If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

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If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 2,552 ratings · 325 reviews

In her 93 remarkable years, Brenda Ueland published six million words. She said she had two rules she followed absolutely: to tell the truth, and not to do anything she didn't want to do. Her integrity shines throughout If You Want to Write, her best-selling classic on the process of writing that has already inspired thousands to find their own creative center. Carl Sandbu...more

Paperback, 179 pages

Published March 1st 1997 by Graywolf Press (first published 1983)

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May 21, 2009 christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is by far and away the best book I have ever read on writing, and I have read a number of them.

Her approach is one of pure enthusiasm and letting go of your notions of writing "well" or worrying about your "style", instead she advocates tapping into what is true and genuine for you and just putting the words on paper, and seeing what happens.

I plan on purchasing her fictional and memoir books, and re-reading parts of this book for inspiration for a long time.

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Mar 19, 2008 PhilorChelsy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chelsys-readings

If you want to Write, or do ANYthing you are passionate about...draw, paint, teach, imagine, create...this book inspires. I even had to blog it (www.burnah.blogspot.com) To really remember it, I want to put it down here:
My favorite word in the book: "Waggish" Meaning fanciful, whimsy, silly.
Some favorite quotes:
"Van Gogh said: "If you hear a voice within you saying: you are not painter, then paint by all means, lad, and that voice will be silenced, but only by working."
"the creative impluse of V...more

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Oct 18, 2007 Leippya rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people creatively blocked

Shelves: writing

The author of this book is unbelievably kind, and it really comes out in the book. She constantly focuses on the positive, and I'm sure she had to be a fantastic teacher. It's a nice read, if you currently feel blocked it's probably the best moment to get this book. However, if your only focus in life is to sell your writing, this might not be the book for you (although it might contain answers if you're failing to sell). This book isn't about skills or market, it's about *being*, it's about att...more

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Sep 12, 2007 Jenna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: how-to-books

I first read this book when I was 13, so I can't vouch for how useful it might be to an adult reader. All I know is that no book has changed my life as dramatically as this one did when I was 13. I'm only slightly exaggerating when I say that this book has the power to cure minor mental disorders and to help you find direction in your life. Reading this book was like one long epiphany for me. It is an energizing read, written in simple, clear, vivacious prose by a woman without a shred of pompos...more

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Jun 29, 2007 Kimberly added it

This is the holy grail of creativity. I read many books about creative people's lives, hoping to glean some knowledge and inspiration. This book is the motherload, the culmination............The author is a writer as well as a teacher, which gives her the birds eye view as well as being a layperson in this field. Although her subject is creativity and imagination in writing, I find that substituting "music" or even just "creativity" for "writing", this book applies whatever field you need it to....more

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Jan 01, 2008 Rose rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brenda Ueland spent most of her ninety-three years as a writer. "If You Want To Write", which was originally published in 1938, is her best-selling guidebook to finding your own creative center and expressing it through lively and memorable prose. Carl Sandburg called it "the best book ever written about how to write."

Ueland advises that artistic genius exists within all of us, and awakening it is a simple matter: write about what genuinely interests you, and be honest with yourself and your aud...more

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Jul 23, 2007 Cindy rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who wants to write

I have read this book every couple of years since I was a teenager. I gave it to my Dad to read and he loved it, and said it was so hard to get through because every line was true and made you sit there in awe wondering about your life. I think it's true you have to forget the blahness of similarly titled books and know this book is as much about how to live as how to write. This author wrote it in 1932 or so, and lived to be an octegenarian swimmer. She constantly quotes Keats, Blake, Dostoevsk...more

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Oct 31, 2007 Michael Leviton rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm only 25% through this book and it's the most moving thing ever. She talks a lot about the general fraudulence and darkness in the world of art and art appreciation that reallly gets me down a lot and she's very comforting and wise about the heartbreak of that stuff as well as figuring out how to get past it. It's killing me, it's so good. And I can't believe how modern it feels; it was written in 1938! This woman writes about this sort of fraudulence and art-for-money or art-for-fame attitud...more

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Feb 26, 2008 Brynn rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Brynn by: my momma

I want to shout Hallelujah when I think of Brenda Ueland and this book. Like Meditations, this book has gotten me through some tough times. And you don't have to be a writer to appreciate what Ueland has to say, you can be anybody, for as Ueland points out: everyone is talented, original, and has something to say. Her encouragement and wisdom are helpful to anyone looking to unblock themselves and become creators. I would recommend reading this book alongside The Artist's Way. Brenda Ueland pump...more

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Jan 18, 2009 Douglas Wilson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: wordsmithing

Good or atrocious, depending.

