You Are an Artist: Assignments to Spark Creation
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You Are an Artist: Assignments to Spark Creation Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Sarah Urist Green (Author, Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 785 ratings
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"There are more than 50 creative prompts for the artist (or artist at heart) to explore. Take the title of this book as affirmation, and get started." (Fast Company)

More than 50 assignments, ideas, and prompts to expand your world and help you make outstanding new things to put into it

Curator Sarah Urist Green left her office in the basement of an art museum to travel and visit a diverse range of artists, asking them to share prompts that relate to their own ways of working. The result is You Are an Artist, a journey of creation through which you'll invent imaginary friends, sort books, declare a cause, construct a landscape, find your band, and become someone else (or at least try). Your challenge is to filter these assignments through the lens of your own experience and make art that reflects the world as you see it.

You don't have to know how to draw well, stretch a canvas, or mix a paint color that perfectly matches that of a mountain stream. This book is for anyone who wants to make art, regardless of experience level. The only materials you'll need are what you already have on hand or can source for free. Full of insights, techniques, and inspiration from art history, this book opens up the processes and practices of artists and proves that you, too, have what it takes to call yourself one.

You Are an Artist brings together more than 50 assignments gathered from some of the most innovative creators working today, including Sonya Clark, Michelle Grabner, The Guerrilla Girls, Fritz Haeg, Pablo Helguera, Nina Katchadourian, Toyin Ojih Odutola, J. Morgan Puett, Dread Scott, Alec Soth, Gillian Wearing, and many others.

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  1. Listening Length
    5 hours and 44 minutes
  2. Author
    Sarah Urist Green
  3. Narrator
    Sarah Urist Green
  4. Audible release date
    April 14, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Penguin Audio
  7. ASIN
    B082J7LT52
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 5 hours and 44 minutes
Author Sarah Urist Green
Narrator Sarah Urist Green
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date April 14, 2020
Publisher Penguin Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B082J7LT52
Best Sellers Rank #99,887 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#168 in Creativity (Audible Books & Originals)
#242 in Art (Audible Books & Originals)
#974 in Pop Culture Art

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
785 global ratings
Great book to get creative!
5 Stars
Great book to get creative!
I found out about this book through many Vlogbrothers videos. I had heard about The Art Assignment before, but I hadn’t followed it much since I see myself more as a writer. However, I liked the idea, and John Green was super excited about this book (and probably still is), so I picked it up.You Are an Artist gives out different “prompts” or “assignments” to choose from. It’s not just for painters or sculptures but also for writing, drawing, performance, photography, etc. Any type of art you can think of is in this book. For each prompt, you get a page or two about the original artist(s) who created these assignments. You also get colored pictures of what their concept of the assignment looks like.You are encouraged to not do exactly what the assignment says. If your creative self wants to do the assignment with a twist, do it.The book even invites you to use the #YouAreAnArtist tag and post about your creations. From there, you can see others’ ideas and how they approached the book. I posted a couple that you can see here and here.I read the book 100% through before I tried any of the prompts. I bookmarked the ones I was interested in the most. I did a few and kept the rest of the bookmarks in since I feel like I’ll come back to this book later on.I did wish the book had more writing assignments, but that could be just the writer in me. There were over fifty assignments, but I only bookmarked about fifteen. For the ones that didn’t connect with me as much, I felt like I was skimming over those pages.Overall, this book has a bunch of interesting tasks for you to explore. Most are simple. Some require a bit more to execute, but they’re still cool. This book isn’t something to pick up and feel like you have to do all of it but rather a source to spark something creative inside of you.Score: 8.8/10
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Top reviews from the United States

me
5.0 out of 5 stars ek number
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
Verified Purchase
gifted to a date. never heard back from her again. i hope it was funny.

p.s. i love Sarah's work. thank you for making me love art.
One person found this helpful
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A. Holweger
5.0 out of 5 stars A tool for learning to see opportunity for art everywhere
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2020
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I’m only a few exercises in, and I already love it. It’s such a cerebral book. It has helped me contemplate my art at a deeper level and is opening my eyes to new ways of seeing the world around me - seeing everything as an opportunity for art. I love how each exercise starts with a story about the artist giving the assignment and the reasoning behind it. I’m a person that always demands a reason for everything, and this book delivers to my creative mind and my reasoning one.
28 people found this helpful
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MichL
5.0 out of 5 stars Intentional, Inspiring, Limitless
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2020
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This book is incredible! I've been waiting for months for it to be released and it does not disappoint. Every word, every assignment, every detail, right down to the size and paper is so perfectly intentional. The assignments are fun and sparked creativity in me right away. I don't want to go anywhere without this book! I can't wait to share this with my mom who always beats herself up over not being "an artist" so I can show her again and again that yes she is!
5 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful and particularly appropriate book to be released right now!
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2020
Verified Purchase
The book is written by by Sarah Urist Green, a curator and host of the PBS Digital show, The Art Assignment. It is a fantastic expansion to The Art Assignment universe. Anyone with a creative bone in their body or who are just a lover of creativity, art, and creative thinking will absolutely enjoy this book. Yep, I highly recommend this one. And, if you haven't seen the program yet, I highly recommend that you seek it out on YouTube and get your binge on! Everett
30 people found this helpful
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Robert Mark Genevro I
4.0 out of 5 stars Art Prompts & Assignments
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2021
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The book gives projects you might choose to do. It can also be read as a reference giving unique information about various ways to express oneself you might not normally think about: plates made from paper plates; sculptures created from discarded items; crayon rubbings on asphalt.
Watch the short videos from the PBS show, THE ART ASSIGNMENT, on YouTube that correspond with the book's assignments.
8 people found this helpful
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L.E.1991
5.0 out of 5 stars Great art activity book!
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2020
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Great book for art activities when you hit artist block! It's also great to try with friends and family. I like how it tells you a little bit about the artist and then gives you the assignment that connects the artist with it. I definitely reccomend this gem.
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Lori Don Levan
5.0 out of 5 stars Lively and Engaging!
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2020
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What a great book! It can be used and enjoyed by anyone--including artists and non-artist alike. It is great for individuals, families, groups of friends, etc.! A great companion to the PBS show "The Art Assignment." I will be passing this on to my friends and family.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
I used this on and off with my students to generate creativity during the pandemic. I've been a John Green fan for over a decade, so it was great to read something from his wife!
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Top reviews from other countries

Ryan
5.0 out of 5 stars It's like being in The Art Assignment
Reviewed in Canada on May 6, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sarah brings her insightful, charming commentary to accessible creativity prompts based on the work of unique artists.
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Privat
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
Reviewed in Germany on November 16, 2020
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Love it!
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Sharon M. Inkpen
4.0 out of 5 stars High school
Reviewed in Canada on October 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
Great book - I was looking for something to have on hand in my classroom but this is definitely for upper grades.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Kunde
4.0 out of 5 stars I am miffed at the design...
Reviewed in Germany on January 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
I got this book as a gift. , was expecting a light mainstream inspirational book. This, however, resembles a textbook.
Not that that's a bad thing. It just wasn't what I expected.
It is well researched and, once you got past the elaborate descriptions and simple but paxked layouts, full of inspiration.
I would suggest this book for art teachers or connoisseurs.
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Nicola Clark
2.0 out of 5 stars Not for me
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2020
Verified Purchase
The problem with buying books on line is that you can't flick through the content, obviously. This book may be good for the more "out there" artist but too much for me! It's very abstract.
2 people found this helpful
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