Keep Going
The Book in 3 Sentences:
Keep Going is a book writen by a successful artist for other aspiring artists.
The 10 tips are designing to motivate, encourage, and empower those who are looking to increase their productivity capacity, in art and beyond.
The playful style of this book, combined with short chapters, makes it an easy read, just like his other books.
Top 3 Quotes:
"We have so little control over our lives. The only thing we can really control is what we spend our days on."
"I don't know for sure what kinds of flowers I'm planting with my days on this planet, but I intend to find out, and so should you."
"You can't wait around for someone to call you an artist before you make art. You'll never make it."
Who Should Read it?
If you're a creative person, no matter the art form, you should check out this book. Even if you hate reading, the pictures scattered through the book make it playful and easy to understand. The moment I finished this book, I begin reading another one of his works, Steal Like an Artist.
How the Book Changed Me:
Living a productive life has always been important to me, but lately I've noticed a change in my perspective. Instead of focusing on how much work I accomplish in a day, I've starting to measuring my levels of creativity. From this a unique finding has emerged: the less productive I am, the more creative I become. Austin Kleon acknowledges this by saying, "When you ignore quantitative measurements for a bit, you can get back to qualitative measurements."
Measuring dollars per hour is insightful when we want to measure profitability. But it's a useless measurement of our creativity. Artistic expression originates from, "loneliness, uncertainty, and boredom," not the number of hours we work.
That being said, I believe there is a balance to be found in each of us. For some, painting all day is enjoyable. For others, it's torture. The necessity for work exists in each of us, but we also contain the ability to express ourselves creatively. Instead of viewing productivity as something to be attained, we should view it as a tool to promote our creative self. Work your twelve hour shift, but take time to journal, sketch, or play your favorite instrument. "Worry less about getting things done. Worry more about things worth doing."