Want to know what books Estella Ng recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Estella Ng's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
Rainer Maria Rilke | 4.51
Born in 1875, the great German lyric poet Rainer Maria Rilke published his first collection of poems in 1898 and went on to become renowned for his delicate depiction of the workings of the human heart. Drawn by some sympathetic note in his poems, young people often wrote to Rilke with their problems and hopes. From 1903 to 1908 Rilke wrote a series of remarkable responses to a young, would-be poet on poetry and on surviving as a sensitive observer in a harsh world. Those letters, still a fresh source of inspiration and insight, are accompanied here by a chronicle of Rilke's life that shows... more Born in 1875, the great German lyric poet Rainer Maria Rilke published his first collection of poems in 1898 and went on to become renowned for his delicate depiction of the workings of the human heart. Drawn by some sympathetic note in his poems, young people often wrote to Rilke with their problems and hopes. From 1903 to 1908 Rilke wrote a series of remarkable responses to a young, would-be poet on poetry and on surviving as a sensitive observer in a harsh world. Those letters, still a fresh source of inspiration and insight, are accompanied here by a chronicle of Rilke's life that shows what he was experiencing in his own relationship to life and work when he wrote them. less 
Estella NgLetters to a Young Poet - it is everything. [...] This line in Letters to a Young Poet “If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it; blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches" is an important one to me. I constantly go back to this to evaluate if I have been living a full life. (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
2
Repurposing the sad, comical and seemingly trivial minutiae of everyday life into pie charts, flow charts and other forms of visual data sorting, New York-based artist Andrew Kuo transforms the idlest of days into a witty analysis in color and pattern. Among the many itemizations he has rendered into charts: "Some Things I am Scared of in November 2007"; "My Ideal Slacker Tuesday on March 27, 2008"; "Being Accused of Being an Asshole (Via Instant Messager) on June 21, 2009." The brilliance and charm of these works lies not only in their balance of what might be called "cool content in geek... more Repurposing the sad, comical and seemingly trivial minutiae of everyday life into pie charts, flow charts and other forms of visual data sorting, New York-based artist Andrew Kuo transforms the idlest of days into a witty analysis in color and pattern. Among the many itemizations he has rendered into charts: "Some Things I am Scared of in November 2007"; "My Ideal Slacker Tuesday on March 27, 2008"; "Being Accused of Being an Asshole (Via Instant Messager) on June 21, 2009." The brilliance and charm of these works lies not only in their balance of what might be called "cool content in geek form," but also in the criteria and gradations they measure--for example, a chart analyzing "My Selected History with The Boredoms" takes the band's chronological discography along its horizontal axis, and runs from "Potheads" to "Mindblowing!" along its vertical axis. Kuo's obsessive charts, which resemble Op art, Concrete art or the abstractions of Josef Albers (sometimes in deliberate homage), have reached a wide audience through his music reviews for The New York Times, as well as through numerous solo shows over the past ten years. What Me Worry adopts Mad magazine's slogan to gently poke fun at the artist's compulsive record-keeping, and compiles a range of charts, some of which are also made into colorful sculptures, alongside figurative paintings, diary musings and a series of recipes. The New Yorker music critic Kelefa Sanneh contributes an essay.
Andrew Kuo graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design in 1999, and now lives in New York, where his first solo exhibition was held in 2001; his most recent solo exhibition, All Over Again, was held at The 33 Bond Gallery in October, 2007. Kuo's charts of bands and concerts are regularly featured in The New York Times' music section. less Estella NgQuestion: What five books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path & why?
Answer:
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri
What Me Worry by Andrew Kuo (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
3
Robert Henri and Forbes Watson | 4.19
Embodying the entire system of Robert Henri's teaching, The Art Spirit contains much valuable advice, critical comment, and inspiration to every student of the arts. more Embodying the entire system of Robert Henri's teaching, The Art Spirit contains much valuable advice, critical comment, and inspiration to every student of the arts. less 
Jack DorseyThe first book is a book called The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, who was a painter and I know there’s a lot of affinity for painters in these parts. This is about creativity through the lens of an art student. [...] What he means by this is purely you have to be a master of your own tools. That mastership is not a destination, it is a process and it’s constant practice that gets you there. (Source)
Estella NgQuestion: What five books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path & why?
Answer:
The Art Spirit by Robert Henri
What Me Worry by Andrew Kuo (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
Don't have time to read Estella Ng's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
