The much-anticipated new book by artist and New York Times bestselling author Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process
“Erudite, frank, and funny.” —Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway
Art Work, by photographer and writer Sally Mann, offers a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons for artists and writers—or anyone interested in the creative path.
Written in the same direct, fearless, and occasionally outrageous tone of her bestselling memoir, Hold Still, this new book reaffirms Mann as a unique and resonant voice for our times and is destined to become a classic.
Illustrated throughout with photographs, journal entries, and letters that bring immediacy and poignancy to the narrative, Art Work is full of thought-provoking insights about the hazards of early promise; the unpredictable role of luck; the value of work, work, work, and more hard work; the challenges of rejection and distraction; the importance of risk-taking; and the rewards of knowing why and when you say yes.
In sparkling prose and thoughtfully juxtaposed visuals and ephemera, Art Work is a generous, provocative, and compulsively readable exploration of creativity by one of our most original thinkers.
Praise
“If it’s possible to learn fearlessness—or cussedness or dust-yourself-offedness or stick-to-itiveness—Sally Mann is the one who could teach it to you. Sally Mann may be the only one who could teach it to you. This book will make you brave.”
—MARGARET RENKL, bestselling author of The Comfort of Crows
“I love this book. It’s not just about art—if anyone’s asking me—it’s about being a human. And it is really wise about that business.”
—JAMES REBANKS, bestselling author of The Shepherd’s Life
“In this erudite, frank, and funny book, Mann gives us wonderful new insights into her photography and her life as an artist. Full of inspiration and sage advice, it should be required reading for young artists setting out to work in any medium.”
—AMOR TOWLES, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway
