Book Notes: We Need Your Art
Book
We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something
Author
Aime McNee
Read
February 2026
Buy:
https://bookshop.org/a/17533/9780593833001
My Short Summary
An extended manifesto on the benefits of making art for its own sake, even when (especially when) modern society dismisses it as frivolous and unimportant.
My Short Take
I think I’d have enjoyed this well-intended but repetitive pep talk as a blog post (or even a YouTube video) rather than a 200+ page book.
Some Rambling
I fast-tracked this book way up my TBR list thinking it was exactly what I needed to read right now, and … was …not disappointed, exactly. It just wasn’t what I’d hoped for. That’s probably on me. I think I need to go into books with fewer expectations. This is the second book I’ve read this year, and I’m two for two in being so excited by the premise and then the execution not being what I was looking forward to.
I really like McNee’s voice: it’s down to earth, a little irreverent, fresh, modern, etc. But the content itself just wasn’t there for me mostly because it felt incredibly repetitive. The full title of this book is We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something. The 200+ pages pretty much just say that … over and over. I lost count of the times I had the thought, “Didn’t she just say that?”
There was an overall vagueness that made it hard for me to connect and feel inspired, both in the language and the advice. When she talks about her own experiences (she’s a novelist) she’s extremely specific and entertaining, which makes me think perhaps this book would have been more impactful had she leaned into writing a memoir.
But the advice portion, which is most of the book, felt like the type of suggestions we hear for any endeavor, not just artistic ones. Advice like: start with small achievable goals, don’t compare yourself to others, don’t be a perfectionist…
I’m not knocking these suggestions! They’re good! ! I was just really hoping for more, I don’t know … art? Inspiration? I wanted to hear more stories people creating music, photography, videos, web design, sketching, watercolor, abstract oils, sculpture, candle-making, recipe creation, floral arrangement … I dunno. I was really wanted something to sort of sink my creative teeth into, and didn’t find it here.
And this is where the personal “it’s not you, it’s me,” really comes in, but I think given my current mindset right now, I was hoping for a bit more encouragement on the idea that creating and art doesn’t have to be a novel, a painting, a drawing, playing piano, or any of the traditional “arts.” I wanted to be reminded that making anything, whether it’s making your favorite quote look pretty using Canva or spending or learning the art of exquisite quiche can count as art. This isn’t that book, and that’s fine. Maybe I should write it.
I did really appreciate the few pages on saturated markets; I hadn’t thought about the market in that light before, and found it quite helpful. “Art is not toaster” will stick with me!
I also liked the paragraph where she reminds us that we’re allowed to have boundaries when it comes to sharing our work online. That’s a big hang-up for me, so I really appreciated the reminder.
Ultimately: I don’t think I was the intended audience for this book, or perhaps it’s just not what I was expecting. It was a fast and easy read, I just never really felt moved, changed, or inspired. But that very well could have been my headspace, as this book otherwise gets overwhelming positive reviews from people who found it really helpful, and I’m thrilled, because despite this book not being a home fun for me, I whole heartedly agree:
We need your art.
Note
Many of the book’s pages are taken up with large hand-written reminders/quotes. I quite liked this given that it’s a book about art, but if you’re one of those people who feels like such things are “filler” to pad a book’s page count, you’ve been warned.
And you should also be prepared that a decent chunk of each chapter is taken up with extensive journal prompts. As an avid journaler, I like this in theory, but if it’s journal prompts you’re after, I love Wilde House Paper’s Open Journal Digital Library.
Recommended For
If you already know the precise art medium your soul is yearning to create, is but have never picked up the brush/pencil or stared down the black page, etc and need a pep talk, McNee makes a fantastic cheerleader!
If you have any previous creating experience, or are looking to unlock blocked/undiscovered avenues of creativity, I’d recommend the following:
