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You Are an Artist

book · in 15 videos (2019–2022)

Sarah Urist Green's book gathering art assignments she commissioned for The Art Assignment, plus new assignments and essays on how contemporary artists work. It came out on April 14th, but the tour John planned for it did not happen. John keeps using its assignments, most often Never Seen, Never Will, to think creatively.

By: Sarah Urist Green

Videos by year: 2019: 1 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 2 · 2022: 1

Threads

Also named in the threads: The Art Assignment: Sarah's PBS Digital Studios show (2013) · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor: Hank's sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018)

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

Sarah Urist Green (14) · The Art Assignment (3) · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (3) · The Anthropocene Reviewed (podcast) (2) · The Anthropocene Reviewed (book) (2) · YouTube (3)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2019

  • 2019-09-10 · Another Contender in the Room — announcement: John announces that Sarah is publishing a book called You Are an Artist, so many more people are about to learn from her. — 00:01:56
    • John says anyone interested in making stuff or understanding how it gets made will love the book because, as its title says, you are an artist whether you know it yet or not. — 00:02:26
    • John says the book gathers assignments Sarah commissioned from artists for The Art Assignment plus many new assignments and essays on how contemporary artists work. — 00:02:26
    • John says the book taught him much about art and how life-giving the act of creation is for humans. — 00:02:26
    • John, calling himself the carnival barker Sarah married, says You Are an Artist will help you see the world in new ways and maybe change your life, with a phenomenal cover and colour illustrations. — 00:02:55
    • John says You Are an Artist is available for pre-order now wherever you get books and comes out on April 14th. — 00:02:55

2020

  • 2020-01-07 · Endings · Beginnings — announcement: John says Sarah's book You Are an Artist, a collection of art assignments and creativity prompts with lots of art history, comes out in April; the galleys are here and it is available for pre-order. — 00:02:16
    • John will tour with both Hank and Sarah, hoping to help their books have good beginnings. — 00:02:35
  • 2020-03-03 · Consciously Experiencing Human Dignity — announcement: John: In a P.S., John says Sarah's book You Are an Artist comes out in April, is wonderful, and is available for pre-order now. — 00:03:24
  • 2020-04-07 · I am an artist. — announcement: John says Sarah's book You Are an Artist comes out a week from today; the finished copies just arrived and it is a beautiful book. — 00:00:13
    • John says art-making is neither optional for humans nor reserved for certain people: we made art in every crisis and deprivation, painted walls before building them, and made art before farming. — 00:01:20
    • Quoting the title of Sarah's book, John says you are an artist if you make any kind of art at any time. — 00:01:41
  • 2020-04-14 · books that help — announcement: John celebrates with champagne that Sarah's book You Are an Artist comes out today, wondering if he can drink champagne on YouTube without being demonetized. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • 2020-06-12 · Fed to the Rules — announcement: Hank and John will hold a launch event on July 7 at 7 p.m. Eastern, here, open to everyone. — 00:02:59
  • 2020-06-30 · i like it — announcement: John: Hank is doing a virtual live tour and John is joining him for much of it; more at hankgreen.com. — 00:01:41
  • 2020-07-03 · My World's on Fire — announcement: Hank: Tickets bought for the July 6th event Hank and John are doing together may have been refunded and need buying again; Hank is sorry. — 00:02:38
  • 2020-07-07 · You're a Rock Star — announcement: John: Hank's second novel comes out today, and Hank and John will be live at 7 p.m. Eastern on the Vlogbrothers channel to celebrate. — 00:00:00
  • 2020-12-29 · Looking Back at My 2020 Goals — John: Sarah's book You Are an Artist and Hank's A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor both came out, but the touring John planned for them did not happen. — 00:01:56
  • …and 15 statements more in 2020 — all statements of 2020

2021

  • 2021-10-14 · Pizza Sized Johns or John Sized Pizza? It's Question Thursday — recommendation: John uses many assignments from Sarah's book, most often Never Seen, Never Will: articulating something you know exists but will never see, his way into realizing he doesn't know almost everything. — 00:02:29
  • 2021-11-16 · Orbital Sunrise: The First Art Made in Space — John: Recalling a passage from You Are an Artist, John says Dürer's 1515 rhinoceros etching shows plates of armor with rivets; Dürer had never seen a rhinoceros, only a description and a small sketch. — 00:00:00
    • In a comment John says the video was inspired by an assignment in Sarah Urist Green's book You Are an Artist. — creator comment

2022

  • 2022-02-15 · My Most Valuable Books — John loves Sarah's book You Are an Artist and uses it to think creatively; this copy is valuable because Sarah signed it with a lovely inscription. — 00:01:56