Real Artists Have Day Jobs by Sara Benincasa

Fantastic. Many of the essays are very, very personal – sometimes painfully so – but that only makes the advice they contain more powerful.

Her writing is both clear and funny, making this book both a quick read and a fun one.

Three things I learned:

  • Jeremy Renner got his start as a make-up artist (!)
  • It's ok to ask for help when something happens in your life (your career, your marriage, etc) that you don't know how to deal with
  • Writing fan mail isn't cool, but that's ok: if you like something someone else has created, let them know!
Ron Toland @mindbat