StealLikeanArtist 10ThingsNobodyToldYouAboutBeingCreative

AustinKleon

WORKMANPUBLISHINGCOMPANY•NEWYORK

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CONTENTS

1. StealLikeanArtist.2. Don’tWaitUntilYouKnowWhoYouAretoGetStarted.3. WritetheBookYouWanttoRead.4. UseYourHands.5. SideProjectsandHobbiesAreImportant.6. TheSecret:DoGoodWorkandShareItwithPeople.7. GeographyIsNoLongerOurMaster.8. BeNice.(TheWorldIsaSmallTown.)9. BeBoring.(It’stheOnlyWaytoGetWorkDone.)10. CreativityIsSubtraction.

“Artistheft.”—PabloPicasso

“Immaturepoetsimitate;maturepoetssteal;badpoetsdefacewhattheytake,andgoodpoetsmakeitintosomethingbetter,oratleastsomethingdifferent.Thegoodpoetweldshistheftintoawholeoffeelingwhichisunique,utterlydifferentfromthatfromwhichitwas

torn.”—T.S.Eliot

It’soneofmytheoriesthatwhenpeoplegiveyouadvice,they’rereallyjust

talkingtothemselvesinthepast.Thisbookismetalkingtoapreviousversionofmyself.These are things I’ve learned over almost a decade of trying to figure out

howtomakeart,butafunnythinghappenedwhenIstartedsharingthemwithothers—Irealizedthattheyaren’tjustforartists.They’reforeveryone.

Theseideasapplytoanyonewho’stryingtoinjectsomecreativityintotheirlifeandtheirwork.(Thatshoulddescribeallofus.)

Inotherwords:Thisbookisforyou.Whoeveryouare,whateveryoumake.

Let’sgetstarted.

Everyartistgetsaskedthequestion,

“Wheredoyougetyourideas?”Thehonestartistanswers,

“Istealthem.”Howdoesanartistlookattheworld?First,youfigureoutwhat’sworthstealing,thenyoumoveontothenextthing.

That’saboutallthereistoit.Whenyoulookattheworldthisway,youstopworryingaboutwhat’s“good”andwhat’s“bad”—there’sonlystuffworthstealing,andstuffthat’snotworthstealing.

Everythingisupforgrabs.Ifyoudon’tfindsomethingworthstealingtoday,youmightfinditworthstealingtomorroworamonthorayearfromnow.

“TheonlyartI’lleverstudyisstuffthatIcanstealfrom.”—DavidBowie

ThewriterJonathanLethemhassaidthatwhenpeoplecallsomething“original,”nineoutoftentimestheyjustdon’tknowthereferencesortheoriginalsourcesinvolved.

Whatagoodartistunderstandsisthatnothingcomesfromnowhere.Allcreativeworkbuildsonwhatcamebefore.Nothingiscompletelyoriginal.It’srightthereintheBible:“Thereisnothingnewunderthesun.”(Ecclesiastes1:9)Somepeoplefindthisideadepressing,butitfillsmewithhope.AstheFrenchwriterAndréGideputit,“Everythingthatneedstobesaidhasalreadybeensaid.But,sincenoonewaslistening,everythingmustbesaidagain.”Ifwe’refreefromtheburdenoftryingtobecompletelyoriginal,wecanstoptryingtomakesomethingoutofnothing,andwecanembraceinfluenceinsteadofrunningawayfromit.

“Whatisoriginality?Undetectedplagiarism.”—WilliamRalphInge

Everynewideaisjustamashuporaremixofoneormorepreviousideas.

Here’satricktheyteachyouinartschool.Drawtwoparallellinesonapieceofpaper:

Howmanylinesarethere?

There’sthefirstline,thesecondline,butthenthere’salineofnegativespacethatrunsbetweenthem.Seeit?1+1=3.

Agoodexampleisgenetics.Youhaveamotherandyouhaveafather.Youpossessfeaturesfrombothofthem,butthesumofyouisbiggerthantheirparts.You’rearemixofyourmomanddadandallofyourancestors.

Justasyouhaveafamilialgenealogy,youalsohaveagenealogyofideas.Youdon’tgettopickyourfamily,butyoucanpickyourteachersandyoucanpickyourfriendsandyoucanpickthemusicyoulistentoandyoucanpickthebooksyoureadandyoucanpickthemoviesyousee.Youare,infact,amashupofwhatyouchoosetoletintoyourlife.Youarethe

sumofyourinfluences.TheGermanwriterGoethesaid,“Weareshapedandfashionedbywhatwelove.”“Wewerekidswithoutfathers...sowefoundourfathersonwaxandonthestreetsandinhistory.Wegottopickandchoosetheancestorswhowouldinspiretheworldweweregoingtomakefor

ourselves.”—Jay-Z

Theartistisacollector.Notahoarder,mindyou,there’sadifference:Hoarderscollectindiscriminately,artistscollectselectively.Theyonlycollectthingsthattheyreallylove.

There’saneconomictheoryouttherethatifyoutaketheincomesofyourfiveclosestfriendsandaveragethem,theresultingnumberwillbeprettyclosetoyourownincome.Ithinkthesamethingistrueofourideaincomes.You’reonlygoingtobeasgoodasthestuffyousurroundyourselfwith.Mymomusedtosaytome,“Garbagein,garbageout.”Itusedtodrivemenuts.ButnowIknowwhatshemeant.