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Sep 25, 2007 Jenny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I'm usually a bit gunshy of "how to write" books, but I thought this one came pretty close to being as good as they get. The focus was on fidelity to the self and how to let one's voice out. I liked the image of Christ as the most creative person to have ever lived. I really liked chapter 10: Why women who do too much housework should neglect it for their writing (to set a good example for the children--menial work at the expense of all true, ardent, creative work is a sin against the holy ghost...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Mia Parviainen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sometimes I have a difficult time with reading books on writing like this one, for a variety of reasons.

Ueland becomes bizarrely metaphysical at times. While I can deal with references to the muses and inspiration personified, some of her ideas, like calling creative power "the Holy Ghost," tread into terra incognita. I feel like I'm being cornered at a party by a strange old woman pontificating about her writing philosophy.

Her biases about various writers are equally unusual. She is critical o...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Violet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This book made me want to stop reading and start writing. I love Ueland's enthusiasm and her quirky style. Empowering and energizing.

What annoyed me about my Kindle version of the book was that it made no mention of the original publication date--just dated it 2010. Come on now, it came out in 1938 or thereabouts. It seems like that should be on the book somewhere.

Some of my favorite quotes.

"...'creative work' .... is like a faucet: nothing comes unless you turn it on and the more you turn it...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Breakfastinmoscow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Maybe it’s just the timing, but I really, really liked this book. Brenda Ueland’s advice on work, art, independence, talent, inspiration, confidence and the creative process is so practical for me as I try to figure out what it means to be a journalist and a writer, and how to just sit down at the desk do it all. But I think that no matter what your line of work is (even if you don’t, as the title suggests, want to write) you’d probably like this book. There’s good, friendly encouragement and in...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Nura Yusof rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't finish this. I picked this up because I like to write, to a certain degree. I thought I would be inspired to progress to another level in writing.

But I now realise that I am not really inclined towards a life of writing. As a hobby, yes but not more.

This book is filled with motivational or inspiration-inducing philosophy. While it may appeal to others, I've had my fill from other motivational writers. She writes very much about how one must write for the love of writing, primarily. She...more

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Feb 20, 2010 Polly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: polly-s-best-books

"This book should be a great help in the freeing of your thoughts and the genius that is in all of us." Great opener, eh? I believe in Ueland's thesis that: "everybody is talented, original and has something important to say." I also believe, as she does, that "this creative power I think is the Holy Ghost." She further thinks that most creativity is "drummed out of people early in life by criticism." I think her philosophy applies to any creative process (wood working, gardening, painting, quil...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Ally rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was originally written in the 1930s -THE 30s!!- and was a romantically vintage read, bound in the old crackley binding that the library used. Though written seventy-odd years ago, Brenda Ueland was one sassy gal, and full of passion for writing and life that still inspires.

Her advice, always uttered from the very truth of her soul, is sometimes too religious and judgemental for my taste. In the middle of the book, she gives countless examples of "good" and "bad" writing, drawing from g...more

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Jul 28, 2009 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Any writer or English student.

Recommended to Julia by: A lady at Barnes & Noble.

Shelves: writing

I never had any aspirations of becoming a writer. Writing, to me, was not enjoyable. I did not feel freed, or accomplished, and as though I had created a piece of art when I got done writing a paper. Papers were written for the sole purpose of impressing the teacher and getting a good grade.

Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit completely changed my notion about writing. It made me understand that writing, or painting, acting or whatever else you want t...more I never had any aspirations of becoming a writer. Writing, to me, was not enjoyable. I did not feel freed, or accomplished, and as though I had created a piece of art when I got done writing a paper. Papers were written for the sole purpose of impressing the teacher and getting a good grade.

Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit completely changed my notion about writing. It made me understand that writing, or painting, acting or whatever else you want to do, does not have to be drudgery.

Ueland has showed me, that only if you let your creativity flow freely, without being imprisoned by any rules and restrictions, can you break free and create something true, something interesting.

