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Chances are that you already listen to a podcast (or two or three). But have you tried audiobooks? If you eagerly await for your favorite shows to post new episodes each week, then an audiobook is perfect for you—it's like getting eight, nine, or even ten podcast-lengths episodes all at once. This makes an audiobook perfect for binge listening, as it allows you to get fully engrossed in a subject and story.
Although we often think of audiobooks in terms of the latest fiction, they can be a valuable resource for artists and creatives as well. With books like Art, Inc., you can educate yourself on the business side of art making while you're commuting to work. Likewise, with selections like Broad Strokes and Daily Rituals, you’ll learn the fascinating stories behind incredible individuals who have shaped our world—all while you’re cleaning your kitchen. What an enriching way to multitask!
Interested in taking the audiobook plunge? You can try before you buy. Audible, the world's leading audiobook service, is available free for 30 days and will give you two free audiobooks. If you decide to become a member after that, you’ll pay a monthly fee of $14.95 and receive a credit for one audiobook of your choice each month. You’ll also get a 30% discount on any additional audiobooks you purchase during that same period of time.
Get started by trying one of our 10 audiobook selections below.
Scroll down for our selection of the best creative audiobooks for creatives!
Boom: Mad Money, Mega Dealers, and the Rise of Contemporary Art by Michael Shnayerson
Did you know that the contemporary art market is driven by a few “passionate, guileful, and very hard-nosed dealers?” Boom tells the history of this private world by speaking with the mega art dealers of today as well as looking back to the leaner times of the mid 20th century.
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Art, Inc.: The Essential Guide for Building Your Career as an Artist by Lisa Congdon
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to starve to be an artist. Art, Inc. offers a practical guide to the many ways you can make money through creating art, from illustration to licensing to teaching and beyond. Author Lisa Congdon speaks with art-world pros for their advice. You’ll come away with the tools needed to turn what you love into a money-making endeavor.
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Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (in That Order) by Bridget Quinn
It’s no secret that, historically, women have been excluded from the mainstream art oeuvre. Art historian Bridget Quinn seeks to change this glaring omission through profiles of 15 incredible female artists.
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Marvel Comics: The Untold Story by Sean Howe
This behind-the-scenes tale chronicles one of popular culture’s most beloved entities—Marvel Comics. Author Sean Howe writes about the men who made Marvel, including the late Stan Lee who brought many of our favorite characters to life. The book incorporates more than 100 original interviews with the people who worked at Marvels over a 70-year period.
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Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey
In 2013, Mason Currey wrote Daily Rituals: How Artists Work that highlighted the routines and habits of 161 creative minds. His latest book in the series called Daily Rituals: Women at Work focuses on every day “obstacles and rituals” of extraordinary women, from painters to sculptors to filmmakers to composers. By looking at their daily lives, we see how they were (and still are) making choices such as choosing to work on their creations over spending time with partners or children.
What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising, Shocking, and Sometimes Strange Story of 150 Years of Modern Art by Will Gompertz
Will Gompertz, the former director of London’s Tate Gallery and now BBC Arts Editor, takes us on a tour of the history of modern art. From Monet’s water lilies to Van Gogh’s sunflowers all the way to Damien Hirst’s pickled shark, Gompertz reveals the stories behind some of the world’s biggest masterpieces while allowing us to “discover the real point of modern art.”
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Drag: Combing Through the Big Wigs of Show Business by Frank DeCaro
Drag is a celebration of the current and historical influence of drag as well as its talented performers. Author Frank DeCaro shares a series of essays that chronicle over 100 years of drag and how it has permeated popular culture, from television shows to films.
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Challenge Accepted! 253 Steps to Becoming an Anti-It Girl by Celeste Barber
You might know Celeste Barber from her hilarious series #challengeaccepted, in which she parodies the bizarre photos that celebrities post on Instagram. In her book of the same name, Celeste combines her wit and sense of humor into part memoir, part comedy routine, and part advice manual to reveal her secrets of love, friendship, and tackling life’s challenges.
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David Bowie Made Me Gay: 100 Years of LGBT Music by Darryl Bullock
The book David Bowie Made Me Gay explores the history of recorded music by—and for—the LGBT community. How have these tunes influenced the music made today? Author Darryl Bullock shares the stories of both lesser and well-known LGBT musicians who assembled the foundation for future generations. The intriguing tales date back from the birth of jazz in New Orleans to the Swinging Sixties to the disco era of the 70s all the way to modern pop.
Miyazakiworld: A Life in Art by Susan Napier
Hayao Miyazaki is widely known as one of the world’s greatest living animators for his work with Studio Ghibli. Japanese culture and animation scholar Susan Napier writes about his life and his art, using the themes in his work—such as utopian dreams and empowered women—to paint a portrait of the creative genius.
Ready to get listening? Join Audible and get two audiobooks for free!
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