Yourjobistocollectgoodideas.Themoregoodideasyoucollect,themoreyoucanchoosefromtobeinfluencedby.“Stealfromanywherethatresonateswithinspirationorfuelsyourimagination.Devouroldfilms,newfilms,music,books,paintings,photographs,poems,dreams,randomconversations,architecture,

bridges,streetsigns,trees,clouds,bodiesofwater,lightandshadows.Selectonlythingstostealfromthatspeakdirectlytoyour

soul.Ifyoudothis,yourwork(andtheft)willbeauthentic.”—JimJarmusch

MarcelDuchampsaid,“Idon’tbelieveinart.Ibelieveinartists.”Thisisactuallyaprettygoodmethodforstudying—ifyoutrytodevourthehistoryofyourdisciplineallatonce,you’llchoke.

Instead,chewononethinker—writer,artist,activist,rolemodel—youreallylove.Studyeverythingthereistoknowaboutthatthinker.Thenfindthreepeoplethatthinkerloved,andfindouteverythingaboutthem.Repeatthisasmanytimesasyoucan.Climbupthetreeasfarasyoucango.Onceyoubuildyourtree,it’stimetostartyourownbranch.

Seeingyourselfaspartofacreativelineagewillhelpyoufeellessaloneasyoustartmakingyourownstuff.Ihangpicturesofmyfavoriteartistsinmystudio.They’relikefriendlyghosts.IcanalmostfeelthempushingmeforwardasI’mhunchedovermydesk.

Thegreatthingaboutdeadorremotemastersisthattheycan’trefuseyouasanapprentice.Youcanlearnwhateveryouwantfromthem.Theylefttheirlessonplansintheirwork.

Schoolisonething.Educationisanother.Thetwodon’talwaysoverlap.Whetheryou’reinschoolornot,it’salwaysyourjobtogetyourselfaneducation.

Youhavetobecuriousabouttheworldinwhichyoulive.Lookthingsup.Chasedowneveryreference.Godeeperthananybodyelse—that’showyou’llgetahead.Googleeverything.Imeaneverything.Googleyourdreams,Googleyourproblems.Don’taskaquestionbeforeyouGoogleit.You’lleitherfindtheansweroryou’llcomeupwithabetterquestion.

Alwaysbereading.Gotothelibrary.There’smagicinbeingsurroundedbybooks.Getlostinthestacks.Readbibliographies.It’snotthebookyoustartwith,it’sthebookthatbookleadsyouto.Collectbooks,evenifyoudon’tplanonreadingthemrightaway.FilmmakerJohnWatershassaid,“Nothingismoreimportantthananunreadlibrary.”Don’tworryaboutdoingresearch.Justsearch.

“WhetherIwenttoschoolornot,Iwouldalwaysstudy.”—RZA

Carryanotebookandapenwithyouwhereveryougo.Getusedtopullingitoutandjottingdownyourthoughtsandobservations.Copyyourfavoritepassagesoutofbooks.Recordoverheardconversations.Doodlewhenyou’reonthephone.

Gotowhateverlengthsnecessarytomakesureyoualwayshavepaperonyou.ArtistDavidHockneyhadalltheinsidepocketsofhissuitjacketstailoredtofitasketchbook.ThemusicianArthurRusselllikedtowearshirtswithtwofrontpocketssohecouldfillthemwithscrapsofscoresheets.Keepaswipefile.It’sjustwhatitsoundslike—afiletokeeptrackofthestuffyou’veswipedfromothers.Itcanbedigitaloranalog—itdoesn’tmatterwhatformittakes,aslongasitworks.Youcankeepascrapbookandcutandpastethingsintoit,oryoucanjusttakepicturesofthingswithyourcameraphone.

Seesomethingworthstealing?Putitintheswipefile.Needalittleinspiration?Openuptheswipefile.Newspaperreporterscallthisa“morguefile”—Ilikethatnameevenbetter.Yourmorguefileiswhereyoukeepthedeadthingsthatyou’lllaterreanimateinyourwork.

“Itisbettertotakewhatdoesnotbelongtoyouthantoletitliearoundneglected.”

—MarkTwain

IfI’dwaitedtoknowwhoIwasorwhatIwasaboutbeforeIstarted“beingcreative,”well,I’dstillbesittingaroundtryingtofiguremyselfoutinsteadofmakingthings.Inmyexperience,it’sintheactofmakingthingsanddoingourworkthatwefigureoutwhoweare.

You’reready.Startmakingstuff.Youmightbescaredtostart.That’snatural.There’sthisveryrealthingthatrunsrampantineducatedpeople.It’scalled“impostorsyndrome.”Theclinicaldefinitionisa“psychologicalphenomenoninwhichpeopleareunabletointernalizetheiraccomplishments.”Itmeansthatyoufeellikeaphony,likeyou’rejustwingingit,thatyoureallydon’thaveanyideawhatyou’redoing.

Guesswhat:Noneofusdo.Askanybodydoingtrulycreativework,andthey’lltellyouthetruth:Theydon’tknowwherethegoodstuffcomesfrom.Theyjustshowuptodotheirthing.Everyday.

Haveyoueverheardofdramaturgy?It’safancytermforsomethingWilliamShakespearespelledoutinhisplayAsYouLikeItabout400yearsago: Alltheworld’sastage,

Andallthemenandwomenmerelyplayers:Theyhavetheirexitsandtheirentrances;Andonemaninhistimeplaysmanyparts.

