On today’s podcast episode, I spend time with Austin Kleon. Austin is the New York Times bestselling author of three illustrated books: Steal Like An Artist, Newspaper Blackout, and Show Your Work! His next book is Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad. His books have over a million copies in print and has been translated into over two dozen languages. He speaks about creativity in the digital age for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. In previous lives, he worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter.

Austin Kleon knows that the creative life is not a linear journey to a finish line, it’s a loop so one needs to find a daily routine, because today is the only day that matters. In his book, Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad, Austin celebrates getting outdoors and taking a walk. Pay attention, and especially pay attention to what you pay attention to. Worry less about getting things done, and more about the worth of what you’re doing. Instead of focusing on making your mark, work to leave things better than you found them.

Talking Points

About Austin’s book: Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad

On the importance of having a daily routine

On the idea of having a place to do creative work

How to combat the speed of life

On the idea of having boundaries

Building flexibility on your creative side

The idea of paying attention more than the passage of time

On the importance of having a journal

On using materials for his books that is not on the “modern moment”

How do you fool around with time?

Quote

“Time is the thing you get and you don’t know how much time you get. I think time is exactly what we are up against and it is exactly the real currency that we get to spend in this life. To not waste it and if your gonna waste it, to waste it deliciously. To waste it in the best way you can is the best thing you can do.” 

Relevant Links

Austin Kleon

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Tumbler

Book: Keep Going

Book: Show Your Work!

Book: Steal Like An Artist

Journal: Steal Like An Artist

Book: Newspaper Blackout

This episode teaches us that creative work is hard and how hard it is to keep going. We just need encouragement whether we are burned out, starting out, starting over, or wildly successful in the creative side. I hope you will learn as much as I did.

Want to discover some of the books mentioned on the podcast? Check out Scribd, my reading app of choice.

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