ARTIST

Jones’ debut motivational memoir encourages readers to find their inner thespians.

As the daughter of actor Henry Jones (who won a Tony Award in 1958 for his performance in Sunrise at Campobello), the author was able to observe performers up close from a young age. She realized something about the most successful ones: “They seemed to have made themselves up out of thin air, manifesting an image and personality that resided somewhere in their imaginations.” Jones eventually grew up to be an actor and acting coach herself, developing an approach to the craft grounded in intentionality and internal inspiration. With this book, she seeks to share her method with artists of all stripes, including readers who simply want to access their creative sides. She blends stories from her life in creative communities—spending time in art colonies in her youth in the 1950s, studying acting in New York and Los Angeles in the ’60s and ’70s, and serving as a creative consultant in Hollywood starting in the ’80s—with advice and exercises meant to unlock one’s artistic abilities. She coaches readers on how to meditate, observe, be in the moment, set goals, and employ other valuable skills. Jones’ teaching experience comes through in her prose, which is concise, insightful, and often funny. Here, for instance, she riffs on the importance of maintaining the proper attitude: “I don’t want to be an actor. I am an actor because every day, I do the things actors do….I don’t want to be an organ grinder. I am an organ grinder because I grind the organ every chance I get. Plus, I bought a monkey and named him Marcel.” Much of the material is familiar, with its references to the Law of Attraction, manifesting, intentionality, and so on, but Jones packages it all in a way that manages to feel practical but delightfully low-stakes at the same time. Aspiring actors will likely get the most from this work, but creatives of all types are likely to benefit from the advice here.

A sometimes-familiar but often appealing guide to living a more creative life.