Anotherwaytosaythis?Fakeit’tilyoumakeit.Ilovethisphrase.Therearetwowaystoreadit: 1. Pretend to be something you’re not until you are—fake it until you’resuccessful,untileverybodyseesyouthewayyouwantthemto;or

2.Pretendtobemakingsomethinguntilyouactuallymakesomething.Ilovebothreadings—youhavetodressforthejobyouwant,notthejobyouhave,andyouhavetostartdoingtheworkyouwanttobedoing.

IalsolovethebookJustKidsbythemusicianPattiSmith.It’sastoryabouthowtwofriendswhowantedtobeartistsmovedtoNewYork.Youknowhowtheylearnedtobeartists?

“Youstartoutasaphonyandbecomereal.”—GlennO’Brien

Theypretendedtobeartists.Inmyfavoritescene,fromwhichthebookgetsitstitle,PattiSmithandherfriend,thephotographerRobertMapplethorpe,dressupinalltheirbohemiangypsygearandgotoWashingtonSquarePark,whereeverybody’shangingout.Thisoldtouristycoupleisgawkingatthem.Thewifesaystoherhusband,“Oh,taketheirpicture.Ithinkthey’reartists.”“Oh,goon,”thehusbanddisagrees.“They’rejustkids.”Thepointis:Alltheworld’sastage.Creativeworkisakindoftheater.Thestageisyourstudio,yourdesk,oryourworkstation.Thecostumeisyouroutfit—your

paintingpants,yourbusinesssuit,orthatfunnyhatthathelpsyouthink.Thepropsareyourmaterials,yourtools,andyourmedium.Thescriptisjustplainoldtime.Anhourhere,oranhourthere—justtimemeasuredoutforthingstohappen.

Fakeit’tilyoumakeit.

“Startcopyingwhatyoulove.Copycopycopycopy.Attheendofthecopyyouwillfindyourself.”

—YohjiYamamotoNobodyisbornwithastyleoravoice.Wedon’tcomeoutofthewombknowingwhoweare.Inthebeginning,welearnbypretendingtobeourheroes.Welearnbycopying.

We’retalkingaboutpracticehere,notplagiarism—plagiarismistryingtopasssomeoneelse’sworkoffasyourown.Copyingisaboutreverse-engineering.It’slikeamechanictakingapartacartoseehowitworks.

Welearntowritebycopyingdownthealphabet.Musicianslearntoplaybypracticingscales.Painterslearntopaintbyreproducingmasterpieces.Remember:EvenTheBeatlesstartedasacoverband.PaulMcCartneyhassaid,“IemulatedBuddyHolly,LittleRichard,JerryLeeLewis,Elvis.Wealldid.”McCartneyandhispartnerJohnLennonbecameoneofthegreatestsongwritingteamsinhistory,butasMcCartneyrecalls,theyonlystartedwritingtheirownsongs“asawaytoavoidotherbandsbeingabletoplayourset.”AsSalvadorDalísaid,“Thosewhodonotwanttoimitateanything,producenothing.”

First,youhavetofigureoutwhotocopy.Second,youhavetofigureoutwhattocopy.Whotocopyiseasy.Youcopyyourheroes—thepeopleyoulove,thepeopleyou’reinspiredby,thepeopleyouwanttobe.ThesongwriterNickLowesays,“Youstartoutbyrewritingyourhero’scatalog.”Andyoudon’tjuststealfromoneofyourheroes,youstealfromallofthem.ThewriterWilsonMiznersaidifyoucopyfromoneauthor,it’splagiarism,butifyoucopyfrommany,it’sresearch.IonceheardthecartoonistGaryPantersay,“Ifyouhaveonepersonyou’reinfluencedby,everyonewillsayyou’rethenextwhoever.Butifyouripoffahundredpeople,everyonewillsayyou’resooriginal!”Whattocopyisalittlebittrickier.Don’tjuststealthestyle,stealthethinkingbehindthestyle.Youdon’twanttolooklikeyourheroes,youwanttoseelikeyourheroes.

Thereasontocopyyourheroesandtheirstyleissothatyoumightsomehowgetaglimpseintotheirminds.That’swhatyoureallywant—tointernalizetheirwayoflookingattheworld.Ifyoujustmimicthesurfaceofsomebody’sworkwithoutunderstandingwheretheyarecomingfrom,yourworkwillneverbeanythingmorethanaknockoff.

“Wewantyoutotakefromus.Wewantyou,atfirst,tostealfrom

us,becauseyoucan’tsteal.Youwilltakewhatwegiveyouandyouwillputitinyourownvoiceandthat’showyouwillfindyourvoice.Andthat’showyoubegin.Andthenonedaysomeonewillsteal

fromyou.”—FrancisFordCoppola

Atsomepoint,you’llhavetomovefromimitatingyourheroestoemulatingthem.Imitationisaboutcopying.Emulationiswhenimitationgoesonestepfurther,breakingthroughintoyourownthing.

“Thereisn’tamovethat’sanewmove.”ThebasketballstarKobeBryanthasadmittedthatallofhismovesonthecourtwerestolenfromwatchingtapesofhisheroes.Butinitially,whenBryantstolealotofthosemoves,herealizedhecouldn’tcompletelypullthemoffbecausehedidn’thavethesamebodytypeastheguyshewasthievingfrom.Hehadtoadaptthemovestomakethemhisown.ConanO’Brienhastalkedabouthowcomedianstrytoemulatetheirheroes,fallshort,andendupdoingtheirownthing.JohnnyCarsontriedtobeJackBennybutendedupJohnnyCarson.DavidLettermantriedtocopyJohnnyCarsonbutendedupDavidLetterman.AndConanO’BrientriedtobeDavidLettermanbut

endedupConanO’Brien.InO’Brien’swords,“Itisourfailuretobecomeourperceivedidealthatultimatelydefinesusandmakesusunique.”Thankgoodness.

