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How did artists become the way they are? What mantras do they live by? How do they see the world with eyes wide-open, and in turn make us see something we thought we knew so well anew? How do those, who choose to live, day after day, as producers of creativity - from painters, sculptors, filmmakers, to potters - keep going, and consistently see wonder in the ordinary? I''ve spent my life studying and speaking to artists, whose work and ideas have had a profound impact on me. Their wisdom has taught me how to see the world and how to treat it and its citizens better; how to make something out of nothing and keep on going. Just as Tracey Emin said, "Creativity is the antidote to stagnation and complacency," or Frida Kahlo, who reminds us that ''Everything can have beauty, even the worst horror.'' 365 Ways To Be Creative // To Bring Art Into Your Life will feature artists'' quotes, exercises or snippets of wisdom for each day of the calendar year. This day-by-day almanack will offer seasonal entries with a short introduction written at the start of each month (or season). The aim of the book is to guide the reader in leading a more artistically-influenced life, to get them to look closer at the world around them, and show how artists are in the world. 365 is designed for readers with great or minimal artistic knowledge, and should act as a holding hand, or companion, for the year ahead. Spanning 1000 years, from medieval times to the present day - using historical documents, talks, letters and my own conversations with artists - each snippet will feature a quote by (predominantly) women and non-binary artists. Similarly to The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living - it will awaken readers'' curiosity and help them find new ways to look at the world. It will be a perfect daily touch point for those who want to lead a more curious or more artistic life.
About the author
Katy Hessel is an art historian and the author of The Story of Art without Men, the international bestseller and Waterstones Book of the Year 2022. She runs @thegreatwomenartists on Instagram, hosts The Great Women Artists Podcast, interviewing artists such as Tracey Emin and Marina Abramovic. Hessel is a Honorary Fellow at Cambridge University and a Trustee of Charleston. In 2024, she launched Museums Without Men, an audio series highlighting works by women artists in museum collections worldwide, such as The Met and Tate Britain.
