Artistry Book Club
A curated reading community for creatives, storytellers, and lifelong learners.
Books have the power to expand not only the way we think, but the way we create, connect, and move through the world. Each selection is thoughtfully chosen to support both the creative and personal growth of creatives. Selections span creative inspiration, storytelling, career sustainability, financial empowerment, emotional wellbeing, personal development, and books that challenge the way we think, create, and connect.
August Selections
Three books for August, one for each way we grow: creatively, personally, and financially.
Creativity
Bird by Bird
by Anne Lamott
We chose Bird by Bird to carry our creative pillar into August because it is the warmest permission slip we know. It meets you right where the fear lives, the blank page, the harsh inner critic, the pressure to be good before you have even begun, and it gently tells you to start anyway. It is funny, honest, and true about how creative work actually gets made. A perfect summer companion for anyone trying to make something.
Wellbeing
Four Thousand Weeks
by Oliver Burkeman
We chose Four Thousand Weeks because so many of us are quietly worn out by the feeling that we should be getting on top of everything. This book offers a freeing idea instead: a human life is startlingly short, we will never do it all, and that is not a failure to fix but a truth to build a fuller life around. It is permission to choose what matters and let the rest go.
Financial Empowerment
Get Good with Money
by Tiffany Aliche
We chose Get Good with Money because talking about money can feel heavy with shame, especially for artists, and this book refuses that. It is warm, judgment-free, and practical, built on the idea that financial peace comes not from perfection but from steady, doable steps. It treats money as a skill anyone can learn, which is exactly the spirit we want for this community.
Join the Artistry Book Club
Curated Reads
Thoughtfully selected books spanning creativity, storytelling, emotional wellness, financial empowerment, and personal development, chosen to support both artistic and human growth.
Talking Points in the App
This month’s talking points and reflections live in the Artistry App. Open Book Club in the app to go deeper on every pick and connect it to your creative life and practice.
Author Conversations & Events
Opportunities to engage directly with writers, thinkers, and creatives through live Q&As and special author-led discussions.
A Shared Creative Bookshelf
A growing collection of ideas and perspectives that supports long-term creative development, offering ongoing inspiration beyond a single month’s read.
Community & Connection
A free, accessible space for creatives to learn alongside one another, exchange insight, and stay connected to a wider creative dialogue.
In the app
Read along in the Artistry app
Follow each month’s pick and read along, right in the Artistry app.
Our Bookshelf
As the club grows, every selection lives here.
Meet our book club leaders
Mae Ruling
Actor & filmmaker
Mae (she/her) is an actor and filmmaker. Having grown up in Indiana, she now calls Los Angeles home. Her short film, “Carole & Clark,” premiered at the Pasadena International Film Festival last year, and she has written and starred in another short, currently in post-production. A voracious reader since childhood, Mae’s favorites include Sabriel by Garth Nix, All the Women in My Brain by Betty Gilpin, and Rose Daughter by Robin McKinley. She also plays flute in the Burbank Community Band.
Rebecca Knowles
Producer & actor
Rebecca Knowles is a bicoastal producer and actor. Her short film COPING premiered at the Oscar-qualifying LA Shorts International Film Festival, and her single-cam comedy SECONDCHANCE MAGGIE won the Best Pitch Award at Catalyst Content Festival’s National PitchWorld competition. Select credits: Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Never Have I Ever, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and most recently a series regular on Business People. She serves on the Board of Vigilance Theatre Group, on multiple SAG-AFTRA committees, and partners with major houses nationwide to help audiences connect with live theatre.
