Amazing Book
I am an artist-teacher, and I wish someone had presented this information to me sooner.

The book has a front section that is sort of an artistic, stream of consciousness, diaristic account of Lynda Barry's own creative life. Followed by a workbook, which I didn't have any specific expectations about, but I was sitting there following the steps, and it was pretty amazing how effective the method Barry advocates is. It took me off guard, and I think I am going to use it next week in the class I teach.

Overall this book ranks somewhere around the best books I have ever read because it sort of snuck up on me, and made realize some stuff about myself and my creative process that I may have resisted in a less charismatic presentation.

what it is
I recommend this to anyone who loves Linda Barry. This book is supposedto be a condensed version of her wrtining workshop. Mostly, it is L. B. collages and drawings. It explores many of the issues that arise during the creative process.

A guide on remembering

One of the most important aspects of writing anything-- memoir, fiction, poetry--is the ability to remember. Sounds simple, but we forget so much naturally and are actively encouraged to forget what doesn't suit the needs of any particular group, usually family. Lynda Barry's wonderful primer on how to being to probe the images of your life is just grand
and will doubtless serve many artists and writers as they explore their lives and the lives of others. An exercise as simple as try to recall the earliest phone number you had and try to picture that phone seem so simple, but take you to places that you'd long forgotten.

Like everything by Barry, it's humane and masterful and compassionate and smart. A wonderful addition to any artist's desk.

what is it
Lynda Barry is idiosyncratic, funny, dreamy, hardcore etc. etc. She's also a practicing pragmatist. Anyone needing a refresher course on disassembling the obstacles to creativity could probably benefit from this book. The collages are elaborate, beautiful and tender but I think I actually like the hand drawn asides that bring the reader into the world of the artist's upbringing and self-talk, the area at which she's always excelled. It's by being herself that Barry becomes Everyman for every man and woman.

Unspeakably Fun: A cheering treasure chest of fully operational mood transformers!
This life enhancing activity toybox of a book does not merely instruct, it transcends, uplifts, jumps levels, like a good fairy tale. Follow Lynda Barry's breadcrumb trail through the tangled forest of Creativity to uncover your own treasure chest of images, stories, and creative insights. This book is Lynda Barry's Gingerbread Cottage---with full instructions on how to bake and decorate your own. Five stars? Not nearly enough!