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Artist Tools
There are some doozies in THIS ABOVE ALL: HOW TO LIVE AN ARTISTIC LIFE that straight-up revolutionized my thinking. It is a guidebook to both theater and life that needs to live on every creative person's nightstand.
--Sarah Bierstock, Artistic Director of Pass the Salt Productions
Jason Cannon's book is a must-read. Especially if you are an artist, want to be reminded why you become an artist in the first place - or just have always wondered if you could lead a more artistic life. Its honest and transparent and yet deeply witty and insightful look into this entire profession made me want to get back out there and do it even better. Easily the most truthful and yet inspiring book out there on the making of theatre.
--Sean Daniels, Artistic Director, Arizona Theatre Company
Don't hang your head if you answered yes to any of those questions. Chin up and crack open THIS ABOVE ALL.
In this galvanizing, pull-no-punches examination of the obstacles and rewards to living an artistic life, award-winning actor, director, playwright, and author Jason Cannon shows readers how to harness their creativity, rediscover their courage, and break free of the forces holding them back.
Even if you've never picked up a paintbrush, even if you can't carry a tune in a bucket, even if just the thought of getting up on a stage makes you break out in a cold sweat, THIS ABOVE ALL will inspire you to unleash your inner artist and live true.
THIS ABOVE ALL is brimming with philosophical insights and practical advice for young artists starting out in the world. Cannon shares the wisdom gained from many years of artistic practice, providing the reader with powerful reflections on art, life and truth-telling. Essential reading for anyone wanting to harness their passion into a meaningful and sustainable creative practice.
--Deborah Brevoort, playwright and librettist
Cannon focuses on artists (especially directors, actors, and writers) in the world of theater, but his penetrating insights apply to anyone in any profession. The book is a series of short chapters filled with exhilarating ideas about how to live artistically, which is to say how to live passionately, how to live, as Cannon puts it, "with all your heart." You will be tempted to read the book through at top speed because Cannon's quick, exuberant prose pulls you along. But then go back to read slowly, to pause on the many epiphanies about living and learning and refusing to be false to oneself or to anyone (the keen analysis of the speech in Hamlet by Polonius, from which Cannon takes his book's title, is worth the price of admission). Reflect on each gem for an hour or two-and then keep on reflecting for the rest of your life.
-Jeffrey Couchman, author of The Night of the Hunter: A Biography of a Film
Those who are struggling to make it in their chosen profession, are questioning what's missing, and haven't found their artistic mojo yet, will reap great benefit from reading THIS ABOVE ALL. THIS ABOVE ALL reminded me that the world of business can be much more meaningful when you slow down, take a beat, enjoy the scenery, and re-examine your purpose.
--Joel Ehrenpreis, CEO, Business Therapeutics
A contemporary look at flowers, flower pressing, and floral arranging, The Modern Flower Press is a stunning collection of pressed flower techniques and the art you can make with them. Exploring a range of specific blooms, authors Amy Fielding and Melissa Richardson take readers through the process of pressing flowers, the proper techniques to use, the tools needed, and most importantly, the lovely works you can create.
Filled with projects inspired by the changing seasons, this book is both a catalog of gorgeous flowers and a practical guide to working with their beauty. Fielding and Richardson offer detailed information, with a specific focus on composition, color, and form. From decorated window panes to letters and postcards, the end results are simply enchanting. Whether you're a gardener, floral enthusiast, or simply a nature lover, this incredible gift book has something for everyone.
One of the most creative minds of the 20th century, Walt Disney created a unique and unrivaled imaginative universe. Like scarcely any other classics of cinema, his astonishing collection of animated cartoons revolutionized storytelling on screen and enchant to this day across geographies and generations.
This expansively illustrated publication on Disney animation gathers hundreds of images as well as essays by Disney experts, taking us to the beating heart of the studio's "Golden Age of Animation." We trace Disney's complete animation journey from the silent film era, through his first full-length feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fantasia (1940), right up to his last masterpieces Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) and The Jungle Book (1967).
With extensive research conducted through the historical collections of the Walt Disney Company, as well as private collections, editor Daniel Kothenschulte curates some of the most precious concept paintings and storyboards to reveal just how these animation triumphs came to life. Masterful cel setups provide highly detailed illustrations of famous film scenes while rare pictures taken by Disney photographers bring a privileged insider's view to the studio's creative process.
Each of the major animated features that were made during Walt's lifetime--including Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians--is given its own focus chapter, without forgetting less-familiar gems such as the experimental short films of the Silly Symphonies series and under-appreciated episodic musical films such as Make Mine Music and Melody Time.
Realizing the Disney style was a collective project and, as much as the master himself, The Walt Disney Film Archives acknowledges the outstanding animators and designers who influenced the style of the studio, among them Albert Hurter, Gustaf Tenggren, Kay Nielsen, Mary Blair, Sylvia Holland, Tyrus Wong, Ken Anderson, Eyvind Earle, and Walt Peregoy.
Copyright (c) 2020 Disney Enterprises, Inc.
About the series
TASCHEN is 40! Since we started our work as cultural archaeologists in 1980, TASCHEN has become synonymous with accessible publishing, helping bookworms around the world curate their own library of art, anthropology, and aphrodisia at an unbeatable price. Today we celebrate 40 years of incredible books by staying true to our company credo. The 40 series presents new editions of some of the stars of our program--now more compact, friendly in price, and still realized with the same commitment to impeccable production.