Awonderfulflawabouthumanbeingsisthatwe’reincapableofmakingperfectcopies.Ourfailuretocopyourheroesiswherewediscoverwhereourownthinglives.Thatishowweevolve.

So:Copyyourheroes.Examinewhereyoufallshort.What’sintherethatmakesyoudifferent?That’swhatyoushouldamplifyandtransformintoyourownwork.Intheend,merelyimitatingyourheroesisnotflatteringthem.Transformingtheirworkintosomethingofyourownishowyouflatterthem.Addingsomethingtotheworldthatonlyyoucanadd.“Ihavestolenallofthesemovesfromallthesegreatplayers.Ijusttrytodothemproud,theguyswhocamebefore,becauseIlearnedsomuchfromthem.It’sallinthenameofthegame.It’salotbigger

thanme.”—KobeBryant

ThemovieJurassicParkcameoutonmytenthbirthday.Ilovedit.TheminuteIleftthetheater,Iwasdyingforasequel,soIsatdownthenextdayatouroldPCandtypedoneout.Inmytreatment,thesonofthegamewardeneatenbyVelociraptorsgoesbacktotheislandwiththegranddaughteroftheguywhobuiltthepark.Oneofthemwantstodestroytherestofthepark,theotherwantstosaveit.Ofcourse,theyfallinloveandadventuresensue.Ididn’tknowitatthetime,butIwaswritingwhatwenowcallfanfiction—fictionalstoriesbasedoncharactersthatalreadyexist.

Ten-year-oldmesavedthestorytotheharddrive.Afewyearslater,JurassicParkIIfinallycameout.Anditsucked.Thesequelalwayssuckscomparedtothesequelinourheads.Thequestioneveryyoungwriteratsomepointasksis:“WhatshouldIwrite?”Andthestandardansweris,“Writewhatyouknow.”Thisadvicealwaysleadstoterriblestoriesinwhichnothinginterestinghappens.“MyinterestinmakingmusichasbeentocreatesomethingthatdoesnotexistthatIwouldliketolistento.Iwantedtohearmusic

thathadnotyethappened,byputtingtogetherthingsthatsuggestedanewthingwhichdidnotyetexist.”

—BrianEnoWemakeartbecausewelikeart.We’redrawntocertainkindsofworkbecausewe’reinspiredbypeopledoingthatwork.Allfiction,infact,isfanfiction.

Thebestadviceisnottowritewhatyouknow,it’stowritewhatyoulike.Writethekindofstoryyoulikebest—writethestoryyouwanttoread.Thesameprincipleappliestoyourlifeandyourcareer:Wheneveryou’reatalossforwhatmovetomakenext,justaskyourself,“Whatwouldmakeabetterstory?”BradfordCox,amemberofthebandDeerhunter,saysthatwhenhewasakidhedidn’thavetheInternet,sohehadtowaituntiltheofficialreleasedaytohearhisfavoriteband’snewalbum.Hehadagamehewouldplay:Hewouldsitdownandrecorda“fake”versionofwhathewantedthenewalbumtosoundlike.Then,whenthealbumcameout,hewouldcomparethesongshe’dwrittenwiththesongsontherealalbum.Andwhatdoyouknow,manyofthesesongseventuallybecameDeerhuntersongs.

Whenweloveapieceofwork,we’redesperateformore.Wecravesequels.Whynotchannelthatdesireintosomethingproductive?Thinkaboutyourfavoriteworkandyourcreativeheroes.Whatdidtheymiss?Whatdidn’ttheymake?Whatcould’vebeenmadebetter?Iftheywerestillalive,whatwouldtheybemakingtoday?Ifallyourfavoritemakersgottogetherandcollaborated,whatwouldtheymakewithyouleadingthecrew?

Gomakethatstuff.Themanifestoisthis:Drawtheartyouwanttosee,startthebusinessyouwanttorun,playthemusicyouwanttohear,writethebooksyouwanttoread,buildtheproductsyouwanttouse—dotheworkyouwanttoseedone.

“Wedon’tknowwherewegetourideasfrom.Whatwedoknowisthatwedonotgetthemfromourlaptops.”

—JohnCleese

Myfavoritecartoonist,LyndaBarry,hasthissaying:“Inthedigitalage,don’tforgettouseyourdigits!”Yourhandsaretheoriginaldigitaldevices.Usethem.WhileIlovemycomputer,Ithinkcomputershaverobbedusofthefeelingthatwe’reactuallymakingthings.Instead,we’rejusttypingkeysandclickingmousebuttons.Thisiswhyso-calledknowledgeworkseemssoabstract.TheartistStanleyDonwood,who’smadeallthealbumartworkforthebandRadiohead,sayscomputersarealienatingbecausetheyputasheetofglassbetweenyouandwhateverishappening.“Youneverreallygettotouchanythingthatyou’redoingunlessyouprintitout,”Donwoodsays.

Justwatchsomeoneattheircomputer.They’resostill,soimmobile.Youdon’tneedascientificstudy(ofwhichthereareafew)totellyouthatsittinginfrontofacomputeralldayiskillingyou,andkillingyourwork.Weneedtomove,tofeellikewe’remakingsomethingwithourbodies,notjustourheads.Workthatonlycomesfromtheheadisn’tanygood.Watchagreatmusicianplayashow.Watchagreatleadergiveaspeech.You’llseewhatImean.

