The Everyday Work of Art: How Artistic Experience Can Transform Your Life - Hardcover

Eric Booth is currently a member of the faculty of The Juilliard School, has held positions teaching at Stanford, New York University, and Lincoln Center Institute and as Founding Director of the Teacher Center at the Leonard Bernstein Center.

Make your life a work of art, says Eric Booth in The Everyday Work of Art. Not only will it be as personally rewarding as the professional artist's, but you will advance the collective thrust to bridge the gap between scientific logic and the world of unexplained phenomena whose truths will only be revealed by an informed suspension of disbelief. Booth analyzes how artists function, breaks down their view of the world, and offers specific ways the layman can make everyday life a work of art - one that differs only in degree from masterpieces hanging in museums or performed in concert halls. By paying attention and learning to extract the essence of experience, the 'ordinary genius' can transcend, and thus transform, personal reality into art. Booth explains at length how to develop this heightened awareness using exercises that, properly applied, can help one use such personal experience as an encounter with the IRS, an intractable traffic jam, or a memorable dinner party in creative ways. While overwritten and repetitive with etymological asides that slow the narrative, Booth's book is nevertheless a useful reminder that in life, as in art, attitude is everything. -- From Independent Publisher

The Everyday Work Of Art: A Curious Way Of Seeing asserts it is time for Americans to reclaim the power of art in their lives. Relegated to institutions and museum walls, art has become unattainable and elitist. By revealing the skills that artists apply in their work, The Everyday Work Of Art gives us the tools to bring art back into our personal and professional lives. The Everyday Work Of Art identifies seven techniques to awaken our artistic selves and reminds of the time when art was life-essential, like food, shelter, sleep and worship. The Everyday Work Of Art challenges us to redefine art to encompass every act of being, be it a child's crayon drawing, a corporate presentation, or a flawless presented dinner party. Filled with illuminating insights and warm anecdotes, The Everyday Work Of Art is an inspiring work offering a stirring argument for the importance of art. The Everyday Work Of Art is an impressive contribution to the national dialogue on the essentialness of art in American culture, schools, and communities. -- Midwest Book Review