In the first chapter of her book Ueland declares, “Everybody is talented, original and has something important to say” (3). And this is so very true; you might just not know it yet. Only if you say what you truly mean, is what you write going to be a success.

This book has taught me to fully rely on my instincts when writing, or doing anything else for that matter. In the words of Brenda Ueland, “art must be truly felt and cannot be willed” (107). After reading this book, writing papers seemed to become a bit easier. I had to start thinking of “telling a story, not of writing it” (93). Keeping that in mind, ideas come to me more easily. I do not feel caged in anymore.

Every student should read this book because it helps to understand that there is so much more to writing than the grammar, rules, and formats the English teachers forced into our heads. Another thing that is great about this book is that Ueland never tells the reader he has to do anything. No, she purely speaks from experience and explains to the reader how she had to teach herself to let go, and free herself of all inhibitions. There are no rules in her book, only suggestions as to how to free your creative spirit. While reading the book, you can tell how much Ueland believes in what she has written.

If You Want to Write A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit Brenda Ueland (less)

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Jun 30, 2009 Nat rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone wanting to be creative

I'm going to go against the crowd here. I liked the book. However, it was not as life changing for me as it was for the many who have read it.

This would have made a good pamphlet or even blog post. Why? It's repetitious. I do agree with Brenda Ueland's theory that writing (or any type of creative work) must be true to yourself. It's always your own voice that comes out the best in whatever you do.

I also agree with her assessment of critics. What really do they know? I cannot think of one critic...more

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Jun 29, 2010 Sally Maria rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had to read the book Carl Sandburg said was the best book ever on writing.

The poem that came:

If You Want To Write*
For Brenda Ueland (1891-1985)

I found you in a box,
broken now, mildewed,
packed with the crème,
books read in college
barely recollected,
dog eared pages,
notes in tea-stained
margins, a badge of honor
for any author.

I would have set you aside,
dismissed you as self-help,
thought you antiquated,
Book of the month,
had he not spoken of you
with reverence, perhaps
even awe, this scientist
to whom...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Leanne rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing

If you want to read a good book about writing, don't read this one. Read Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Read On Writing by Stephen King. Read anything else, really.

The redeeming factors of this book were:
1. It was short(!), and

2. It made me realize that Van Gogh was kind of a badass, and I'll probably go out of my way to learn more about him.

Onto the not-so redeeming factors...!
1. I have a huge, nagging suspicion that Ms. Ueland is not a very good reader. One of the things that makes me long t...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing-info

An inspiring book by an amazing author (published in 1938)! This easy read states some of the most profound truths about creativity. She repeats throughout the book the idea that "everyone is talented, original, and has something important to say." Drawing on Blake’s influence, she suggests that writers should "Try to discover your true, honest, un-theoretical self." In addition to Blake, she discusses more of my favorite artists/music such as van Gogh and Tolstoy. Discussing music “in playing t...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Aubrey Tate rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All aspiring writers.

Recommended to Aubrey by: Felicia Day

Shelves: adult-non-fiction, writing, favorites

For anyone, like I, who lets that anxiety and fear of failure and lack of acceptance prevent you from writing - READ. THIS. BOOK. What this book did for my spirit and my mind is beyond words but I will put words to it, otherwise I will have learned nothing. It has inspired me and easily become one of my favorite books. I have a small shelf of "very favorite books," books that I read from the library but liked so much that I purchased, so that I can reread and highlight, make notes, and page mark...more For anyone, like I, who lets that anxiety and fear of failure and lack of acceptance prevent you from writing - READ. THIS. BOOK. What this book did for my spirit and my mind is beyond words but I will put words to it, otherwise I will have learned nothing. It has inspired me and easily become one of my favorite books. I have a small shelf of "very favorite books," books that I read from the library but liked so much that I purchased, so that I can reread and highlight, make notes, and page mark. This will be a book that I purchase. Heck I took a few notes when reading it.

All the while, it was simple, to the point, beautiful and honest. Many of the tips I heard before or thought myself, such as everyone is creative. Creativity does not just hide in certain people. It is in all of us. We just must be attentive of it. If you don't plan to read this book, then here are some of the things that I learned from it, in no particular order.

