Your Life As Art

I used to teach a course in the 1980s authored by Robert Fritz. It was called Technologies for Creating. Robert is a musician and teacher who originally based his research on how to create your life on the skills necessary to compose music. He transposed the 'tension-resolution' theme found in writing effective music into a method that works equally well for 'writing your own life' or 'creating your reality'. He is no woo-woo guy and explains in easy to comprehend and practice the hows and why of his methods. Creating structural tension is the most important skill to learn from his approach. In a nutshell, structural tension is created by choosing a goal you wish to accomplish or have appear in your life and then contrast it with your current state of affairs in reference to that goal. The comparison, particularly for complex goals, reveals that what is present now is quite different than the chosen outcome. In all likelihood the outcome is something you want more than you want what you have now...and by focusing on the difference between the two 'structural tension' is automatically created. To resolve the tension, either you give up and 'enjoy--or hate--what you have or you find yourself moving in the direction of your chosen outcome. By daily doing a quick, yet honest, assessment of current reality and contrasting it with your 'dream' or goal, you create a daily rhythm lets you know where you stand in your progress toward that goal. More importantly, the daily practice over only a few minutes tends to make the 'tension' between what IS and what you want resolve naturally toward what you want. Like a rubber band you stretch daily, it soon stretches far enough that it never returns to its smaller original shape.The work has many more components than structural tension, but that is the foundation upon which creating what you want stands on. In this book, Robert Fritze uses the creative arts as the metphor for creating your life as art. His friendly style and often surprisingly original insights make the reading a breeze and practicing the simple techniques simple. Learning to live life in the new orientation that incorporates structural tension/resolution takes a bit longer. Everyone who uses his methods finds themselves at some point in the creative process running into what looks like magic or miracles that just can't be explained away. I remember experiencing them. They're wonderful in that they assist us in getting what we want. But his advice is to not make much of them because if you do, you'll lose focus on what it is your originally wanted to have and get sidetracked with miracles and magic, which is probably not what you really want to study (or you'd long ago have taken it up and madat THAT your life orientation)). This work is simple, powerful and takes only a bit of practice to see results stunning enough to inspire you to look into Robert Fritz's approach more thoroughly. His methods are used in corporations for management just as easily as they're used by individuals who want only to have a happier life.I'd put away his material for a few decades, so it was a pleasure to see that he'd published a few books since I knew him. This book is getting me inspired all over again and I'm reading it with new eyes and gaining insights I missed when I was younger. I also see how profoundly this work affected my life orientation. I've been using the methods unconsciously for years and until I read this book didn't remember where I'd originally picked them up. It was like finding a long lost friend I'd forgotten I loved so much.

I've read and re-read this book and have bought a copy for my daughter.Robert Fritz gets practical here. Each chapter gives you specific logical and actionable ways of looking at your own behavior and what you want to get out of life.This is anti-"self help" which is fine with me. It explains why we fail time and time again at changing our own behavior. And it gives us a method that transcends our failures and lets us actually choose what we truly want.It is not the usual brainwash-yourself claptrap. I am a fan of Tony Robbins but in many ways, I think that whole school views us as somehow imposing our will on ourselves.If we can only use certain tools like neuro-linguistic programming or tell ourselves something enough times, that self-help school says, we can force change on ourselves.Thing is, many of those tricks used in self-help do work. But do they make us happy? And can they really let us watch as our lives are transformed?I don't like the idea of programming my mind. I do like tricks sometimes as they are quite useful. But overall, I want to live my life in a fashion that is free from force and war, including and especially internal war.That's what this book lets you do. You can determine what you want, and go after it, free from the conflict that is perpetually tugging you back into your old ways. And you can watch your life transform and do it for its own sake.That is the meaning of the title, of course.Isn't it fun to watch an artist create something? So it is also a rare treat to watch how Fritz unfolds the story of how he discovered these concepts. How he tried them out in seminars and how they failed or how they worked, and how his ideas evolved and developed, much like an artist develops a canvas.Read and re-read this one. It is one of the greats. It will forever change how you look at your life and how you relate to it and relate to yourself.

Tiene elementos que me gustaron, pero siento que el libro podía dar más. Muy conceptual y con pocas cosas que se pueden trasladar fácil

I've been a fan of Robert Fritz's work since a colleague introduced me to Fritz's first book, "The Path of Least Resistance."My frustration with that book and his other previous book, "Creating," is that neither of them had clear instructions on how to apply the principles Fritz teaches.Finally, in this book we have those step-by-step instructions, with examples to help clarify the process.If you're serious about creating what you want in your life, Fritz's process *works*.Let's be clear: it's not about magical instant results (really, there is no such thing, and those books and programs that promise otherwise are blowing smoke). It IS about understanding yourself: what you truly want, how things get in the way, and how to sidestep the oscillating patterns of success and failure that we all fall prey to.How much is it worth to you to know that you can create the life you want? Are you willing to work for it? Then this book can help you get there.Note: it's true that the proofreading of this book, as others have commented, is distractingly bad. Specifically, it seems like all the double quotation marks (") are missing. But is the content worth overlooking that flaw? Absolutely!

This is excellent, and there is nothing else quite like it out there either. RF is a unique person and I thoroughly recommend this to all those who seek to create interesting lives and move away from the soul -less monotony.

Sometime you search and search but yet you dont get at IT. But this book game me insights into so many deep searches and clarity. I like to decode this by design. This book structure makes one realise the power of structure and its affect Throughout life. The insights can and does transform one fundamental. Here is small note for Robert Fritz -You came in my life as author,I read one,then another one,Then another one,Then this one,Cannot express enough gratitude,Timeless search gone deep,Piercing so many aspects of me,You made me the mechanics,Of life,Now i know,I will thrive.Much love, good wishes and gratitudeThank youVarun Chamadiya

The book is in as-new condition,. Have just received it, so have only had time to scan through it, but it appears to be a worthwhile read. Recommended.

Let it be known that this is my first encounter with Robert Fritz's works. I intend to read The Path of Least Resistance shortly.Your Life as Art is a wonderful book that introduces the idea of structural dynamics, and explains how to use structural tension and objective observation to put the gears in motion toward a better life.The ideas contained in this book are nothing short of life-altering for me. Whenever the book said to stop and think, or to write down your thoughts and desires, I did. The effects of those short exercises set in motion a grand plan to reinvent my life with purpose and intention; to create my life as a work of art.I look forward to employing the ideas and exercises put forth in this monumental work, and I highly recommend this book to anyone.

That book helped me reorient my life. It helps me understand myself and trust my own inner artist when great doubt happen. Which for me (oscillating a lot) happen often :(Structural tension is so new and powerful that I might have negative feedback from others and I might end up discouraged but that book brings me right on track each time I read a part of it :)ThanksJgi