ABSTRACT

In this thoughtful and revelatory book, Wood explores enduring and powerful theories on art, creativity, and what Jung called the "creative spirit" in order to illuminate how artists can truly understand what it means to be a creator.

By bringing together insights on creativity from some of depth psychology’s most iconic thinkers, such as C.G. Jung, James Hillman, and Joseph Campbell, as well as featuring a selection of creators who have been influenced by these ideas, such as Martha Graham, Mary Oliver, Stanley Kunitz, and Ursula K. Le Guin, this book explores archetypal thought and the role of the artist in society. This unique approach emphasizes the foundational need to understand and work with the unconscious forces that underpin a creative calling, deepening our understanding of the transformational power of creativity, and the vital role of the artist in the modern world.

Acting as a touchstone for inquiries into the nature of creativity, and of the soul, this enlightening book is perfect for artists and creators of all types, as well as Jungian analysts and therapists, and academics interested in the arts, humanities, and depth psychology.

chapter |15 pages

Introduction

chapter Chapter 1|21 pages

An Archaeology of Soul, Creativity, and Transformation

chapter Chapter 2|25 pages

C.G. Jung

Reluctant Artist, Servant of the Creative Spirit

chapter Chapter 3|21 pages

A Thousand Voices

Inflections and Interpretations of Jung's Creative Vision

chapter Chapter 4|17 pages

Archetypal Creativity

Image, Imagination, and Instinct

chapter Chapter 5|20 pages

Image Making and Soul-Making

chapter Chapter 6|22 pages

Mythopoesis

The Archetypal Ancestors of the Modern Creator

chapter Chapter 7|15 pages

The Soul, the Creative, and the Archetypal Artist

chapter |1 pages

Epilogue as Testament and Talisman