Reading is my weapon of choice when it comes to learning, and I would love to share my favorite books with you! This is my nonfiction list, and I will soon post a list of favorite fiction books as well. All these books are somehow related to making art and living as an artist. I’ve only included books here that have influenced or impacted me in some way. There are a bunch of other books I’ve read that were duds or repetitive, so I’ve weeded those out for you. I’ll also be updating this list as time goes on and more books stand out to me, adding and replacing books as life goes on!

Let me know if there are any books missing here that you’d recommend!

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Creativity

• Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking, David Bayles and Ted Orland
• Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert
• Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon
• What It Is, Lynda Barry
• In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs, Grace Bonney
• The Cheese Monkeys, Chip Kidd

Drawing

• Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes: Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures, Walt Stanchfield
• Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter, James Gurney
• Creative Illustration, Andrew Loomis
• Picture This: How Pictures Work, Molly Bang

Writing

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King
• Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, by Anne Lamott
• The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

Typography

• Thinking with Type, Ellen Lupton
• Hand Job: A Catalog of Type, Michael Perry
• The Elements of Typographic Style, Robert Bringhurst

Picture Books

• Writing Picture Books, by Ann Whitford Paul
• Caldecott and Co.: Notes on Books and Pictures, by Maurice Sendak
• Writing with Pictures, by Uri Shulevitz
• Words and Pictures, by Quentin Blake
• Illustrating Children’s Books, by Martin Salisbury

Comics

• Understanding Comics, by Scott McCloud
• Making Comics, by Scott McCloud
• Comics and Sequential Art, by Will Eisner
• Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, by Will Eisner
• Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics: Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond, Jessica Abel and Matt Madden

Storytelling

• The New Kings of Nonfiction, Short stories collected and edited by Ira Glass
• Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion

Business

• The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss (I don’t agree with everything he says, but there are some real gems here)
• The Freelancer’s Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Have the Career of Your Dreams—On Your Terms, Sara Horowitz
• My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire, Michelle Goodman

Psychology

• When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, Pema Chödrön
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, Susan Cain
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami
• The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, Stephen R. Covey

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – W.B. Yeats

Are there any nonfiction books you love or that have impacted you that you’d recommend? Comment below to let me know—I’m always on the lookout for new books! :)