Somehow, Andrew Peterson manages to capture the essence of what it means to be a creator and the otherworldly aspect of creating true and beautiful art, all in beautiful strokes of prose and delightfully winsome metaphors that stick with you long after you’ve put the book down.
Summary:
Adorning the Dark is a mixture of essays and journal entries, part biography and part craft book. Andrew covers a wide range of aspects concerning creating, yet still manages to stay organized and on topic in each chapter, while sprinkling in an array of colorful descriptions and captivating, whimsical stories in a style only Andrew can tell.
The first few chapters cover the role Christ and the gospel should play in our creative process, such as how to include God in our process and how our art should reflect Him. Then Andrew dives into the art of creating itself, covering what it means to serve the work and your audience and how to balance the two. He answers the question what makes a quality piece of art and briefly discusses the importance of selectivity in what we consume.
Then he covers the necessity of discipline and discernment and how important they are to finishing art and creating it well. Finally, he highlights the importance of community for your writing and for you as a person. Community is vital to your growth.
Overall, this book is unique in its style and genre, but that’s what makes it so delightful. It certainly won’t leave you bored!
My Thoughts:
Can I just say that I loved every single chapter? Some hit me more deeply than others, but every chapter had some kind of wisdom I needed to hear.
Andrew is a brilliant writer. His word pictures were vivid and beautiful. I could really see them in my mind’s eye, and there were a few times I would read a metaphor and go “Exactly! That’s precisely how I’ve always pictured it.” His prose is like flowing water. It’s so smooth, connected, and easy to read. This book is a must read, if just for the writing style!
Not only that, but Andrew has so much wisdom and humility to share. I loved how vulnerable and honest he was in giving us a glimpse into his life, family, successes, and even his mistakes and failures.
I could especially relate to chapter 2, where Andrew talked about the process of birthing an idea. He perfectly describes the pain, the frustration, and yet the satisfaction of coming up with an idea and executing it. I loved how he described the in-tangibleness of ideas, how they always seem to be just beyond our grasp–or as he put it, just beyond the veil. Sadly, we can never perfectly capture those ideas in our broken world, but even in our weak, imperfect efforts, we can get close to it. We can at least give our readers a glimpse behind that veil.
I could relate to Andrew’s fear and self-doubt, of not feeling worthy enough to be a creator. But I was so blessed by his encouragement to write even when it’s messy and imperfect. We can’t wait until everything is perfect for us because it never will be. Just create. This is how we bring beauty out of our broken world. This part of the book reminded me a lot of The Story of With by Allen Arnold.
I loved his thoughts on good books, especially on how fairytales lift our eyes to something bigger than us, allowing us to peek past the veil and glimpse eternity on the other side. They allow us to sneak past watchful dragons, as Lewis put it. It was such a beautiful reminder of why I write fantasy!
I also appreciated his thoughts on the balance between striving to create good art but also allowing yourself the freedom to fail and to grow. You don’t have to get it right the first time. It’s ok to make mistakes. But always be willing to learn. Be humble and teachable.
Most of all, I loved his thoughts on God and art. God doesn’t need us to create. But he wants us to create beautiful things. He chose us to do this wonderful work. What an amazing mission we have as believers!
And finally, his thoughts on community and how it relates to writing was exactly what I needed. Too often, I tend to think creating is all about working on my own and forget to involve others in the process too. And his advice to go out there and create a community instead of bemoaning the fact that you don’t have one was really convicting. I loved the idea of finding a resonator, someone who gets my vision and encourages me to keep going when I get discouraged.
If you are a creator of any kind, this is a book is a must read. You’ll come away refreshed, inspired, and emboldened to better live out your calling as a creator for Christ’s sake, and you’ll be left with a deeper appreciation for the power of art and the impact we can have on this world.
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I just finished this book and can’t praise it enough. It’s a book for makers (of anything, really). It is also a book about the Maker, but you don’t need to be particularly religious for it to be helpful. Well-written, almost poetic, honest, humble, and helpful—my first copy is heavily marked up. I’m getting another copy to keep. I plan to let the author’s words stew in me for a while before going back in to reread it.Get this book!
