The Artisan Soul: Crafting Your Life into a Work of Art Hardcover – February 25, 2014

Great book. The author overreached in Chapter 3 to make his point about the importance of interpretation. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Crafting Your Life Into a Work of Art presents the byline and focus of Erwin McManus' book addressing humans as created beings. His starting point, a theological commitment to God as creator, resonates with my fascination with creativity specifically that people create, are creative, and must express themselves. Our creativity contributes to wildly various forms and genres. And yet - somehow along the way some lose a sense of their creativity. This loss manifests itself through expressions like "I'm not creative" or "I wish I were creative like that" or "I don't have a creative bone in my body." McManus reminds us of the nature of art, creativity, and imagination (direct ""):* Art exists to remind us that we have a soul, the essence of being human, transcendent (p. 14).* Creativity is the natural result of spirituality (p. 17).* The only art we can create is that which authentically reflects who we are. . . . every true artist fights for their creativity (pp. 18, 33).* The role of the artist is partly to interpret the human story. . . . to be an interpreter of human possibility (p. 76).* The soul feeds on the imagination. . . . imagination always precedes creativity (p. 101).* All art has an underlying narrative for which it advocates; all art is a declaration of meaning or the lack of it; all art is created both for self expression and for the extension of self (p. 106).* Design thinking: the process is informed less by the product than by the people it serves. . . . what matters is how what we create affects and serves humanity (p. 111).* Art has in its universe words like creativity, inspiration, beauty, and imagination, but in that same universe are words like perseverance, resilience, tenacity, and discipline (p. 140).At the end of McManus' book, he provides a series of practices, ideas, if you will, to foster soul work; find our voice; change our perspective, materialize dreams, become 'great' at our work; be human and reclaim our humanity; and live fully. Read this book if you want to:* Understand more about God as Creator* Learn how that essence informs who we are as creative beings.* Be challenged to step off the hamster wheel of "I'm not creative" and reclaim your capacity to imagine and be creative!* Explore a list of practices and advice on ways to be more fully present, engaged, and imaginary in your daily walk.

I absolutely loved this book. I have sticky notes marking various pages that I want to go back to read again and take notes on. If you are a writer, or any type of artist, I encourage you to buy this book. I started reading it while reading some other books on writing. I put the other books down and focused on this one because it pulled me into it. The way he incorporates art with spiritualism is skillful and makes for a great, thought-provoking read. I've added it to my list of books that all writers should read. He does include some bible references but is never preachy or judgmental, he simply uses the biblical references as encouragement for the heart and soul. Here is a quote from his book that will give you food for thought: "If life is a work of art and life is to become our most creative act, then we must realize that our lives will be our most profound interpretation of what it truly means to be human." Here is another one: "We cannot love deeply or risk greatly and never know failure or disappointment. Not even God was able to pull that one off. Love never comes without wounds; faith never comes without failure." This book is not only thought provoking but inspirational and educational. I can't recommend it enough - I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

The Artisan Soul is a great book that reminds us we are made in God's image. We know God was the "ultimate creative" because he created everything that we know out of nothing. So, if we are created in God's image, this must mean that each of us is also creative. It is up to us to understand our creativity, use this to the best of our abilities and leave behind art that positively impacts humanity. Creativity in this context does not mean everyone will paint pictures or create sculptures. What it means is that each of us has talents and we need to find them and leverage them in everything we do. We need to be creative wherever our talents exist; artistically, in sports endeavors, business ventures, agriculture, engineering, health and wellness, etc.In the book McManus quotes Michelangelo, "In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lonely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it."We are each blocks of marble and we need to spend time understanding what the statue within will look like and then purposefully hew away the rough walls to reveal ourselves, our talents and our legacy.www.thinkingbusinessblog.com

I discovered you (Erwin) 3 years ago on a podcast. God made sure I found you when everything in my life was falling apart. At a time when I needed to hear about God's love, not the world's fictional version of the God membership, your voice and the revelation that God inspired you to speak about, brought peace and intimacy to a woman who had known nothing but pain. I'm now writing my own book. It's called Thirsty. When it's finished you will receive a copy, and someday I will meet you. But know that on those days when you wonder if the commitment and sacrifice you've made to ensure that the God branding is being reworked to more accurately portray His heart....what you share changes people's lives, and at the end of the day there is nothing more important than "evidence of change." No matter what we create, the benchmark will always be "evidence of change" and my friend, you are doing that globally in the hearts of millions who need hope to believe that God really is as loving as we know He truly is.Marilee Arthur

I’m not a fan of “self-help” books, but the one thing I love about all of McManus’ writings is his ability to talk about the beauty and potential of a human life without deeming it into some mechanical self-perpetuating procedure. As McManus himself states, “The Artisan Soul…makes life a craft and not product” (p.30). And as such, The Artisan Soul is an exploration of the Divine’s ability to move upon the canvas of the human condition; It’s an introduction to the interdependent dance between Spirit and flesh; a journey of discovery into our creative potential to be formed into the Image of Christ.McManus doesn’t write about “self-help”, he writes about Art. Read it.“…if God refuses to mass-produce but insists on an intimate process that in the end forms each of us into the image of Christ, why would we choose a lesser path for our own lives?” (p.31)-- Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*

My goodness. Erwin McManus!!!! This book is just absolutely incredible. I have read "UNLEASHED" and am currently reading "SOUL CRAVINGS" by him and I have to say that the way he writes and touches specific subjects is just beautiful and so relate-able.It made me cry a couple of times.His books have already changed my life and I would recommend it to anyone who is currently "stuck" or in search for that " something" in their life.GOD IS LOVE and MORE EXCITED about you and your life than you think.... ;).

Written in a very personal and down to earth way. Super easy to understand and really feel that behind each sentence was given thought and meaning. I like how it was biblically based, always going back to Jesus and how our talents and uniqueness comes from God our creator. Although I did find many aspects of the book compelling and quotes very true and apt, I did find some parts that I didn't quite agree with. I see where the author is coming from but I did feel sandwiched between some truths of who God is, also has elements of a "feel good" gospel. I felt that there was a danger of focusing too much on our career desires (of course God wants us to enjoy the world he created) but living in this fallen world, also compels us to use our talents as a platform or direct path to sharing the gospel as the end goal. And that's how our love for people and our passions should lead us to show God working in us. I think mostly it's a truthful book, just maybe some wordings I am slightly iffy about.

This book is both thought provoking and inspiring. For all who know that they have been created for a reason and seek the artists within, this book is for you. God makes all things beautiful in his time. Could not put this down. Love it

Go beyond the 'what' of art to 'why'. This book helped me rekindle my passion to create but more importantly helped me connect with the reasons for wanting to create.