On Becoming an Artist

Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity

Ellen J. Langer

$35

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Ballantine
02 October 2006

Art & Architecture; Society & Social Sciences; Painting & art manuals

For all those who seek more creative lives or have dreamed of becoming an artist; and for the many fans of Langer's previous bestseller, Mindfulness.

""All it takes to become an artist is to start doing art."" -from On Becoming an Artist

On Becoming an Artist is loaded with good news. Backed by her landmark scientific work on mindfulness and artistic nature, bestselling author and Harvard psychologist Ellen J. Langer shows us that creativity is not a rare gift that only some special few are born with, but rather an integral part of everyone's makeup. All of us can express our creative impulses- authentically and uniquely-and, in the process, enrich our lives.

Why then do so many of us merely dream of someday painting, someday writing, someday making music? Why do we think the same old thoughts, harbor the same old prejudices, stay stuck in the same old mud? Who taught us to think ""inside the box""?

No one is more qualified to answer these questions than Dr. Langer, who has explored their every facet for years. She describes dozens of fascinating experiments-her own and those of her colleagues-that are designed to study mindfulness and its relation to human creativity, and she shares the profound implications of the results-for our well-being, health, and happiness.

Langer reveals myriad insights, among them- We think we should already know what only firsthand experience can teach us. . . . In learning the ways that all roses are alike, we risk becoming blind to their differences. . . . If we are mindfully creative, the circumstances of the moment will tell us what to do. . . . Those of us who are less evaluatively inclined experience less guilt, less regret, less blame, and tend to like ourselves more. . . . Uncertainty gives us the freedom to discover meaning. . . . Finally, what we think we're sure of may not even exist.

With the skill of a gifted logician, Langer demonstrates exactly how we undervalue ourselves and undermine our creativity. By example, she persuades us to have faith in our creative works, not because someone else approves of them but because they're a true expression of ourselves. Her high-spirited, challenging book sparkles with wit and intelligence and inspires in us an infectious enthusiasm for our creations, our world, and ourselves. It can be of lifelong value to everyone who reads it.

By: Ellen J. Langer
Imprint: Ballantine
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 201mm, Width: 133mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 249g
ISBN: 9780345456304
ISBN 10: 0345456300
Pages: 258
Publication Date: 02 October 2006
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

ELLEN J. LANGER is the author of two bestselling books: Mindfulness, which has sold more than 150,000 copies in thirteen languages, and The Power of Mindful Learning. Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard University. Dr. Langer is the recipient of, numerous awards and honors: a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest from the American Psychological Association, and the Award for Distinguished Contributions of Basic Science to the Application of Psychology. From the Hardcover edition.

Reviews for On Becoming an Artist: Reinventing Yourself Through Mindful Creativity

Advance praise for On Becoming an Artist An artful blend of psychological research and personal reflection that illuminates human creativity. - Howard Gardner, author of Creating Minds Whether painting, writing, or just being, Dr. Langer, a renaissance woman, offers profound insights into how and why to increase our mindful creativity. - Betty Friedan Ellen Langer' s On Becoming an Artist is a profound book, clearly and simply written, that presents scientific evidence as good advice to everyone who wishes to lead a creative life. As a psychologist and artist, Langer sees the process of making art from the inside out. Her book goes beyond art to enable her readers to make important choices, freely to experiment, and to gain satisfaction from what she calls ' living mindfully.' I thoroughly enjoyed, and was inspired by her work. - Roger Mandle, president, Rhode Island School of Design Without making extravagant promises about releasing our inner Michelangelos, On Becoming An Artist is provocative, liberating, and in itself a significant act of mindful creativity. - Justin Kaplan, Pulitzer Prize-- winning author of Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain From the Hardcover edition.