1. Push aside your fear of failure. In fact, try to write the worst thing possible and you shall overcome that fear.
2. Push aside any former education and literary criticism, even if just red markings on a brief article summary, and let your mind be free of such constraints.
3. Free your mind of what others think of you. If you try to please everyone then you will never please yourself and writing, first and foremost, is for you. It is an escape and expression of you.
4. Since writing is for you, don't try to be someone else. If you like J.K. Rowling or, say, Tolstoy, don't try to be them. It is not possible and will pass on to the reader as a falsity. Be you. As the author says, everyone is original and thus all writing is original IF one writes true to themselves. Thus write what you love, what you are passionate about and share your passion.
5. Do not write to be the next best-seller. Write because you want to because you feel you have to. Make money no object. I have always felt this and I remember listening to one of my favorite authors, Alan Moore, say the very same thing. For if you write for hopes of money and fame then sure there is a chance that your book will be a best-seller but I can guarantee you won't, in the end, be happy with your work because you didn't do it for you. J.K. Rowling, for example, (and I mention her only because I have read up on her past) wrote for her. She wrote because she loved these characters and loved them so much that she found herself writing while in meetings. She was in very tough times but even then she didn't aspire to make millions. She just wanted an escape and to be with those characters because they made her happy.
6. Creativity is not impulsive, it is idle. It builds and often the best writers are those that envisioned their characters and story for years, let it linger in their minds for years. So take more walks and let your mind linger.
7. Write to make every word matter. I think this is something that has faded over time, especially in the area of YA but that's my opinion. It used to be, and why I fell in love with authors like Poe, that every sentence mattered, that the thought of pulling a single sentence out felt out of sync, felt like it wouldn't be right to do, that the idea of skimming was ghastly as one would miss something important, of value. In other words, skip the fluff, get to the point.
8. Write then plan. As Ueland says, "No, I wouldn't think of planning the book before I write it. You write, and plan it afterwards. You write it first because every word must come out of freedom, and with meaning because you think it so and want to tell it."
9. Don't try to write so that "the package is fancier and more important than the contents." In other words, don't force unheard of or lengthy words just to be "literary," just write. If your honest self uses those words then do it but if you don't then don't do it.
10. Go with your gut and your feelings. When you are describing a character describe as you feel of the character and what you actually see of the character, not what you want to see or want others to see. Don't make the characters what they are not but instead what they are. Ueland showed this by comparing one of her pupil's works to that of a newspaper writer. Her pupil described a train that she saw and as she saw it. It was beautiful. The other person tried to be literary and instead let their "but it's 'literary' to describe it in such a way" get to them and theirs was more difficult to read and more unnatural; it felt false.
11. Better yourself. To quote Ueland again, "And that is why I have come to think that the only way to become a better writer is to become a better person."
12. Don't try and be "too" honest, just be honest. If you try to be too honest it will come off that way and create another sense of falsity with your readers.
13. Let your writing be a true reflection of you. To find that true you, Ueland says, "The only way to find your true self is by recklessness and freedom."
14. Surround yourself with people who want to read your writings, want to hear what you have to say, ask for more and not those who want to critique your writing.
15. Start a journal and write all the time and anytime but do not reread it. Just write and write as fast as you can. Reread it six months later.

To be quite honest I could list endlessly what I learned from this book and from Ueland. It felt as though she was talking directly to me and I think any other aspiring writer will feel that way. I have started my journal and feel much more confident in pushing my fear aside and just being me. I also plan to read her autobiography and writings. (less)

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May 05, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: writing, 2012

I have mixed feelings about this book. It isn't earth-shattering, but the first few chapters are a great pep-talk. It reminds you to find your voice, and work hard to develop it. It gave me a few exercises to try in my writing. And it made my love for Vincent van Gogh grow exponentially ("The more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.").

Then there were the parts that rubbed me the wrong way. I strongly disagree with her that you should never plan...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Darek rated it 1 of 5 stars

First of all - English is my second language, I am deeply sorry for my mistakes.
---
It is hard to describe my disappointment with Ueland's book. What a waste of time and money. It is so short, yet so painfully repetitive, filled with long excerpts taken from diaries and letters of few famous artists (mostly van Gogh, Blake and "Great Russians") and pupils from Ueland's writing class.
While the author often mocks the great writers that she personally does not like (Steinbeck? Scott Fitzgerald, seri...more

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Oct 02, 2012 Julie Luekenga rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a great little book to nurture the writer's-- or artist's-- soul. Published in 1938, it is as relevant today as it was when it was written. In fact, I found myself admiring the author, Brenda Ueland, for such progressive thinking and expression.

