We often don't understand how creators work, but Ryan T. Pozzi gets it. This book is deeply human and recognizes that with our humanity, we can persevere to reach our loftiest dreams.

Scott Barry Kaufman, psychologist and coauthor of Wired to Create

The Mess That Made Them is an engaging reminder for artists that Art is always changing, that each generation reinvents poetry, painting, composing, and you should of course learn from the past but you need to reinvent. This is a book with stories which encourage artists to do your work your way, to make your poem into what you wished there were more poems like, even if that's not what those around you are doing. It's a reminder that what makes artists remembered is more than the art, it's how they made their field their own, and Pozzi's is a great voice of encouragement to push us all forward.

Matt Mason, former Nebraska State Poet and author of Rock Stars

We loved The Mess That Made Them. It so openly explores the beauty and the difficulty of a creative life. It's incredibly moving and thoughtful. Ryan T. Pozzi captures what the world sees and what artists actually live through, and does it with warmth, clarity, and real encouragement.

Victoria and Madison Abbott, actresses, Echoes and Grotesquerie

A rich, highly readable and at times very personal account of the struggles of great artists to choose their own path, and how listening to inner voices, rather than outer ones, enriches our world. A welcome celebration of determination, single-mindedness and the power of refusal

John Higgs, cultural historian and author of William Blake Vs the World

Tales of power, persistence, and courage – Ryan T. Pozzi presents us with a cavalcade of artists who created great work while struggling through the numerous obstacles they faced. The power of art is measured by the pushing-through, by the overcoming. We owe so much to these pioneers – and to the unforeseen tenacious pioneers who will come after us.

Stephen Nachmanovitch, bestselling author of The Art of Is and Free Play