Art Lessons: Meditations on the Creative Life

I've never wanted to call myself an outright artist because drawing is not how I make my living-it's simply an interest of mine-an intense one, but still not an occupation. Ever since my college days when the meanings of modernism and post-modernism seemed to control my brain, I've wondered how one defines "artist." Is it Duchamp and his urinal? Or is it Ghiberti and his Doors of Paradise? Art Lessons helped me greatly in understanding where an individual stands in the realm of art. Haynes examines her own place as an artist while incorporating her spirituality into her considerations. Her personal approach is just lovely-you feel like you're having a conversation with a friend. Many books I read on art seem distant or too high-brow, but Haynes' banter allows you to really feel at home discussing the subject of art in great depth. All her philosophizing does not give you her own definition of "artist;" she never forces any opinion on her reader. But her considerations lead the reader to a thought-provoked answer that lies within the SELF. I titled the review "Excellent Compass" for that reason-it's a guide to take you to your own artistic destination. They are right when they say, "Art Lessons is for women of the twenty-first century what Robert Henri's Art Spirit was for men of the twentieth."