The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom

The Artist's Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom

<i>Christine Valters Paintner, author of </i>Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire,<i> invites readers to discover and develop their creative gifts in a spirit of prayer and reflection. This twelve-week course draws on the insights and practices of Benedictine spirituality to explore the interplay between contemplation and creativity.</i><p>Summarized in the phrase "pray and work," <i>The Rule of St. Benedict</i> provides the inspiration for Christine Valters Paintner's newest exploration of the mutually nourishing relationship between contemplative practices and creative expression. Artists of all stripes and stations in life--poets or painters, potters or photographers--will discover how traditions of Benedictine, Celtic, and desert spirituality can offer new sources of inspiration for their work.<p>Through this twelve-week course, themes like "Sacred Tools and Sacred Space," "Creative Solitude and Community," and "Nature as a Source of Revelation and Inspiration" are enriched by Paintner's perceptive discussion and enhanced by insightful quotations from well-known artists and writers. Each week offers suggestions for grounding both the creative and the spiritual life through three basic practices: walking, <i>lectio divina</i>, and journaling. In sync with Paintner's vibrant Internet presence, <i>The Artist's Rule</i> is supplemented with online resources, including guided meditation podcasts, video lessons, and discussions.