The Art of Self-Compassion

How to Offer Yourself Gentle Acceptance and Reclaim Your Worth

by: Joy Prouty

• Format

  Hardcover

  ISBN

  9781540904225

  Dimensions

  7 x 9

  Pub. Date

  Jan 2026

  SRP

  $24.99

  Carton Quantity

  16

  Number of pages

  208

  Buy

About

"A tender and powerful guide exposing shame as an impostor language."--Emily P. Freeman, New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk into a Room 

"By reinterpreting the power of photography as a window to our souls rather than a mirror for our egos, Joy releases us to be moved by the beauty of our own lives."--Julie Bogart, author of Raising Critical Thinkers and founder of Brave Writer 

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In this transformative book, artist and recovering self-critic Joy Prouty helps you see that it's not selfish to be kind to yourself--it's sacred. Through poetic stories of emotional alchemy, Joy untangles what has been keeping you stuck in your head rather than present in the moment. She helps you identify the unconscious habit of invalidating yourself, then gently guides you toward kinder, more compassionate perspectives of your life so that you can live with confidence, presence, and strength.

By learning to love the parts of yourself that you once shamed or abandoned, you will be liberated to embrace the uniquenesses of others, showing that self-compassion is not only a personal practice but a holy act of radical inclusion.

If you want to stop being who others expect you to be while putting your own needs and desires on hold, discover how the practice of self-compassion as a lifestyle and an art can change everything.

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Endorsements

"The Art of Self-Compassion is a tender and powerful guide that exposes shame as impostor language. Through the surprisingly powerful practice of self-portraiture, Joy Prouty offers us an alternative dialect that feels like freedom and sounds like home. This book is a necessary companion for anyone ready to rewrite their inner narrative with compassion at its core."

Emily P. Freeman, New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk into a Room

"Joy Prouty knows the secret we're afraid to admit: We're all starving for permission to love ourselves exactly as we are--wonderfully flawed and achingly human. Offering the revolutionary idea that there's no way to get this wrong, she transforms the simple act of self-portraiture into a portal for healing the harsh voices in our heads. If you've ever worried your hand would be slapped for reaching for beauty and joy, let this be your invitation to reach anyway."

Mary Van Geffen, author of Parenting a Spicy One

"Joy Prouty's The Art of Self-Compassion is a soul-forming, luminous guide to healing the parts of ourselves we've long abandoned or feared. Through raw honesty, poetic insight, and humorous humility, Joy invites us to reclaim our stories, integrate our pain, and discover the quiet, revolutionary power of being gentle with ourselves."

Scott Erickson, author of Honest Advent and Say Yes

"Joy Prouty's piercing yet gentle insight into how we can observe our human experience through a camera lens is a needed antidote in a world of AI-generated images and regurgitated clichés. By reinterpreting the power of photography as a window to our souls rather than a mirror for our egos, Joy releases us to unlearn our negativity bias and be moved by the beauty of our own lives. It's a pleasure to enter Joy's world, where her honest, natural poetry and moving images release us from the prison of self-criticism and open us to awe."

Julie Bogart, author of Raising Critical Thinkers and founder of Brave Writer

"Amid a reality that often feels fragmented and surreal, we long for solace in what is real. In The Art of Self-Compassion, Joy Prouty is at her poetic, tender, visionary best, calling us to beauty and reminding us we're worthy. This book is a balm of sacred wholeness when we need it most."

Shannan Martin, author of Start with Hello and The Ministry of Ordinary Places

"Good photographers teach us to see the mystical in our world. Exceptional photographers teach us to see the mystical in ourselves. Through the pages of this book, Joy Prouty steps out from behind the camera to empower each of us with the gift of seeing--anytime, anywhere. The world will be a little softer because of it."

Shannon K. Evans, author of The Mystics Would Like a Word and Rewilding Motherhood

"The Art of Self-Compassion is a burning bush--tender, luminous, and fiercely true. With courage and grace, Joy Prouty invites us to see what we thought we could not: the beauty in our own becoming. These pages are not just about photography; they are an invitation to be undone by love and remade by grace."

Tara M. Owens, CSD, CSDS, spiritual director, founder of Anam Cara Ministries, and author of Embracing the Body: Finding God in Our Flesh and Bone

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