A Bright Clean Mind
Now available from Mango
Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or (best of all) at your local indie
Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are.
—Thich Nhat Hanh
We live in a culture in which the eating and wearing of animals is taken for granted, so this is one limiting mindset people rarely recognize as such. But if artists can employ their imagination to draw and paint and compose and design and create worlds from scratch, they can surely use that imaginative power to recognize themselves in a creature who is suffering. On the other side of that transformation is a lifestyle that is ideal for their own physical and emotional wellbeing and much more environmentally sustainable. A Bright Clean Mind is a no-judgment exploration of the creative benefits of ethical veganism, drawing on vivid examples from art and literature to offer
specific ways to “unstick" from common creative hazards like perfectionism, defeatism, self loathing, and ego-based comparisons using the vegan ethos
practical methods for resolving one’s cognitive dissonance and moral confusion with regard to animal cruelty and the socioeconomic injustice of our current food system
Camille's firsthand experiences of everything from foraging and juice fasting to scuba diving and vegan hip hop
candid interviews with vegan artists, writers, and performers
tips for transitioning to a vegan lifestyle and recipes to fuel your creative work and celebrate your successes
The reward for you: a newfound sense of ease and joy in your creative process, and maybe a remarkable boost in productivity. For book news and updates on the companion course, you can sign up for Comet Party email updates. And if you're a vegan artist (of any stripe) and this project sounds interesting, please drop me a line! (The book is finished, but I'm planning an additional interview series to coincide with publication.) I'll be donating a significant percentage of each royalty check to food justice and animal rights organizations. Details to follow.
Featured Artists
Nava Atlas, Lacresha Berry, Heidi Braacx, Debra Diane, Janyce Denise Glasper, Maya Gottfried, Yitzy Holton-Hinshaw, Cynthia King, Henry Lien, Melanie Light, Nicola McLean, Tanya O'Callaghan, Josephine Skapare, Alec Thibodeau, Donald Vincent (a.k.a. Mr. Hip), Colin Weeks, with more awesome art from Sue Coe, Dan Piraro, Kerry Lemon, Jane O'Hara, Immy Keys, Meneka Repka, Weronika Kolinska, Marinksy, Jerry Drave, Philip McCulloch-Downs, and Alfredo Meschi
Advance Praise
"Camille DeAngelis roundly disproves the theory that plant-eaters are somber moralists. Far from it. Getting to peer into the lives and creative processes of these vegan visionaries makes me want to write and dance and organize my cupboards and make a tofu frittata."
—Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life and Main Street Vegan
"A Bright Clean Mind is a revelatory approach to the creative process. Utterly unique and deliciously galvanizing, Camille DeAngelis makes an excellent case for the connection between veganism and artistic empowerment. By placing compassion at the heart of creativity, DeAngelis has issued a convincing, urgent call-to-arms for artists to abandon the tired stereotype of the unhealthy, self-centered creator and instead embrace the holistic vitality—and boundless creativity—of a planet-centered lifestyle."
—Heather Demetrios, author and writing coach
"A Bright Clean Mind guides creators towards a path of enlightened eating. Making a connection between a vegan diet and impeccable creative expression, Camille DeAngelis recounts her own life story and those of other creatives who have come to the conclusion that eating animals interferes with getting into the visionary zone. All of this aligns with what Ayurveda explained 5000 years ago: consuming a sattvic diet (light, plant-based foods) will lead to a wise and brilliant mind. If you are a maker or an artist who feels anxious, depressed or just plain not feeling up to par, I urge you to read this book. In the pages you will discover how to wake up your life force by embracing a more connected way of living and eating."
—Elise Marie Collins, author of Super Ager: You Can Look Younger,Have More Energy, A Better Memory and Live a Long and Healthy Life
Important Note
Please read A Bright Clean Mind Corrections and Clarifications before emailing me. Thanks in advance!
Fun Things to Read (and Listen to)
"Not Every Singer is Here to Start the Party": an interview with vegan jazz artist Risa Branch
Vegan Hip-Hop playlist (YouTube)
Vegetarianism in Art, a presentation by Mark Braunstein (author of Radical Vegetarianism)
Book excerpt: A Conversation with Nava Atlas on The Vegan Atlas (October 2019)
Choosing Wilbur Over Bacon (October 2019)
"The Edible Woods" (the foraging chapter) on Tenderly (July 2019)
A Conversation with Visual Artist and Curator Jane O'Hara, June 2019 (YouTube)
Essential Reading for White Vegans [on racism in the animal-rights movement and what we can do about it]
Vegan Love and Dating Tips with Author Maya Gottfried, May 2019 (YouTube)
Complete Vegan YouTube Playlist
MikeyPod 275 | Author Camille DeAngelis Returns, April 2019
MikeyPod 274 | Author Camille DeAngelis, March 2019
The Main Street Vegan Podcast with Victoria Moran, September 12, 2018. Listen here.
Ouija Boards, Oracle Monkeys, and Vegan Delights with Henry Lien, author of Peasprout Chen, Future Legend of Skate and Sword, April 2018
Monstrous Festive: How Going Vegan Ruins Christmas Forever on Medium, December 2017.
The Literary Feasts of Scarlett Thomas on the Main Street Vegan blog, August 22, 2017.
The Main Street Vegan Podcast with Victoria Moran, February 8, 2017. Listen here.
The Dietary Habits of Imaginary People on the Main Street Vegan blog, January 10, 2017.
Vegan Edinburgh on the Main Street Vegan blog, September 15, 2015.
Veganism and Personal Evolution on the Main Street Vegan blog, May 12, 2015.
How Going Vegan Can Make You More Creative on the Main Street Vegan blog, July 8, 2014.