Interviews with artists about their process which replaced the gone but not forgotten The Moment with Brian Koppelman podcast for me. While the interviews were interesting and Moss talked to many artists that I was familiar with, they were not particularly revelatory. Art comes from the churn of ideas. The book did introduce me to a number of artists that I am interested in and will look into.

Have you ever wondered how artists, writers or other creative types begin their creative journey? How do they continue from the bare idea to the final product? Most importantly, how do they know they are done? The Work of Art lets forty-three creatives speak in their own words about their process to create one work for which they are famous.

Despite the broad creative areas covered, most of the interviewees displayed a feeling of awe over what they created. Most had explanations for where the original idea had come from (i.e.; a dream, a book, an image or a random conversation overheard). However, few expected the adulation that their work engendered. They just wanted to finish their project because it needed to be completed. Most explained step-by-step how they proceeded from idea to final product. Their preliminary sketches, notes, etc. are included. Extensive footnotes add the author’s comments about what he is hearing rather than distracting from the creative’s monologue. The bottom line of the book is that art, at least great art or art that makes you famous, which is not necessarily the same thing, takes a lot of hard time-consuming work.

If you are a struggling artist in any medium (painting, sculpture, writing, photography, fashion design, etc.), The Work of Art is an interesting way to see the methodology of other creatives. It may make you feel better if you have struggled for years with a project to know you are not alone. It may encourage you to try another artist’s method for getting past blocks or uncertainty. Even if art is not your love, it is still fascinating to see how others think. 4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing me with an advanced review copy.

In the acknowledgements for The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing, Adam Moss explains his early vision for the book as an "interactive museum of creativity, with exhibits and wall text and talk wafting through its corridors." Very much a museum, the book shows how ideas can be taken from seed to fruition, a skill Moss honed as the editor of New York magazine. Readers will linger in these galleries as they consider the ideas of more than 40 creatives working in art forms that include sculpting, painting, cooking, writing, and even building sand castles. The artists represented here are an extraordinary group, with such luminaries as Louise Glück, Kara Walker, Stephen Sondheim, and Ira Glass.

Visitors to Moss's museum will delight in its visual styling, with every detail--font, layout, design, color--governed by a spare but finely appointed aesthetic. The artifacts that accompany each section prove fascinating. Some are saturated, like prints from photographer Gregory Crewdson, while others are plain but chaotic, like the idea sketches offered by cartoonist Roz Chast.

Moss strikes the perfect balance with his tone: breezy and conversational but driven by intellectual curiosity. And while there is plenty here about talent and genius and faith and flow, what it comes down to is this: "No meaning, no magic, just the work of it: The work of art." Throughout The Work of Art, Moss chases the origin and evolution of creativity, a lofty but highly practical goal, especially to emerging creatives looking for inspiration. He may not solve that elusive puzzle, but readers will love the treasure trove of wisdom he uncovers.

It’s a struggle for me not to use superlatives in describing this book. Adam Moss’s background as a magazine editor (New York) shows: he’s collected here a series of interviews with artists of all kinds, many famous and well-known (to me: Kara Walker, Sofia Coppola, Michael Cunningham, Louise Glück, Ira Glass, Max Porter, Sheila Heti, Suzan-Lori Parks), and many others less so. The raison d’être of the book is to delve into the creative process: What makes art? From the initial idea (and how does that happen?), the God-spark, through the process of translating that, to the final work, Moss has tried to get these creatives to break down what happens, with mixed results (spoiler: there’s a lot of mystery involved).

Anyone who does creative work is interested in the processes of others, particularly those who’ve found success. Do they wake up early? Are there rituals? Do they drink coffee? How do they hear from God? Was there a lightning strike? How did they know what to add, what to remove (edit), when to stop? All of these questions make for fascinating answers, and just as interesting is what creatives think about how they came up with the work. Moss has also got each artist to dig up visual archives, included in the book: notes, scribbles, anything that tracks the progress to finished work. It’s amazing to see.

Outstanding. Very highly recommended: a stunning book, that you’ll want to go back to over and over if you’re a creative yourself. But also: one of the reasons the book gets five stars from me? It starts and finishes with profiles of Black women.

My grateful thanks to Penguin and to NetGalley for early access.

Very much inspired and feeling motivated to create - exactly what I was looking for, for our showroom floor! Thank you for this opportunity!