A Mindful Approach to Making Art: Insights from Creative Strength Training

Book Review: Creative Strength Training by Jane Dunnewold

An honest, embodied guide for artists who want to go deeper

If you’ve ever felt like your creative process has gone quiet, or like you’re producing work that doesn’t quite reflect who you are, Jane Dunnewold has created something that feels less like a book and more like a conversation with your inner artist. Creative Strength Training is not a book of surface-level art prompts. It is a guide to rebuilding your artistic confidence from the inside out.

What makes this book so compelling is that it speaks directly to artists and makers who already know their tools but who might feel stuck, scattered, or uncertain about their direction. This is not a guide to mastering technique. It is about cultivating stamina, trust, and clarity in your creative practice. Unlike books that focus only on the joy of making, Dunnewold is not afraid to talk about resistance, vulnerability, and self-doubt. She walks beside the reader with empathy and humour and never positions herself as above the process.

This is a book for those who want their artwork to feel more honest. It is for artists who are tired of chasing trends and ready to go inward. It is for anyone who is willing to meet themselves in the studio and build something meaningful, one small choice at a time.

The promise of the book

The book promises to help artists develop what Dunnewold calls “creative strength.” This is not about forcing productivity or pushing through creative blocks with sheer willpower. Instead, it is about growing the kind of internal discipline and self-awareness that sustains a creative life over time.

The structure of the book supports this promise with a blend of essays, writing exercises, and hands-on projects. Each chapter builds on the last, gently guiding the reader from reflection to action. The recurring theme is that creativity is not just a skill. It is a relationship. One that requires time, attention, and care.

Dunnewold invites artists to see their blocks and doubts not as flaws but as signals. Through guided writing and making, she helps readers identify where they are holding back and what beliefs might be standing in the way. The work is quiet, but powerful.

What the book delivers

The book is divided into ten chapters, each focused on a different aspect of creative strength. Early chapters address stamina and resistance, introducing the idea that creativity, like physical fitness, benefits from regular training. Dunnewold draws comparisons between studio practice and cross-training, suggesting that writing, journaling, and mindful observation are essential to sustaining momentum.

From there, she moves into deeper territory. She explores internal blocks, the inner critic (which she calls “the Committee”), and the importance of protecting studio time. She also encourages readers to notice the hidden rules they may have inherited without meaning to. Later chapters focus on alignment, authenticity, and shaping content that reflects your real interests, not just your technical strengths.

Throughout the book, Dunnewold weaves in stories from her own studio and from students who have taken her Creative Strength Training program. These short “Artists Respond” sections add depth and relatability, showing how the concepts play out in real life. The stories reflect a wide range of voices and remind the reader that the journey of reclaiming creativity is both common and personal.

One of the book’s most consistent messages is that writing is a key part of creative strength. Dunnewold encourages readers to write not for outcome, but for awareness. Her prompts are thoughtful and open-ended. They are designed to stir memory, surface emotion, and uncover images and ideas that live just beneath the surface. The work is quiet, but transformative.

Tone and structure

Dunnewold’s tone is warm, calm, and direct. She writes with the steady voice of someone who has weathered creative droughts and found her way through. There is a grounded quality to the writing that makes it feel trustworthy without ever being rigid.

The structure is intuitive and flexible. Chapters can be read in order or opened at random. Each includes reflection questions and suggested actions, so the reader is never left in theory alone. The balance of concept, story, and practice makes the material usable whether you are new to making or returning after a long pause.

Another strength is that Dunnewold does not try to wrap things up too neatly. She respects the complexity of the creative process. There is space in this book for doubt, grief, and confusion, and there is also steady encouragement to keep going anyway.

Where the book stands out

One of the book’s greatest gifts is how honestly it names the pressures artists face. Dunnewold helps the reader identify where they have internalised fear, perfectionism, or comparison, and offers simple ways to begin rewriting those patterns. Her belief in the value of personal voice is strong, and she supports the reader in finding their own rather than adopting someone else’s approach.

The book’s emphasis on practice over product makes it especially helpful for textile artists, fibre artists, and mixed-media makers. That said, the ideas are just as useful for writers, painters, and anyone whose creative work is part of how they understand themselves.

A few small considerations

This is not a book for fast inspiration. The pacing is reflective, and many of the prompts ask you to slow down and listen. Readers looking for quick techniques or visual tutorials may want to pair this with something more focused on process.

The emotional honesty of the book may also catch some readers by surprise. This is not just a book about making more work. It is about making work that matters. That invitation requires a certain readiness to reflect.

Final thoughts

Creative Strength Training is a wise and generous book for artists who want to create from a place of integrity. It is not about volume or visibility. It is about showing up honestly and building the internal support that allows creative work to emerge and evolve.

This book will resonate with artists in transition, those who are feeling burnt out, or anyone who is circling back to a creative practice after time away. It offers more than a plan. It offers perspective.

If you are willing to take your time, listen inward, and rebuild trust with your creative self, this book will meet you where you are and walk with you toward something more authentic.

Highly recommended for artists, makers, and thoughtful creatives who crave a more intentional and grounded relationship with their work, one that honours both inner growth and creative expression.