BURSTS OF BRILLIANCE FOR A CREATIVE LIFE

Name: BURSTS OF BRILLIANCE FOR A CREATIVE LIFE
Author: Teresa R. Funke
ISBN: 978-1-935571-43-8

by Teresa R. Funke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 31, 2019

A compassionate and encouraging look at the costs and deep rewards of the artistic way of life.

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Awards & Accolades

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A creativity guidebook aimed at awakening one’s inner artist.

This contemplative work by author, speaker, and consultant Funke (War on Sunday Morning, 2018, etc.) concentrates on a set of disarmingly simple precepts—the most straightforward of which is that “art matters.” She offers a serialized discussion of creativity and art in brief blog posts that range widely over many aspects of the artistic life, from dealing with rejection to challenging cultural stereotypes and understanding the importance of never feeling completely comfortable in any creative endeavor: “When was the last time a project frightened you?” The author warns neophytes and reminds experienced readers that steady creativity exacts costs, including sleepless nights, long workdays, and the torment of doubt and self-criticism, among others. To justify such a state of affairs, Funke stresses that everybody is brilliant sometimes; it’s only what she refers to as “realized genius” that’s uncommon. This effectively buttresses her assertion that “we have new opportunities to engage in dialogues that will help us understand each other better” through sharing our stories in artful ways. Funke’s prose throughout this volume is brightly engaging and strengthened by her rapid-fire insights into the creative process, as well as by her recollections from her own life. The latter often underscore how “especially vulnerable” artistic people tend to be—and how their only sure refuge, she asserts, is in art. There’s no shortage of empowering manuals about creativity, but readers will likely find Funke’s to be a memorable one.

A compassionate and encouraging look at the costs and deep rewards of the artistic way of life.

Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-935571-43-8

Page Count: 328

Publisher: Victory House Press

Review Posted Online: Sept. 5, 2019

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.