Youneedtofindawaytobringyourbodyintoyourwork.Ournervesaren’taone-waystreet—ourbodiescantellourbrainsasmuchasourbrainstellourbodies.Youknowthatphrase,“goingthroughthemotions”?That’swhat’ssogreataboutcreativework:Ifwejuststartgoingthroughthemotions,ifwestrumaguitar,orshufflestickynotesaroundaconferencetable,orstartkneadingclay,themotionkickstartsourbrainintothinking.

“Ihavestaredlongenoughattheglowingflatrectanglesofcomputerscreens.Letusgivemoretimefordoingthingsintherealworld...plantaplant,walkthedogs,readarealbook,gotothe

opera.”—EdwardTufte

WhenIwasincreativewritingworkshopsincollege,everythingwedidhadtobedouble-spacedandinTimesNewRomanfont.Andmystuffwasjustterrible.Writingceasedtobeanyfunforme.ThepoetKayRyansays,“Intheolddaysbeforecreativewritingprograms,aworkshopwasaplace,oftenabasement,whereyousawedorhammered,drilledorplanedsomething.”ThewriterBrian

Kiteleysayshetriestomakehisworkshopstruetotheoriginalsenseoftheword:“alight,airyroomfulloftoolsandrawmaterialswheremostoftheworkishands-on.”Itwasn’tuntilIstartedbringinganalogtoolsbackintomyprocessthatmakingthingsbecamefunagainandmyworkstartedtoimprove.Formyfirstbook,NewspaperBlackout,Itriedtomaketheprocessashands-onaspossible.Everypoeminthatbookwasmadewithanewspaperarticleandapermanentmarker.Theprocessengagedmostofmysenses:thefeelofnewsprintinmyhands,thesightofwordsdisappearingundermylines,thefaintsqueakofthemarkertip,thesmellofthemarkerfumes—therewasakindofmagichappening.WhenIwasmakingthepoems,itdidn’tfeellikework.Itfeltlikeplay.Thecomputerisreallygoodforeditingyourideas,andit’sreallygoodforgettingyourideasreadyforpublishingoutintotheworld,butit’snotreallygoodforgeneratingideas.Therearetoomanyopportunitiestohitthedeletekey.Thecomputerbringsouttheuptightperfectionistinus—westarteditingideasbeforewehavethem.ThecartoonistTomGauldsayshestaysawayfromthecomputeruntilhe’sdonemostofthethinkingforhisstrips,becauseoncethecomputerisinvolved,“thingsareonaninevitablepathtobeingfinished.Whereasinmysketchbookthepossibilitiesareendless.”WhenitcametimetosequenceNewspaperBlackout,Iscannedallthepiecesintoacomputerandprintedthemoutonlittlequartersheetsofpaper.ThenIpushedthesheetsofpaperallovermyoffice,rearrangingthemintopiles,andthenastack,theorderofwhichIcopiedbackontothecomputer.That’showthebookwasmade—handsfirst,thencomputer,thenhands,thencomputer.Akindofanalog-to-digitalloop.

That’showItrytodoallmyworknow.Ihavetwodesksinmyoffice—oneis“analog”andoneis“digital.”Theanalogdeskhasnothingbutmarkers,pens,pencils,paper,indexcards,andnewspaper.Nothingelectronicisallowedonthatdesk.Thisiswheremostofmyworkisborn,andalloverthedeskarephysicaltraces,scraps,andresiduefrommyprocess.(Unlikeaharddrive,paperdoesn’tcrash.)Thedigitaldeskhasmylaptop,mymonitor,myscanner,andmydrawingtablet.ThisiswhereIeditandpublishmywork.

Tryit:Ifyouhavethespace,setuptwoworkstations,oneanalogandonedigital.Foryouranalogstation,keepoutanythingelectronic.Take$10,gototheschoolsupplyaisleofyourlocalstore,andpickupsomepaper,pens,andsticky

notes.Whenyougetbacktoyouranalogstation,pretendit’scrafttime.Scribbleonpaper,cutitup,andtapethepiecesbacktogether.Standupwhileyou’reworking.Pinthingsonthewallsandlookforpatterns.Spreadthingsaroundyourspaceandsortthroughthem.Onceyoustartgettingyourideas,thenyoucanmoveovertoyourdigitalstationandusethecomputertohelpyouexecuteandpublishthem.Whenyoustarttolosesteam,headbacktotheanalogstationandplay.

“Theworkyoudowhileyouprocrastinateisprobablytheworkyoushouldbedoingfortherestofyourlife.”

—JessicaHische

OnethingI’velearnedinmybriefcareer:It’sthesideprojectsthatreallytakeoff.BysideprojectsImeanthestuffthatyouthoughtwasjustmessingaround.Stuffthat’sjustplay.That’sactuallythegoodstuff.That’swhenthemagichappens.Ithinkit’sgoodtohavealotofprojectsgoingatoncesoyoucanbouncebetweenthem.Whenyougetsickofoneproject,moveovertoanother,andwhenyou’resickofthatone,movebacktotheprojectyouleft.Practiceproductiveprocrastination.

