Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

Hidden Artists: How to Design and Live a Fulfilling Life as an Artist With or Without a Day Job by Alecness provides readers with a system to maintain a peaceful state of mind that will allow creativity to take root so that their lives can be designed with or without a day job. The book gives a blueprint for designing a life organized around creative patterns and routines, and shows how to make that transition as a professional artist in spite of having a day job. Doing something that you love immensely can be looked upon as a talent and the author’s personal experiences will give readers the strength and determination to keep going. The book also helps create a lifestyle that revolves around having the essential things that will allow creativity.

I like the author’s approach to the positive learning cycle: ‘Learn and integrate new skills until you reach a plateau, ask for feedback, and learn more new skills until you hit the next plateau.’ This summarizes the transformational power of learning in any field, and it is all good as long as everyone is moving up. The book also stresses the importance of having a healthy mind and body so that artists can cope with frustration and hardship. The author handles a not-so-relevant topic with finesse and sharing personal experiences and stories makes the book tangible to readers, encouraging them to work on their creativity so that they can design their lives as a hidden artist. The tips and techniques in this book will definitely assist readers in going through this difficult journey.