Ueland's purpose in writing this book was to encourage the writer in everyone by extricating the art of expression from the constrictions of rules and cheering fearless and honest writing for pure joy. I wish it was required reading for all writing...more

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Aug 24, 2012 Lareese rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: get-grounded, pep-talks, art-making, writing

This is one of my absolute favorite books. Written in 1938, it is inspiring, practical, and hopeful. I am re-reading it because I need a coach, a teacher, someone to remind me to be calm, work hard, be present, and get centered. This is not a book for cynics and know-it-alls. This is truth - spoken by your wise, old, aunt who wears sneakers with evening gowns while drinking a bottle of bourbon. And she's rocking it...

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Dec 04, 2011 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

A quote from the Preface to Second Edition:

"At that time when I was writing the book, Carl Sandburg, an old friend, was at our house. Sometimes, looking out at Lake Calhoun in the cold November evening, he would begin to thunder in his mighty voice (so much like Isaiah's, I used to think) about the wild grey waves, the North wind, the new moon, the gunmetal sky. He liked the book.
He said: 'That is the best book ever written about how to write.'"

I agree... Brenda Ueland, YOU ROCK!!! (And this bo...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Jessie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, for-teaching

Reads like a fast, no-nonsense letter from a sharp-witted friend; similar in tone to F O’Connor’s letters and essays (HABIT OF BEING / MYSTERY & MANNERS); also shares the sensibility of do-it-yourself culture—makes me want to write more truthfully, makes me want to take up banjo and try painting for the first time; incredible pizzazz in Ueland for a woman writing in 1938!; the book is more about imaginative, creative living than it is about the craft of writing (in fact, Ueland stresses that...more Reads like a fast, no-nonsense letter from a sharp-witted friend; similar in tone to F O’Connor’s letters and essays (HABIT OF BEING / MYSTERY & MANNERS); also shares the sensibility of do-it-yourself culture—makes me want to write more truthfully, makes me want to take up banjo and try painting for the first time; incredible pizzazz in Ueland for a woman writing in 1938!; the book is more about imaginative, creative living than it is about the craft of writing (in fact, Ueland stresses that, thoughout her book, “writing” can be substituted with “art” or “parenting” or “accounting,” whatever your passion).

Great book for professional perfectionists and those who cannot trust themselves—“Yes, it has made me like working to see that writing is not a performance but a generosity.” (25) And: “Therefore when you write, speak with complete self-trust and do not timidly qualify and feel the ice of well authenticated literary usage and critical soundness—so afraid when you have finished writing that they will riddle you full of holes. Let them. Later if you find what you wrote isn’t true, accept the new truth. Consistency is the horror of the world.” (175)

This book means something to me as a writer, but means most to me as a TEACHER of writing, a little like O’Reilley’s RADICAL PRESENCE: O’Reilley privileges silence and the contemplative space in the classroom, and Ueland, similarly, privileges respect, encouragement, generosity and generative writing and not in a fluffy way—no, she is right on, I think, about the killing nature of the Critics who silence and paralyze us, Critics often to be found in Teachers (“that Great Murderer of the Imagination—a world of unceasing, unkind, dinky, prissy Criticalness,” xi). Ueland is all for self-trust, repeats over and over that modesty is really just fear gone undercover—this about Blake: “He abhorred that conceit and cowardice that thinks it is modesty… It is just fear of acting and making mistakes. It is a refusal to follow one’s vision. It is a wish to get everybody’s approval by being utterly harmless, a zero.” (158)

Borrows a lot from Van Gogh and the Russians and Blake—this from Blake strikes me as valuable for THE WRITING WORKSHOP: “When Sir Joshua Reynolds wrote: ‘Enthusiastick admiration seldom promotes knowledge,’ Blake wrote furiously in the margin of the book: ‘Enthusiastic admiration is the First Principle of Knowledge and its last. Now he begins to degrade, to Deny and to Mock.’” (173)

And she has beautiful things to say about idlness: “For what we write today slipped into our souls some other day when we were alone and doing nothing.” (36)
(less)

