R C Costello

The Mythology of the Artist R C Costello

How should we think and live as artists? Only a strong mythological foundation can produce great art. It feels like a new story is needed. In this book I'm trying to describe glimmers of a new way of thinking, a new mythology that would be more holistic than what has come before, and a new way of being as an artist. By studying the lives of great artists, as well as knowledge from history, psychology, and philosophy, we can start to imagine something new. I also give some in-depth thoughts on music, recording, and creativity in general. This book came out of writing and recording my sixth album, Build Again, which itself was a culmination of a time of transition in my life. I had recently emerged from a dark time of struggling with my health. After finishing the album I found I had ideas on creativity which could be useful to put into a book. However, once I began formulating my thoughts, I realized that to write about the highest levels of artistic creativity required writing about new ways of thinking.