Art Work: On the Creative Life

The much-anticipated new book by artist Sally Mann about the challenges and transcendent pleasures of the creative process, now a New York Times bestseller

“Erudite, frank, and funny.” ―Amor Towles, bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and The Lincoln Highway

Art Work, by photographer and writer Sally Mann, offers a spellbinding mix of wild and illuminating stories, practical (and some impractical) advice, and life lessons.

Written in the same direct, fearless, and occasionally outrageous tone of her bestselling memoir, Hold Still, this new book reaffirms Mann as a unique and resonant voice for our times and is destined to become a classic.

Illustrated throughout with photographs, journal entries, and letters that bring immediacy and poignancy to the narrative, Art Work is full of thought-provoking insights about the hazards of early promise; the unpredictable role of luck; the value of work, work, work, and more hard work; the challenges of rejection and distraction; the importance of risk-taking; and the rewards of knowing why and when you say yes.

In sparkling prose and thoughtfully juxtaposed visuals and ephemera, Art Work is a generous, provocative, and compulsively readable exploration of creativity by one of our most original thinkers.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harry N. Abrams
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 9, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419780719
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419780714
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.6 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches