Read to Restore: Leisure Books for Mental Wellness: Art

Salomon Grimberg introduces and contextualizes an intimate, deeply introspective interview that Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) gave towards the end of her life. Kahlo comments on her life, her loves and her art, and expresses her attitudes towards sexuality, her body, friendship, politics and death, among other personal concerns.

Poets on Prozac shatters the notion that madness fuels creativity by giving voice to contemporary poets who have battled myriad psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse. Featuring examples of each contributor's poetry before, during, and after treatment, this original and thoughtful collection finally puts to rest the idea that a tortured soul is one's finest muse.

Beethoven's extraordinary ability to compose great music despite severe health problems, including deafness and depression, has puzzled and inspired. In Diagnosing Genius François Martin Mai looks at the relationship between Beethoven's health and creativity to show how the composer was able to transcend physical and emotional torment to produce some of the most powerful and beautiful music in Western culture.

Blending common sense and modern psychiatry, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World applies Buddhist tradition to twenty-first-century struggles in a relevant way. Through stories, meditations, and in-depth conversations, the Dalai Lama teaches readers to identify the cultural influences and ways of thinking that lead to personal unhappiness, making sense of the hardships we face personally, as well as the afflictions suffered by others.

In On Art and Mindfulness, world-renowned artist and celebrated teacher Enrique Martínez Celaya shares his views and advice on the art-making process, the development of a practice, the management of obstacles, and the day-to-day choices we must make in order to remain creative and honest.

A leader in art therapy shares powerful developments in the field and provides a roadmap for unlocking the spiritual and emotional healing benefits of creative expression The field of art therapy is discovering that artistic expression can be a powerful means of personal transformation and emotional and spiritual healing.

A life-altering journey through the science of neuroaesthetics, which offers proof for how our brains and bodies transform when we participate in the arts--and how this knowledge can improve our health, enable us to flourish, and build stronger communities. The book weaves a tapestry of breakthrough research, insights from multidisciplinary pioneers, and compelling stories from people who are using the arts to enhance their lives.

Nobody Knows What They're Doing is an honest guide to the creative life for artists of all kinds. Lee Crutchley, author of How to Be Happy (Or At Least Less Sad), skips the platitudes, positive affirmations, and guarantees of success; he'll never ever tell you to just Do What You Love. Instead, Crutchley discusses the things nobody else is talking about--that, frankly, your work sucks (but that's ok because everyone else's does too), that making bad art is worth it, and so much more.