Dancing with the Gods
Reflections on Life and Art
Kent Nerburn
“Remember this: if, in the act of creation, you find yourself, just for a moment, losing all sense of time and being lifted up into a great, all-embracing 'Yes!' . . . you have found the place where creation takes wing”
Available as Hardback, eBook
Guidance and wisdom for young artists, from award-winning artist and writer Kent Nerburn
When Kent Nerburn received a letter from Jennifer, a young woman questioning her calling to spend her life in the arts, the writer and artist was struck by how closely her questions mirrored the doubts and yearnings of his own youth.
Nerburn resolved that he would write his own letter: a letter of welcome and encouragement to all young artists setting out on the same strange and magical journey, sharing the wisdom of a life spent working in the arts.
From struggles with money and the bitterness of rejection, to spiritual questions of inspiration and authenticity, Dancing With the Gods offers insight, solace and courage to help young artists on the winding road to artistic fulfilment. Tender and joyous, it is a celebration of art’s power to transform the darkest of human experience and give voice to the grandest of human hopes.
“With a poet’s grace and a craftsman’s precision, Kent Nerburn has written a powerful and deeply moving meditation on what it means to live the life of an artist - and, ultimately, what it means to be human. Dancing With the Gods might be the most inspiring book you’ll read all year”
Daniel Pink
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“Helpful, deceptively simple, straight-shooting, celebratory”
Margaret Atwood
“Kent Nerburn’s understanding of the transcendent nature of the creative process is vividly on display in his uplifting new book. His enthusiasm is contagious. Tune into his wise words and make something beautiful”
Rick Rubin
“A tender and beautifully written guide for anyone working in the arts … [a] little gem of a book”
the Wee Review
“Like Paulo Coelho, Nerburn takes on a spiritual grandfather role. [This] encouraging piece of text … hinges onwell-researched, inspirational quotes from great artists. Sometimes that is what we all need … If you’re in need of a creative pick-me-up, cherish this”
dj Mag
Kent Nerburn
Kent Nerburn is a sculptor and award-winning author of sixteen books. He has been writing about Native American history and culture for almost thirty years, and is the founder and director of ‘Project Preserve’, working on the Red Lake Ojibwe reservation helping students collect memoires of tribal elders. He lives in Portland, Oregon. kentnerburn.com