Taketimetobebored.OnetimeIheardacoworkersay,“WhenIgetbusy,Igetstupid.”Ain’tthatthetruth.Creativepeopleneedtimetojustsitaroundanddonothing.IgetsomeofmybestideaswhenI’mbored,whichiswhyInevertakemyshirtstothecleaners.Iloveironingmyshirts—it’ssoboring,Ialmostalwaysgetgoodideas.Ifyou’reoutofideas,washthedishes.Takeareallylongwalk.Stareataspotonthewallforaslongasyoucan.AstheartistMairaKalmansays,“Avoidingworkisthewaytofocusmymind.”Taketimetomessaround.Getlost.Wander.Youneverknowwhereit’sgoingtoleadyou.

Ifyouhavetwoorthreerealpassions,don’tfeellikeyouhavetopickandchoosebetweenthem.Don’tdiscard.Keepallyourpassionsinyourlife.ThisissomethingIlearnedfromtheplaywrightStevenTomlinson.“Youcan’tconnectthedotslookingforward,youcanonlyconnect

themlookingbackwards.”—SteveJobs

Tomlinsonsuggeststhatifyoulovedifferentthings,youjustkeepspendingtimewiththem.“Letthemtalktoeachother.Somethingwillbegintohappen.”Thethingis,youcancutoffacouplepassionsandonlyfocusonone,butafterawhile,you’llstarttofeelphantomlimbpain.Ispentmyteenageyearsobsessedwithsongwritingandplayinginbands,butthenIdecidedIneededtofocusonjustwriting,soIspenthalfadecadehardlyplayinganymusicatall.Thephantomlimbpaingotworseandworse.

AboutayearagoIstartedplayinginabandagain.Now,I’mstartingtofeelwhole.Andthecrazythingis,ratherthanthemusictakingawayfrommywriting,Ifinditinteractingwithmywritingandmakingitbetter—Icantellthatnewsynapsesinmybrainarefiring,andnewconnectionsarebeingmade.AbouthalfthepeopleIworkwitharemusicians(thisisnotuncommoninAustin,Texas),andthey’renotall“creatives,”either—alotofthemareaccountexecutives,developers,andthelike.However,they’llalltellyouthesamething:Musicfeedsintotheirwork.It’ssoimportanttohaveahobby.Ahobbyissomethingcreativethat’sjustfor

you.Youdon’ttrytomakemoneyorgetfamousoffit,youjustdoitbecauseitmakesyouhappy.Ahobbyissomethingthatgivesbutdoesn’ttake.Whilemyartisfortheworldtosee,musicisonlyformeandmyfriends.WegettogethereverySundayandmakenoiseforacoupleofhours.Nopressure,noplans.It’sregenerative.It’slikechurch.

Don’tthrowanyofyourselfaway.Don’tworryaboutagrandschemeorunifiedvisionforyourwork.Don’tworryaboutunity—whatunifiesyourworkisthefactthatyoumadeit.Oneday,you’lllookbackanditwillallmakesense.

Igetalotofe-mailsfromyoungpeoplewhoask,“HowdoIgetdiscovered?”Isympathizewiththem.Thereisakindoffalloutthathappenswhenyouleavecollege.Theclassroomisawonderful,ifartificial,place:Yourprofessorgetspaidtopayattentiontoyourideas,andyourclassmatesarepayingtopayattentiontoyourideas.Neveragaininyourlifewillyouhavesuchacaptiveaudience.Soonafter,youlearnthatmostoftheworlddoesn’tnecessarilycareaboutwhatyouthink.Itsoundsharsh,butit’strue.AsthewriterStevenPressfieldsays,“It’snotthatpeoplearemeanorcruel,they’rejustbusy.”Thisisactuallyagoodthing,becauseyouwantattentiononlyafteryou’redoingreallygoodwork.There’snopressurewhenyou’reunknown.Youcandowhatyouwant.Experiment.Dothingsjustforthefunofit.Whenyou’reunknown,there’snothingtodistractyoufromgettingbetter.Nopublicimagetomanage.Nohugepaycheckontheline.Nostockholders.Noe-mailsfromyouragent.Nohangers-on.

You’llnevergetthatfreedombackagainoncepeoplestartpayingyouattention,andespeciallynotoncetheystartpayingyoumoney.

Enjoyyourobscuritywhileitlasts.Useit.

Iftherewasasecretformulaforbecomingknown,Iwouldgiveittoyou.Butthere’sonlyonenot-so-secretformulathatIknow:Dogoodworkandshareitwithpeople.It’satwo-stepprocess.Stepone,“dogoodwork,”isincrediblyhard.Therearenoshortcuts.Makestuffeveryday.Knowyou’regoingtosuckforawhile.Fail.Getbetter.Steptwo,“shareitwithpeople,”wasreallyhardupuntilabouttenyearsagoorso.Now,it’sverysimple:“PutyourstuffontheInternet.”Itellpeoplethis,andthentheyaskme,“What’sthesecretoftheInternet?”

Step1:Wonderatsomething.Step2:Inviteotherstowonderwithyou.Youshouldwonderatthethingsnobodyelseiswonderingabout.Ifeverybody’swonderingaboutapples,gowonderaboutoranges.Themoreopenyouareaboutsharingyourpassions,thecloserpeoplewillfeeltoyourwork.Artistsaren’tmagicians.There’snopenaltyforrevealingyoursecrets.

Believeitornot,IgetalotofinspirationfrompeoplelikeBobRossandMarthaStewart.RememberBobRoss?ThepainteronPBSwiththe’froandthehappylittletrees?BobRosstaughtpeoplehowtopaint.Hegavehissecretsaway.MarthaStewartteachesyouhowtomakeyourhouseandyourlifeawesome.Shegiveshersecretsaway.Peopleloveitwhenyougiveyoursecretsaway,andsometimes,ifyou’resmartaboutit,they’llrewardyoubybuyingthethingsyou’reselling.

