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Taking Flight
Reviewer: Alyice Edrich
Art Book
Author
Kelly Rae Robert
Review
When I first heard about Kelly Rae Robert’s book, Taking Flight, I knew that I wanted it. If for nothing else but her artwork—to learn about some of her techniques and what she goes through when creating her masterpieces. But having a shelf full of “technique” books still waiting to be read, I kept putting off the purchase. Then one day, while perusing Barnes and Noble, I decided it was time to pick up a copy and flip through it—to see if I really needed the book, or if it was just another one of those “wish list” books that would never get read.
After reading the first chapter, I knew I had to take the plunge. And so I walked out of the store with the book in hand. It’s taken me a little over a month to finish the book. Not because it was boring and not because it was complicated to understand. But because Kelly Rae has taken her personal struggles, experiences, and successes and intertwined them with her experience as a social worker to put together a very intense book that causes you to literally stop and reflect—to think about why you create art, what stops you from creating art, and what you really want your art to accomplish for you. Not the world around you, not your customers, not potential licensing clients, but YOU.
There are a total of seven chapters in the book. Each chapter includes years of wisdom and advice that you could spend weeks with an art therapist or personal coach trying to understand. Each chapter builds upon the previous chapter so that there’s a natural progression—a progression that takes you on a personal journey guaranteed to answer those nagging questions that have caused you to push your art aside and not make it a priority in your life; even if that priority is only an hour a day.
Each chapter is then followed by a set of questions designed to bring home the points made in the chapter while causing you to take a deep, hard look at who you are as an artist. There’s even enough space to jot down your notes.
After each journal area, called Winged Thoughts, there are several quotes meant to inspire you in your journey.
“When we’re doing what it is we’re meant to do, when we allow our creative spirits a bit of freedom to roam the mysteries of the unknown…our creative spirit soars.”
Then comes the fun part…
Each chapter ends with two things: a quick look inside the mind of another artist and a lesson in creating an art piece. What I especially liked about the techniques section is that Kelly Rae takes a technique from another artist and blends it with her own art, thus teaching every new artist how to combine techniques to make art “their” own.
By answering the questions and really listening to what was being said, I discovered a few things about myself that I hope will help me grow as an artist and as a human being. Things like:
- I like being ordinary,
- I like being surrounded by loved ones,
- I like doing things for other people,
- I don’t have enough confidence in myself,
- I sometimes overlook the things I treasure the most,
- I feel a great sense of depression or defeat when there isn’t enough balance in my life,
- Creating with my hands and my mind makes me feel energized,
- I feel invigorated and alive when I can spend time doing things outside the house; especially when I’m around other people,
- The process of creating art with my hands—away from the computer—calms me, empowers me, de-stresses me, and often carries with it therapeutic powers,
- I still want to travel around the world and I can do that through teaching art workshops,
- I like creating art intuitively but with purpose—art that can be used, art that represents an area of our lives, art that shares history, art that tells a story,
- I sometimes allow my imperfections to get in the way of life,
- I sometimes sabotage my own efforts to move forward or to grow as an artist, a business woman, or a human being, and
- I sometimes let the fear of the unknown stop me from being all I am capable of being.
If you haven’t checked out the book, I encourage you to do so today. You won’t be disappointed!
Here’s a quick breakdown of the book to wet your appetite…
- Unearthing Buried Dreams
Q&A with DJ Pettitt – Art Journal - Facing Your Fears
Q&A with Laurie Mika – Polymer - Creating Community
Q&A with Stephanie Lee – Plaster Form - Finding The Sacred In The Ordinary
Q&A with Jennifer Valentine – Book Frame - Honoring Memories
Q&A with Mati Rose – Sewing Paper - Speaking Our Truth
Q&A with Christine Mason Miller – Patchwork Collage - Embracing The Journey
Q&A with Jude Wise – Encaustic
Order Taking Flight today!
Disclosure: The reviewer purchased a copy of the book to review.
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