Off The Bookshelf US -Books What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul New & Used What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul Books CDS DVD's Nusic Electronics

Search Books - select a category

Buy What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul online at Discounted New and Used prices. Delivered to your door with Off-The-Bookshelf.

What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul
by: Oriah

List Price: $21.95

Off The Bookshelf's Price: $16.03

You Save: $5.92 (27%)
Prices subject to change.

Used Price: $4.25
Collectible Price: $21.95
Third Party New Price: $5.87

Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.35
EAN: 9780060011963
ISBN: 0060011963
Label: HarperOne
Manufacturer: HarperOne
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 240
Publication Date: April 01, 2005
Publisher: HarperOne
Release Date: April 05, 2005
Studio: HarperOne
Sales Rank: 59278

Related Items:

The Dance: Moving to the Deep Rhythms of Your Life

Your Heart's Prayer: Following the Thread of Desire into a Deeper Life

Opening The Invitation: The Poem That Has Touched Lives Around the World

Editorial Review:

Product Description:

In her previous books, Oriah Mountain Dreamer has challenged readers to live with passion and honesty, to embrace the true, fallible, human self. What We Ache For is a moving and eloquent call to delve deeply into our creative selves, to do our creative work, and offer it to the world.

The creative process is essential to human nature. It is as essential as spirituality and sexuality, and in fact all three are deeply intertwined. What We Ache For is a practical book allowing readers to embrace the urgency and necessity of their creativity, whatever their medium -- writing, painting, sculpture, dance, music, or film. As Oriah says, "Doing creative work allows us to follow the thread of what we ache for into a deeper life, offering us a way to cultivate a life of making love to the world."

Following Oriah through this journey in such chapters as "The Seduction of the Artist," "Learning to See," and "Risk and Sacrifice," What We Ache For challenges and inspires readers to fully embrace their artistic selves as a way of forging a path of spiritual unfolding.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- FABULOUS GIFT OF INSPIRATION TO CREATIVE PEOPLE
Oriah's WHAT WE ACHE FOR: CREATIVITY AND THE UNFOLDING OF THE SOUL is a gift of support to creative people. The book resonates as a perfect complement to works by Julia Cameron (THE ARTIST'S WAY), Jan Phillips (MARRY YOUR MUSE), and Natalie Goldberg (WRITING DOWN THE BONES.) These visionary and generous creative women each provide an intimate view of personal creative process, often a solitary pursuit; together they instill a sense of community to honor a creative spirit that unites us. Regardless of the reader's particular artistic passion, the books provide nurturing on a holistic level -- even for the creation of one's path in life. ALL OF THESE BOOKS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Rating:

- A Tool For Enhancing One's Writing & A Portrait Of An Artist
I didn't know when I began reading What We Ache For that it included writing suggestions. But, in hindsight, writing is the major form of creativity in which Mountain Dreamer expresses herself. Her definition of creative work is, "that [which] makes something new from the paradoxical combination of a focused intent and a willing surrender to something larger than us." She writes of opening herself up to unexpected twists and turns within her [and anyone else's] creative endeavors.

Each of her chapters ends with two sections: one is "For Contemplation," and the other is, "Writing Exercises," both of which are meant to help the reader go deeper into his or her search for creativity. She asks her reader to substitute the reader's form of creativity for her word "write."

Read More

Rating:

- It really is all about that ache
This book is a fantastic journey through the creative process. Living a creative life is the kind of thing so many people idealize, but here we are presented with the reality, the fears, the risks, the vulnerabilities, all the harsh things artists of all sorts will put themselves through repeatedly in order to live a creative life, not because it's what they want to do but because they are compelled. If you can look at the title, "What We Ache For", and feel that sharp tug in your heart, if you know what it is to ache for creative expression, then you will find comfort, camaraderie and plenty of invaluable tips for living a creative life within these pages. This book is pure, blazing-bright inspiration to me, and I'm forever grateful to it's author for sharing her thoughts and experiences.

Rating:

- Muse
One of the problems for an artist who wants to develop his or her creativity is knowing what creativity is. Some hope to lure a bolt from the blue that will change their view of the world. What they are probably looking for is inspiration.

Most of the books on creativity don't even notice the difference between creativity and inspiration. Add to that that many of the creativity books seem to believe that artists are not creative because of psychological hang-ups and you begin to see the problems an artist may have in working on creativity.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer is a writer who also has spent time as a facilitator and workshop instructor. I was a little reluctant to read this book because the title sounded so mystical. Well, the book is a bit mystical because the ... Read More

Rating:

- Great Concept and Exercises, but Difficult to "Translate"
As someone who is lucky enough to make my creative work my life's work, I was very interested to see what this book had to say. The concept of being true to one's creative process is important to me and I liked the idea of this book, but the execution was somewhat lacking. The narrative was interesting, but often I had a hard time connecting with her experiences and translating them to my life. The exercises at the end of each chapter, however, were very useful and thought-provoking. A good book to help restart or rejuvenate anyone's creative process, and an interesting way to look at what creativity means in a person's life.

Books : What We Ache For: Creativity and the Unfolding of Your Soul