Whenyouopenupyourprocessandinvitepeoplein,youlearn.I’velearnedsomuchfromthefolkswhosubmitpoemstomyNewspaperBlackoutsite.Ifindalotofthingstosteal,too.Itbenefitsmeasmuchasitdoesthem.

Youdon’tputyourselfonlineonlybecauseyouhavesomethingtosay—youcanputyourselfonlinetofindsomethingtosay.TheInternetcanbemorethanjustarestingplacetopublishyourfinishedideas—itcanalsobeanincubatorforideasthataren’tfullyformed,abirthingcenterfordevelopingworkthatyouhaven’tstartedyet.Alotofartistsworrythatbeingonlinewillcausethemtomakelesswork,butI’vefoundthathavingapresenceonlineisakickinthepants.Mostwebsitesandblogsaresetuptoshowpostsinreverse-chronologicalorder—thelatestpostisthefirstpostthatvisitorssee,soyou’reonlyasgoodasyourlastpost.Thiskeepsyouonyourtoes,keepsyouthinkingaboutwhatyoucanpostnext.Havingacontainercaninspireustofillit.WheneverI’vebecomelostovertheyears,Ijustlookatmywebsiteandaskmyself,“WhatcanIfillthiswith?”

Learntocode.Figureouthowtomakeawebsite.Figureoutblogging.FigureoutTwitterandsocialmediaandallthatotherstuff.FindpeopleontheInternetwholovethesamethingsasyouandconnectwiththem.Sharethingswiththem.

Youdon’thavetoshareeverything—infact,sometimesit’smuchbetterifyoudon’t.Showjustalittlebitofwhatyou’reworkingon.Shareasketchoradoodleorasnippet.Sharealittleglimpseofyourprocess.Thinkaboutwhatyouhavetosharethatcouldbeofsomevaluetopeople.Shareahandytipyou’vediscoveredwhileworking.Oralinktoaninterestingarticle.Mentionagood

bookyou’rereading.Ifyou’reworriedaboutgivingyoursecretsaway,youcanshareyourdotswithoutconnectingthem.It’syourfingerthathastohitthepublishbutton.Youhavecontroloverwhatyoushareandhowmuchyoureveal.“Don’tworryaboutpeoplestealingyourideas.Ifyourideasareany

good,you’llhavetoramthemdownpeople’sthroats.”—HowardAiken

IgrewupinthemiddleofacornfieldinsouthernOhio.WhenIwasakid,allIwantedtodowasgetsomeplacewheresomethingwashappening.NowIliveinAustin,Texas.Aprettyhipplace.Tonsofartistsandcreativetypeseverywhere.Andyouknowwhat?I’dsaythat90percentofmymentorsandpeersdon’tliveinAustin,Texas.Theyliveeverywhere.IknowthemfromtheInternet.

Whichistosay,mostofmythinkingandconversationandart-relatedfellowshipisonline.Insteadofageographicalartscene,IhaveTwitterbuddiesandGoogleReader.Youdon’thavetoliveanywhereotherthantheplaceyouaretostartconnectingwiththeworldyouwanttobein.Ifyoufeelstucksomewhere,ifyou’retooyoungortoooldortoobroke,orifyou’resomehowtieddowntoaplace,takeheart.There’sacommunityofpeopleoutthereyoucanconnectwith.

Inthemeantime,ifyou’renotintotheworldyoulivein,youcanbuildyourownworldaroundyou.(NowwouldbeagoodtimetoputonyourheadphonesandcueuptheBeachBoyssong“InMyRoom.”)Surroundyourselfwithbooksandobjectsthatyoulove.Tapethingsuponthewall.Createyourownworld.FranzKafkawrote,“Itisn’tnecessarythatyouleavehome.Sitatyourdeskandlisten.Don’tevenlisten,justwait.Don’twait,bestillandalone.Thewholeworldwillofferitselftoyou.”AndKafkawasbornacenturybeforetheInternet!

Allyouneedisalittlespaceandalittletime—aplacetowork,andsometimeto

doit;alittleself-imposedsolitudeandtemporarycaptivity.Ifyourlivingsituationdoesn’tallowforthat,sometimesyoucanfindsolitudeandcaptivityinthewild.WhenIwasakid,mymomusedtodragmetothemall.Beforeshedidanyshopping,shetookmetothebookstoreandboughtmeanybookIwanted.We’dgointostoresandIwouldsitinachairandreadmybookwhilesheshopped.Thiswentonforyears.Ireadalotofbooks.

NowIhaveacarandamobilephone.I’malwaysconnected,neveraloneorcaptive.So,Iridethebustoandfromwork,eventhoughit’s20minutesfastertodrive.Igotoabarbershopthat’sfirst-come,first-served,withoutWi-Fi,andalwaysbusywithawaitofafewhours.Ikeepmylaptopshutdownattheairport.Ihangoutinthelibrary.Ialwayscarryabook,apen,andanotepad,andIalwaysenjoymysolitudeandtemporarycaptivity.

“Distanceanddifferencearethesecrettonicofcreativity.Whenwegethome,homeisstillthesame.Butsomethinginourmindhas

beenchanged,andthatchangeseverything.”—JonahLehrer

Tosaythatgeographyisnolongerourmasterisn’ttosaythatplaceisn’timportant.Wherewechoosetolivestillhasahugeimpactontheworkwedo.

