Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon- Book Summary
10 Ways to Stay Creative in the good times and the bad
The world is crazy. Creative work is hard. Life is short and art is long.
I recently read a fantastic book for creatives or anyone who want to do creative work: Keep Going.
I came across Austin Kleon’s work through my favorite YouTuber, Ali Abdaal’s YouTube video. I read Steal Like An Artist first and wrote my first blackout poem. It read- ‘Foreign experienced home, everything is new.’
I really enjoyed Austin’s work and creativity and read Keep Going next.
How I became more productive after reading this book-
- Making lists helped me take action and get work done rather than simply thinking about it.
- The importance of having a bliss station (for me, it’s a time) helped me create and do deep work.
- I realized I can experiment with and do multiple things without assigning titles or monetizing my hobbies.
Now, without further ado, here are my notes from Keep Going-
1. Every day is Groundhog Day
Have a daily routine- Instead of restricting your freedom, a routine protects your freedom.
All of us have good days and bad. Having a routine defends us from chaos and whim. When you don’t know what to do next, your routine will guide you.
Now, before you start looking for the perfect daily routine, know that there is no universal routine that helps you do creative work.
Kafka wrote at night. Plath in the morning. Balzac consumed fifty cups of coffee while Goethe sniffed apples. Build your daily routine based on what works for you.
Make lists- Have you ever felt like you have a lot of work to do but don’t know where to start? You feel overwhelmed and end up doing nothing.
See, our brain’s job is to think. But, when we use it to remember every little thing, we’re not leaving enough room to think.
The solution is to make lists. List down everything that you need to do. For instance, I made a list of 20 article ideas. Now, whenever I sit down to write, I pick a topic from that list and start. I don’t waste time thinking about what to write.
2. Build a Bliss Station
Disconnect from the world to connect with yourself.
An artist needs peace, solitude, and deep work to create. This has become rare in our world of push notifications, content, and constant contact.
In The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell said everyone should have a bliss station -
You must have a room, or a certain hour or so a day, where you don’t know what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who your friends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know what anybody owes to you. This is a place where you simply experience and bring forth what you are and what you might be. This is the place for creative incubation. At first, you may find that nothing happens there. But if you have a sacred place and use it, something will eventually happen.
Don’t grab your phone or laptop as soon as you wake up. It’s the easiest way to get your feelings hurt or lose time. You’ll have started your day with a scattered mind. Instead, make lists, read, meditate, stay silent, or head to your bliss station.
Learn to say no. It’s often the only way to say ‘yes’ to your art and sanity.
3. Forget the noun, do the verb
We often think about becoming something, a title, without thinking about the day-to-day job.
But titles can be messy and restricting. Because it implies you can only be that thing. That you can’t be a painter if you’re a writer.
Remember, titles are for others, not you.
Stay light and detached from the results. Let go of the things you’re trying to be (noun) and put in the work instead (verb). If you find yourself procrastinating or worrying about the result, try to make the worst thing you can.
Art and the artist both suffer the most when the artist gets too heavy, too focused on the results.
4. Make Gifts
We used to have hobbies; now we have side hustles.
Not all hobbies need to be monetized. Turning your hobby into what makes you money works well for some, but it might not for others. People often realize that having a day job helps them create better.
Whenever you feel like you’re losing your gift, make gifts.
Ignore the number: It’s easy to become obsessed with only metrics- money, views, likes, shares, re-blogs, follower counts, and more.
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. — William Bruce Cameron
5. What is Extraordinary?
If you keep waiting until you have the best equipment and tools to create art, you’ll be waiting forever. Instead, find magic in the mundane. Make art out of ordinary stuff. You have everything you need.
The ordinary + extra attention = the extraordinary
‘Pay attention to what you pay attention to’ — Sally Mann
Slow down. The best way to slow down and pay attention to the world is to draw things out. You’ll discover the beauty you missed.
6. Slay the art monsters
Quite simply, art is for life. Not the other way around.
People often romanticize art monsters (cheaters, addicts). But if your art is adding misery to the world, quit. Do something else.
The world does not need great artists. It needs more decent and kind human beings.
7. You are allowed to change your mind
If you’ve never changed your mind about something, pinch yourself; you may be dead.
When was the last time you changed your mind? What were you worried about the most?
What will people think?
Changing your mind is considered to be a sign of defeat or weakness.
While in reality, it’s the complete opposite. It’s a sign of strength and awareness. A sign that you’re not rigid. You’re thinking and you’re open-minded and unafraid.
Unfortunately, the internet is no longer a safe space for that. Instead, test your ideas first.
- Offline in your journal or bliss station
- Seek like-hearted people. Kind people. People who, when you say something, think about it, rather than simply react.
- Visit the past. Look for ideas, inspirations, and perspectives of people from our past.
8. When in doubt, tidy up
Surround yourself with the mess of what you love. Intentionally cultivate a little bit of mess and make it feel like your place. But maintain a balance between chaos and order: keep your tools tidy and your materials messy.
You can also call this productive procrastination. Because once you’re done, you’ll be happy you at least checked tidying up off your list.
Tidying also means mentally- taking a nap. It flushes your thoughts and gives you a fresh start.
9. Demons hate fresh air
To exercise is to exorcise.
We are hooked on our phones, social media, and TV. As a result, we’re constantly bombarded by others’ opinions about the world.
Walking is good for our health- physical, mental and emotional. It clears our minds. Road Work was a crucial part of Gary Halbert’s routine. He talked about it in length in ‘The Boron Letters’ which he wrote to his youngest son while serving time in prison.
10. Tidy up your garden
Your life is like a garden. And you are the gardener. Gardening requires love, patience, and care. Similarly, we need to learn to be patient with ourselves. Give ourselves time.
Seasons change and it’s okay to not thrive in each one. Sometimes it’s okay to shed leaves or simply exist.
Take your time and go easy on yourself. Sometimes this means hitting pause and staying within your comfort zone. Other times, it means pushing yourself and stepping out of your comfort zone.
Worry about things worth worrying about.
1 provoking question from the book:
What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?
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Thank you for reading :)
