The Crowd, the Critic, and the Muse

A Book for Creators

By: M. Gungor

Narrated by: Michael Gungor

"We are all creators. Whether or not we create is not up to us. We are human, and creating is what we do. Every interaction, movement, and decision is creativity at work. We are all artists. We all order creation around us into the world that we want to make."—Michael Gungor

In The Crowd, the Critic, and the Muse, Michael Gungor takes an uncompromising - and humorous - look at our creative selves and the world that we have fashioned around us.

Through story and reflection, Gungor shows how our deepest beliefs and assumptions about the universe affect how we order creation. Our art and our humanity are inextricably entwined.

Surveying pop songs and church services, fine art and movies, Gungor shows what these works of creation reveal about us - for better and worse - and offers a powerful argument for why we can do better.

Art is like fruit, and if we want to improve the quality of our creative output, we must tend not only to the fruit, but to the tree, its roots, and the soil that it is planted in. To become free as creators, we must not simply try harder, we must become different. Gungor argues that this kind of change demands both an awareness of one's own cultural conditioning and a healthy degree of faith, doubt, hope and love.

An award-winning, globetrotting musician, Gungor also reveals his personal journey as an artist and creator, a tale of moving from innocence to wisdom, from simplicity to complexity and back again, a tale of leaving home and returning in a new, better, and more creative way.

©2012 Michael Gungor (P)2012 Michael Gungor

Phenomenal

Michael does an incredible job of narrating and pulling on your heart strings. If you’re a creator who’s lost your spark give this a listen.

Love it

As an artist and a Christian this book appealed to my soul in so many ways. It is hard in a world with so much noise, to sort out who the artist is and who they are called to be. I really cannot say enough about how great this book was.

Peace giver

I always wanted to read this book since it came out. Now I’m old enough to purchase it myself and so I did. My expectations were high and after listening to it I can happily say that this is one of my favourite books ever. I’m a musician and felt lost with my compositions, as well as my belief. This book and Gungor’s music brought me back hope and put me on trail again. “May your life be a brush in the very hand of God”. Thank you Michael, for everything.

Passionate ART

Gungor has created art for artists. This is a masterpiece, making me feel things as an artist that I had forgotten to feel. What is my goal as an artist?Why do I do what I do? Does my art come from the core of my being? This book is raw, sometimes surprising but always honest. Thank you Michael for stirring my soul.

about an artist

loved this book. what an incredible on-site into the world of the artist and how they do what they do