The only way to find your way is to get lost.

Instead of worrying about titles or labels, Kleon encourages focusing on the actual work. Whether you call yourself a writer, artist, or musician, what matters most is the act of creating. By prioritizing the verb (writing, painting, composing), you stay connected to your craft.

Forget The Noun, Do The Verb

Embracing flexibility and adaptability is crucial for long-term creativity. Kleon reminds us that it’s okay to change our minds, switch directions, or explore new interests. This openness allows for growth and keeps your work dynamic and evolving.

You Are Not Allowed To Change Your Mind

Kleon uses the metaphor of gardening to illustrate the importance of nurturing your creative practice. Just as a garden requires consistent care and patience, your creative work needs time, effort, and dedication to flourish. By planting and tending to your ideas, you cultivate a thriving creative life.

Plant Your Garden

You can’t find your voice if you don’t use it.

Sometimes you need to step away from the screen and step into the world.

Creativity is about connections – you have to be open to everything around you.

Kleon advises against letting the pursuit of art turn you into an “art monster” consumed by ego and ambition. Instead, he encourages maintaining a balanced life, nurturing relationships, and finding joy in the creative process itself. This approach leads to a healthier and more sustainable creative career.

Slay The Art Monsters

The best way to get started on the path to a creative life is to start small and keep going.

Kleon emphasizes the importance of daily routines. By treating each day as a fresh start, you can focus on the present and maintain a steady creative output. Establishing routines helps manage stress and keeps you grounded in your creative work.

Everyday Is A Groundhog Day

Kleon highlights the joy and fulfillment that comes from creating for others. By making gifts, you shift the focus from commercial success to genuine expression and connection. This mindset fosters a more meaningful and sustainable creative practice.

Make Gifts

Paying attention to the mundane aspects of life can spark creativity. Kleon believes that by observing and appreciating the ordinary, you can find extraordinary insights and inspiration. This practice helps you stay engaged and curious in your creative journey.

Ordinary + Extra Attention = Extraordinary

Cleaning and organizing your physical space can have a positive impact on your mental clarity. Kleon suggests that when you feel stuck or overwhelmed, tidying up can create a sense of order and provide a fresh perspective. This simple act can rejuvenate your creativity.

When In Doubt, Tidy Up

Creating a dedicated space for your work can significantly enhance your productivity. Kleon suggests setting up a “bliss station” where you can escape distractions and immerse yourself in your creative process. This space becomes a sanctuary for your ideas and inspirations.

Build A Bliss Station

Embrace creativity with Austin Kleon's "Keep Going," where daily routines, bliss stations, and mindful practices inspire a sustainable and joyful creative life.

The world is crazy. Creative work is hard. And nothing is getting any easier!  In his previous books—Steal Like an Artistand Show Your Work!, New York Times bestsellers with over a million copies in print combined—Austin Kleon gave readers the key to unlock their creativity and then showed them how to share it. Now he completes his trilogy with his most inspiring work yet.  Keep Going gives the reader life-changing, illustrated advice and encouragement on how to stay creative, focused, and true to yourself in the face of personal burnout or external distractions. Here is how to Build a Bliss Station—a place or fixed period where you can disconnect from the world. How to see that Every Day Is Groundhog Day—yesterday’s over, tomorrow may never come, so just do what you can do today. How to Forget the Noun, Do the Verb—stop worrying about being a “painter” and just paint.  Keep working. Keep playing. Keep searching. Keep giving. Keep living. Keep Going. It’s exactly the message all of us need, at exactly the right time.

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I’m a writer who draws. I make art with words and books with pictures. Author of Steal Like An Artist and other bestsellers. Visit my website: http://austinkleon.com/

AUSTIN KLEON

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