Book Review: Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making by Andrew Peterson

Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making  by Andrew Peterson 

I love books on creativity and reading about artists reflecting on their work and craft, so I was eager to read this book. Andrew Peterson is a Christian songwriter, musician, and author and in the book he shares his beginnings in songwriting and the music industry. We see his thoughts on writing and creativity and he shares his inspirations and other books that helped him along his path such as Madeleine L’Engle’s Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. He talks not only about his experiences getting started as a songwriter, but in touring, dealing with being dropped from his label, and using his music as a ministry.

Some of the topics he covers are: serving the work, serving your audience, selectivity, discipline, discernment, how art nourishes community and vice versa. He shares advice for creatives, humbling experiences, and lists of books that will help the reader.

I enjoyed his sharing his own experiences and how his faith pulled him through. I also liked that he included book suggestions as well as poetry that has inspired him. One part of the book that stood out was his sharing how other artists can inspire you to keep going. He cited C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as examples as Lewis encouraged Tolkien to keep writing his series when he started to doubt himself.

I sometimes underline passages in books, but I rarely write in the margins and I found myself both underlining and jotting notes in the margin. This is definitely a book I will be reading again and again. I wish I could get every writer I know to read this book. This is a terrific book for anyone who is pursing the arts in any form.

​I received this book from BH Publishing and Lifeway in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.