i’m very much looking forward to reading this one.

are there other new/recent books about creativity and/or art that you are reading? if so, please share them in the comments!

(i just signed up as an affiliate for bookshop.org and started my own art/creativity list that i will keep adding to as i think of titles. i’ve read some of these books and others are on my wishlist to get to eventually. i’m working on a similar list for amazon and will post the link when i have it. if you make purchases from my links, i’ll get a little kickback that will help defray the cost of this blog and/or art supplies or whatever. it takes time to write all these posts and i’m just looking for easy ways to monetize that don’t involve advertising.)

EDUCATE AGITATE ORGANIZE tshirts are ready!

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educate agitate organize black ink on red tshirts

these EDUCATE AGITATE ORGANIZE tshirts are finally ready!

limited run. canvas red color. bella/canvas brand. short sleeve unisex crew. 100% ringspun cotton jersey. sizes S – 2XL available right now.

$20 per shirt + $4 1st class domestic shipping for 1 shirt. ($5 for 2-3 shirts. 4+ shirts $7.)

if you are local to new orleans and want to pick up, no shipping charge, obviously.

if you need international shipping email me at: artbymags@gmail.com so we can figure out the cost.

send payment via paypal to: mags@artbymags.com (friends/family payment if you know how to do that)

send payment via venmo to: mags504

please make sure to email me your shipping address and sizes when you order!

i’m also taking pre-orders on:

-unisex canvas red sizes 3XL – 4XL. (3XL = $20, 4XL = $23)

-GREY unisex shirts. sizes S – 4XL (4XL = $23, others $20)

-and WOMEN’S bella/canvas relaxed fit tshirts in both RED and GREY, sizes S – 2XL (these are the only sizes available). $20 each.

thanks everyone for the support!

the #RESIST factory keeps churning…

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i love y’all. you keep buying as much #RESIST gear as i can turn out. i can’t keep up!

thank you all so much for the support and all the love! and thank you for helping me to make some donations to organizations i trust and believe in. so far $50 has gone to the people’s institute’s scholarship fund for their undoing racism trainings, over $150 went to the #J20NOLA coalition that i worked with on the inauguration day march, $25 has gone to the local planned parenthood, and smaller donations have gone to the new orleans abortion fund and the local women’s march committee. so probably about $250 so far, and i’m about to do another round of donations this week to a few different organizations. i don’t set a specific percentage or amount because i’m never sure how something is going to sell and the intermittent way i produce products means i always have some of my money tied up in ordering/inventory, but trust that i’m making regular contributions to nonprofits and grassroots groups with some of what i’m making from this gear.

i am of course keeping some of it too, to grow my art/craft biz, purchase some new equipment so i can keep making stuff, and buy supplies. i might have to use some of it to fix my 20 year old ailing car, too, but it feels like a luxury to be able to do so.

so, updates about the merch:

stickers: i’m almost out of the 6″ matte stickers and i’m not sure i’m going to keep ordering them since they are more expensive to get made. but they are also much faster to get made, so maybe. there’s a few left. i have plenty of the smaller 5.25″ glossy ones (pictured) left. you can get both via my etsy shop but feel free to just email me directly to place an order for stickers. $1 each. (you can paypal, venmo or squarecash me directly – ask me for details.)

embroidered patches just got restocked! i have about 175 left. you can get them via the etsy shop or you can email me directly to order those – $5 each.

as for the tshirts, i’m in constant restocking mode on those. i am trying to keep 3-4 of all sizes in stock at all times but it’s hard to keep up with, so forgive me the periodic outages. you can see the current inventory in the etsy shop in the individual listings for both mens/unisex and womens cuts – i try very hard to keep that tally current daily as things get bought. if you don’t see the listings for the mens or womens shirts, it’s cuz i’m out. just keep checking back. they are $20 each.

i’ve also decided to go ahead and just keep them available via teespring. it’s a less than perfect print-on-demand situation but the quality for one color prints is always good and there’s just so much selection for brands/styles/cuts/sizes of shirts there. visit my teespring store to order. i get paid either way and it gives me a breather from the hand printing.

my friend dix keeps quipping – “who dresses you for the revolution?” at the sight of so many folks wearing my gear at all the marches and meetings. i keep thinking about ways i can work that into a tagline for the business. “dressing the resistance since 1992” or something like that. send me your thoughts!

thanks again everyone!

RESIST shirts + stickers!

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my latest design is simple but bold. i actually started working on it BEFORE the election, fully thinking hillary clinton would be our president. but, well, now it has even more meaning. my friend julie recently (post-election) snapped a picture of a sign on a house on st. bernard ave that said: resistance must now become like breathing. i don’t know if this is a famous quote by someone that i should know (i googled it but found nothing), or just the wise words of a local person who felt the need to scrawl it out on a handwritten sign and tack it up on their house, but it’s the truth and it really resonates with me.

i made the above resist sticker for my patreon subscribers, but of course ran extra knowing folks would probably want these. well i’ve already sold out of that initial run of 200 and am half way through the second 200; i now have a run of 500 on the way. pretty sure this will be an ongoing effort. i mean, we’ve got four years of this fascist crap to resist, right?

you can buy them from me directly for $1 each. (they are up in my etsy shop but cost $2 each there due to paypal and etsy fees.) email me if you want stickers.

i also hand painted a screen and have printed t-shirts. for now, what i’m selling are black, 100% cotton, Next Level brand, soft lightweight t-shirts with white water-based ink. i have mens and women’s crew cuts in sizes small through 2XL. $20 per shirt. they are also up in my etsy shop but you can get them from me directly by emailing me.

now is not a time for complacency. or for silence. or for normalizing this incoming administration and president. now is the time for coming together, conspiring, organizing and mobilizing. we must actively #resist.

it’s back… #keeplovingkeepfighting

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insta-keeploving

well here we are, almost a week after the fascist won the white house. the news keeps getting scarier and scarier every day.

starting at 3am the night of the election, i’ve had a run on my “keep loving keep fighting” shirts on etsy. i’m down to only a handful left in a few sizes, so i decided to make a teespring campaign to be able to continue to offer the design for those who are finding solace in its message. (it’s the busy season for my pet biz so i’m working nonstop and don’t have the time to handprint more shirts, so i’m outsourcing it.)

https://teespring.com/keeplovingkeepfighting

for every shirt sold, $1 will be donated to the ACLU.

there are womens as well as mens cuts of shirts, and a few different color choices. there’s crew and vneck options, and even a hoodie.

i know it’s a little early to be thinking about holiday shopping – and also, who can even think about christmas at a time like this? – but if you are going to be participating in the upcoming gift giving season, please consider shopping locally and supporting independent artists and businesses, as well as those owned by minorities and women. (and realize some of us choose to utilize print-on-demand/drop shipping services like teespring because we don’t have the resources to run a full-fledged tshirt shop.)