Alec Soth, the celebrated Magnum photographer, has long been considered one of the most influential voices in contemporary photography. His books, including Sleeping by the Mississippi and I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating, have established him as a master of visual storytelling, combining portraiture with quiet, thoughtful narratives.
But his latest work, Advice for Young Artists, takes an unexpected pivot – offering a more playful, self-reflective take on the creative process and aging.
The book is the result of a journey across the US between 2022 and 2024, during which Soth visited 25 art colleges. The coffee table book is not a manual for success or a guidebook for aspiring creatives – despite its title – instead, it offers a reflective and, at times, humorous meditation on making art, youth and the passage of time.
At first glance, the book feels uncharacteristically simple for Soth, with formal still lifes of classroom objects, portraits of art students, and handwritten notes scribbled on sticky notes. But beneath the simplicity exists a more complex narrative about artmaking at different stages of life – and how both teaching and learning shape the artist’s journey.
As someone familiar with Soth’s earlier work, I was struck by how different this book feels. His previous projects often explore themes of longing and isolation, particularly across the American landscape. But Advice for Young Artists feels looser, more experimental, and far more self-aware. It is more reminiscent of his 2010 project Broken Manual, where he adopted the guise of a hermit-philosopher, but here the tone is lighter, even playful.
What stands out most are the sticky notes scattered throughout the pages, with thoughts and phrases like “Destroy what you love” and “Make your own rules.” These cryptic mottos feel more like musings than advice as if Soth is reminding both his students and himself that the creative process is never straightforward. The photos, too, feel intentionally ambiguous, featuring moments of expression mixed with disguised uncertainty.
It’s a book that’s as much about Soth’s own evolution as an artist as it is about the students in the photographs. He also appears throughout the book, often looking pensive, as though caught between the roles of teacher and lifelong student. The book seems to represent the tension between beginnings and endings, the ambition of youth and the weight of experience. This makes the book even more compelling.
For me, Advice for Young Artists isn’t about finding answers. It’s about embracing uncertainty, letting go of the need for resolution, and understanding that creativity is an ongoing and ever-changing process. Whether you’re a young artist or a more seasoned one, there’s something in these pages that will resonate. It’s not about providing advice, it’s about acknowledging that, in art as in life, we’re all figuring it out as we go.
Advice for Young Artists by Alec Soth, published by Mack, is available now for $45 / £40 (Austrailian availability to be confirmed).
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