A rallying cry and blueprint for creatives everywhere, this boldly unapologetic handbook is The Artist's Way meets Steal Like an Artist—with unfiltered, honest advice for what it really takes to build a creative career.

RealArtists Wear Black is a no-nonsense survival guide that tells it like it really is, exposing the raw truth about pursuing an artistic life. This guide tackles head-on the very real obstacles that derail artists' careers and dim their creative lights. Drawing from thousands of artist interviews and her own journey from disillusioned art school grad to successful (money-making! gallery-showing! lecture-giving! not totally disillusioned!) artist, Danielle shatters the 20 most damagingmyths in the art world: "Serious artists don’t have day jobs,” “Mothers can’t be artists, “Self-taught doesn’t count,” and more. Each chapter combines a sharp analysis of the origins of these lies with practical strategies for overcoming them, supported by success stories from renowned contemporary artists including Amy Sherald, Petah Coyne, and others who've faced these exact challenges.

Having survived the full spectrum of art world bullshit in her decades-longcareer—from brutal critiques to patronizing opinions about "worthy" materials and themes, plus plenty of ageism and sexism—Danielle is done being polite and accommodating. She's ready to reveal what really happens when you pursue a creative life. Written with feminist fire and a glint of anti-establishment wit, Real Artists Wear Black delivers the candid mentorship that emerging artists are starved for.

Danielle Krysa is the writer and curator behind the contemporary art site The Jealous Curator, and the author of A Big Important Art Book (Now with Women) (Running Press, 2018) among other books on art and culture. She has spoken on creativity at Pixar, TEDx, Harvard and more, and her own artwork is held in private collections globally.

Hachette Book Group
: Running Press Adult
On Sale: Oct 20/26
Paperback | 6.6 x 8.4
SELF-HELP / Creativity
9798894142036