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Mar 04, 2009 Donna Cook rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those writing books that focuses on things like getting in touch with your real writerly self and promoting the "enlargement of the soul", etc, etc. As a result it feels fluffy and ridiculous in places. But there are a lot of good insights in here as well and it was worth reading. I hadn't read this kind of writing book since college (that one was Writing Down the Bones) and I picked this one up because a published author (I forget who now) mentioned it as a "classic". I'm glad I...more This is one of those writing books that focuses on things like getting in touch with your real writerly self and promoting the "enlargement of the soul", etc, etc. As a result it feels fluffy and ridiculous in places. But there are a lot of good insights in here as well and it was worth reading. I hadn't read this kind of writing book since college (that one was Writing Down the Bones) and I picked this one up because a published author (I forget who now) mentioned it as a "classic". I'm glad I read it, but I'm thinking I'm good to go on the touchy-feely books for another decade or so.

I just have to include an example of some great advice to be found in this book.

After dismissing the kind of "niggling, fussy-mussy criticism" which tends to block a writer rather than help, the author goes on to say, "Of course, in fairness, I must remind you of this: that we writers are the most lily-livered of all craftsmen. We expect more, for the most peewee efforts, than any other people.
"A gifted young woman writes a poem. It is rejected. She does not write another perhaps for two years, perhaps all her life. Think of the patience and love that a tap-dancer or vaudeville acrobat puts into his work. Think of how many time Kreisler has practiced trills. If you will write as many words as Kreisler has practiced trills I prophesy that you will win the Nobel Prize in ten years."

Now, I don't know about a Novel Prize, but the point she makes is excellent. If you want to be taken seriously, you'd better be prepared to put in a serious amount of work.

Which makes me think about another quote which I can't find right now, but she has a friend who teaches musicians and remarked that he had a promising pupil who "always practices but never plays."

I know the truth of that. We create music with our hearts, not our hands (whether our musical instrument be a piano or a pen). So don't let your practice be drudgery just because you're being serious about it.

And just to sum up the theme of diligent, joyful commitment to our craft, I'll include one last quote that made me smile: "I hope you can keep up this continuity and sit for some time every day (if only for a half hour, though two hours is better and five is remarkable and eight is bliss and transfiguration!)"

Here's to bliss and transfiguration!(less)

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About Brenda Ueland

Brenda Ueland was a journalist, editor, freelance writer, and teacher of writing. She is best known for her book If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit.

Ueland was born to Andreas and Clara Hampson Ueland; the third of seven children. She attended Wells and Barnard colleges and received her baccalaureate from Barnard in 1913. She lived in and around New York City for much o...more

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Books by Brenda Ueland

Strength to Your Sword Arm: Selected Writings

Tell Me More: On The Fine Art Of Listening

O Clouds, Unfold: Clara Ueland and Her Family

Si Quieres Escribir... = If You Want to Write

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“When Van Gogh was a young man in his early twenties, he was in London studying to be a clergyman. He had no thought of being an artist at all. he sat in his cheap little room writing a letter to his younger brother in Holland, whom he loved very much. He looked out his window at a watery twilight, a thin lampost, a star, and he said in his letter something like this: "it is so beautiful I must show you how it looks." And then on his cheap ruled note paper, he made the most beautiful, tender, little drawing of it.

When I read this letter of Van Gogh's it comforted me very much and seemed to throw a clear light on the whole road of Art. Before, I thought that to produce a work of painting or literature, you scowled and thought long and ponderously and weighed everything solemnly and learned everything that all artists had ever done aforetime, and what their influences and schools were, and you were extremely careful about *design* and *balance* and getting *interesting planes* into your painting, and avoided, with the most astringent severity, showing the faintest *acedemical* tendency, and were strictly modern. And so on and so on.

But the moment I read Van Gogh's letter I knew what art was, and the creative impulse. It is a feeling of love and enthusiasm for something, and in a direct, simple, passionate and true way, you try to show this beauty in things to others, by drawing it.

And Van Gogh's little drawing on the cheap note paper was a work of art because he loved the sky and the frail lamppost against it so seriously that he made the drawing with the most exquisite conscientiousness and care. ” — 45 people liked it

“The only good teachers for you are those friends who love you, who think you are interesting, or very important, or wonderfully funny; whose attitude is:
"Tell me more. Tell me all you can. I want to understand more about everything you feel and know and all the changes inside and out of you. Let more come out."

And if you have no such friend,--and you want to write,--well, then you must imagine one. ” — 39 people liked it

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If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit

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