Keep Going!

"Keep Going!"  It's the title of the latest book by Austin Kleon.  The subtitle is "Ten Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad". This is a little book that you can practically stick in your pocket. It measures only 6 x 6 inches, but the messages it contains are far, far bigger. (And the messages pertain to  many life endeavors, not just painting or artistic ones).

Photo (c) Getty Images

I love Kleon's refreshing, no-nonsense way of thinking and writing. He has a certain irreverence that appeals to me. I wanted to stand up and cheer when I read the first sentence: "Whenever someone starts talking about 'the creative journey', I roll my eyes."  As Kleon says, it sounds too lofty, too heroic. Instead, the artistic life is really a non-glamorous, up and down path, and progress depends largely on finding a daily routine and sticking to it, through thick and thin. 

Some of Kleon's key ideas are ones I've written about before.  He notes that prolific artists have figured out a daily practice. Their practice is repeatable, and it insulates them from success, failure and the chaos of the outside world. It keeps them going. This message is very similar to that of Twyla Tharp, in her book The Creative Habit, which I've written about here. I am definitely a believer!

I also loved Kleon's suggestion to keep an ongoing list of ideas to work on in the future--because you never have time to pursue every idea at once. And they slip away if you don't jot them down. Kleon quotes people who call their lists "Someday/Maybe" lists, or "spark files". Twyla Tharp keeps her ideas in cardboard boxes. She pulls them out for inspiration. I keep a small notebook in my purse, so I can put my hands on it at a moment's notice and capture an idea before it fades.

Kleon also writes that "Silence and solitude are crucial". In this notion, he is on the same page with a number of other artists. Perhaps the most eloquent of them is Ranier Maria Rilke, whose book Letters to a Young Poet is a "must read".

Hope I have inspired you to check out Kleon's new book. Put it on your list!