Essential Art

The first 40 days after the birth of a child offer an essential and fleeting period of rest and recovery for the new mother. Based on author Heng Ou's own postpartum experience with zuo yuezi, a set period of “confinement”, in which a woman remains at home focusing on healing and bonding with her baby, The First Forty Days revives the lost art of caring for the mother after birth.

Do you often find yourself grappling with complex decisions, feeling overwhelmed by the barrage of information in today's world? Are you at a loss when faced with debates, unsure how to dissect arguments or counter misinformation? Perhaps you've realized that in your professional or personal life, clear and critical thinking is not just an asset, but a necessity. Today the ability to dissect, analyze, and reason effectively has never been more crucial. Yet, for many, these skills remain just out of reach. This audiobook offers a straightforward advice and practical tips.

In this inspiring guide from conscious creativity leader James McCrae, you’ll find a variety of ways to expand your creative life. From visual inspirations to opportunities for creative play, here he shares a flexible set of tools, exercises, rituals, and insights that will awaken your sense of wonder and reclaim the artist within.

Best-selling author, artist, and illustrator Lisa Congdon brings her expertise to this guide to the process of artistic self-discovery. Featuring advice from Congdon herself and interviews with a roster of established artists, illustrators, and creatives, this one-of-a-kind book will show listeners how to identify and nurture their own visual identity, navigate the influence of artists they admire, push through fear and insecurity, and appreciate the value of their personal journey.

Drawing on his experience as a senior partner at a multi-billion dollar consulting firm and adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Dallas MBA program, Jeff Kavanaugh is ready to share the tools of the trade for young professionals to quickly scale the consulting learning curve. Pulling together the best content from his own experience, as well as other world-class consulting leaders and industry professionals he has worked with, Kavanaugh has distilled the lessons into the key skills that separate the best from the rest.

Awakening Fertility is a loving guide to accompany you along the road to whatever is next for you - whether it be a child or a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman and the power that lies in your heart and in your womb. Including 25 healing recipes, Awakening Fertility is a source of connection, nourishment, and guidance to those desiring to become mothers. As opposed to the countless other books on "trying to conceive," Awakening Fertility looks at this time before motherhood as a chance for discovery and growth.

You are a multitude of stories. Every joy and heartbreak, every disappointment and dizzying high, has the makings of an unforgettable story. Whether your goal is to deliver the perfect wedding toast, give a moving eulogy, ace a job interview or simply connect more deeply to those around you, The Moth is here to help. In this book, the Moth team reveal the secrets of their time-honed process and use examples from beloved storytellers like Neil Gaiman, Elizabeth Gilbert, Nikesh Shukla, Sarfraz Manzoor and more.

Great communication skills can make all the difference in your personal and professional life, but for those who tend to get a bit tongue-tied under pressure or just have a hard time asserting themselves, voicing thoughts coherently and confidently can be difficult. Author Elizabeth Kuhnke takes the intimidation out of communication by sharing her top tips for successful communication in any situation. Find out how to listen actively, establish rapport, communicate with credibility, manage communication in difficult situations, and converse with ease using modern technology - and lots more.

Think smart people are just born that way? Think again. Drawing on diverse studies of the mind, from psychology to linguistics, philosophy, and learning science, Art Markman, Ph.D., demonstrates the difference between "smart thinking" and raw intelligence, showing listeners how memory works, how to learn effectively, and how to use knowledge to get things done. He then introduces his own three-part formula for listeners to employ "smart thinking" in their daily lives.

If you want to improve your conversational skills - and achieve greater levels of personal and professional success - The Art of Talking to Anyone is the ultimate book. Rosalie Maggio has built a career on teaching people how to say the right thing at the right time - and she's made her techniques available to you.

There is so much noise surrounding pregnancy and birth. There are countless books teeming with information—what test does what, the "rights" and "wrongs" of eating, and "safe" or "risky" lifestyle choices—but few that hold a woman through the experience, acting as an elder sister, a matriarch, or a circle of women might hold her—with compassion, nonjudgment, and, most of all, wisdom. To the authors of Nine Golden Months, this is exactly what's needed now, in an era of high-speed living, endless demands, and more than a little anxiety and fear.

Reiki is an ancient and profoundly simple system of "laying on of hands" healing derived from Tibetan Buddhism. In the West, Reiki has been kept highly secret for many years. Essential Reiki presents full information on all three degrees of this healing system, most of it in audio for the first time. Teaching from the perspective that Reiki healing belongs to all people, Diane Stein breaks new ground in her classic guide to this ancient practice.

You don't have to starve to be an artist. Build a career doing what you love. In this practical guide, professional artist Lisa Congdon reveals the many ways you can earn a living by making art - through illustration, licensing, fine art sales, print sales, teaching, and beyond. Including industry advice from such successful art-world pros as Nikki McClure, Mark Hearld, Paula Scher, and more, Art, Inc. will equip you with the tools - and the confidence - to turn your passion into a profitable business.

With the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it's amazing that we're ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary - freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better

No Bull Music Theory for Guitarists is the groundbreaking guitar theory book for guitar players. Now, guitarists of all levels can understand most of the music theory they'll ever need, without the confusion. Easy-to-understand language, explanations, and practical examples mean you can understand in hours music theory concepts that can confuse guitar players for years. No music reading or theory knowledge required!

From master language creator David J. Peterson comes a creative guide to language construction for sci-fi and fantasy fans, writers, game creators, and language lovers. Peterson offers a captivating overview of language creation, covering its history from Tolkien's creations and Klingon to today's thriving global community of conlangers.

In Crafting Narratives: The Art of Storytelling, Lyric Sage invites aspiring writers into the enchanting world of storytelling, unveiling the essential tools and techniques needed to transform ideas into compelling narratives. This comprehensive guide delves into the intricate process of writing, offering invaluable insights on crafting multi-dimensional characters, structuring captivating plots, and weaving profound themes throughout your work. Lyric's engaging prose and practical exercises empower readers to dig deep into their creativity while honing their unique voice.

Everybody knows there’s money to be made in stocks. But the reality is only a fraction of investors actually turn profits. If you’re a retail investor with no professional experience…and you don’t have access to all the “insider knowledge” and resources that institutional investors have…you’re more or less gambling your money away.

The key to winning arguments, owning debates, and becoming the most influential in the room! No matter how confident you are or whether you even consider yourself a leader or not. You see, we all know somebody who is able to speak the right words in the right moments. Whether they want something done or somehow are able to charm every person they meet. Luke Warren knows the power logical thinking has, affecting the outcome of even the most stressful situations, and how you can unlock that power.

Traditionally, piano lessons can be very boring and require a fixed time. Then many books are either too complex or boring. This often leaves people frustrated and feeling like giving up. Instead of typical text-heavy books, this book explains the essentials in an easy-to-understand way that will establish a strong foundation on which to build your musical knowledge.