Atsomepoint,whenyoucandoit,youhavetoleavehome.Youcanalwayscomeback,butyouhavetoleaveatleastonce.Yourbraingetstoocomfortableinyoureverydaysurroundings.Youneedtomakeituncomfortable.Youneedtospendsometimeinanotherland,amongpeoplethatdothingsdifferentlythanyou.Travelmakestheworldlooknew,andwhentheworldlooksnew,ourbrainsworkharder.ThetimeIwasluckyenoughtospendlivinginItalyandEnglandwhenIwas19and20certainlychangedmylife,butIwouldnotethataforeigncultureisn’tnecessarilyacrosstheseaorinanothercountry—formostfolkswhogrewupwhereIgrewup,TexasmightaswellbeMars.(I’velivedhereawhile.

SometimesitstillfeelslikeMars.)

Ifweknowweneedtoleavehome,whereshouldwego?Whereshouldwechoosetolive?There’sabunchofdifferentfactorstoconsider,allofthemdependonyourowntastes.Personally,Ithinkbadweatherleadstobetterart.Youdon’twanttogooutside,soyoustayinsideandwork.WhenIlivedinCleveland,Igotalotofworkdoneinthebrutalmonthsofwinter.DownhereinTexas,Igetallmyworkdoneinthewickedhotsummers.(TheClevelandwinterandtheTexassummerlastaboutthesamelengthoftime—halftheyear.)Ithelpstolivearoundinterestingpeople,andnotnecessarilypeoplewhodowhatyoudo.IfeelalittleincestuouswhenIhangoutwithonlywritersandartists,soIenjoythemanyfilmmakers,musicians,andtechgeekswholiveinAustin.Oh,andfood.Thefoodshouldbegood.Youhavetofindaplacethatfeedsyou—creatively,socially,spiritually,andliterally.Evenifyousetupanewhome,youneedtoleaveitnowandthen.Andatsomepoint,youmightneedtojustmoveon.Thegoodnewsisthatnowadays,alotofyourpeersarerightwhereyouleftthem—ontheInternet.

There’sonlyonereasonI’mhere:I’mheretomakefriends.Thegoldenruleisevenmoregoldeninourhyperconnectedworld.Animportantlessontolearn:IfyoutalkaboutsomeoneontheInternet,theywillfindout.EverybodyhasaGooglealertontheirname.ThebestwaytovanquishyourenemiesontheInternet?Ignorethem.ThebestwaytomakefriendsontheInternet?Saynicethingsaboutthem.

“There’sonlyoneruleIknowof:You’vegottobekind.”—KurtVonnegut

“TheonlymofosinmycirclearepeoplethatIcanlearnfrom.”—Questlove

Remember“garbagein,garbageout”?You’reonlygoingtobeasgoodasthepeopleyousurroundyourselfwith.Inthedigitalspace,thatmeansfollowingthebestpeopleonline—thepeoplewhoarewaysmarterandbetterthanyou,thepeoplewhoaredoingthereallyinterestingwork.Payattentiontowhatthey’retalkingabout,whatthey’redoing,whatthey’relinkingto.

HaroldRamis,theactoranddirectormostfamoustopeopleofmygenerationforhisroleasEgoninthemovieGhostbusters,oncelaidouthisruleforsuccess:“Findthemosttalentedpersonintheroom,andifit’snotyou,gostandnexttohim.Hangoutwithhim.Trytobehelpful.”Ramiswaslucky:ThemosttalentedpersonintheroomwashisfriendBillMurray.

Ifyoueverfindthatyou’rethemosttalentedpersonintheroom,youneedtofindanotherroom.

You’regoingtoseealotofstupidstuffoutthereandyou’regoingtofeellikeyouneedtocorrectit.OnetimeIwasuplateonmylaptopandmywifeyelledatme,“QuitpickingfightsonTwitterandgomakesomething!”Shewasright.Butangerisoneofmyfavoritecreativeresources.HenryRollinshassaidheisbothangryandcurious,andthat’swhatkeepshimmoving.Somemornings,whenIcan’twakeup,Ilieinbedandreade-mailandTwitteruntilmybloodstartsboilingandIgetfiredupenoughtospringoutofbed.Butinsteadofwastingmyangeroncomplainingorlashingoutatpeople,Itrytochannelitintomywritingandmydrawing.Sogoon,getangry.Butkeepyourmouthshutandgodoyourwork.“Complainaboutthewayotherpeoplemakesoftwarebymaking

software.”—AndreTorrez

WhenIwasyounger,Iwrotealotoffanlettersandhadthegoodfortunetohearbackfromseveralofmyheroes.ButI’verealizedthatthetroublewithfanlettersisthatthere’sbuilt-inpressurefortherecipienttorespond.Alotoftimeswhenwewritefanletterswe’relookingforablessingoranaffirmation.AsmyfriendHughMacLeodsays,“Thebestwaytogetapprovalistonotneedit.”Ifyoutrulylovesomebody’swork,youshouldn’tneedaresponsefromthem.(Andifthepersonyouwanttowritetohasbeendeadforahundredyears,you’rereallyoutofluck.)So,Irecommendpublicfanletters.TheInternetisreallygoodforthis.Writeablogpostaboutsomeone’sworkthatyouadmireandlinktotheirsite.Makesomethinganddedicateittoyourhero.Answeraquestionthey’veasked,solveaproblemforthem,orimproveontheirworkandshareitonline.Maybeyourherowillseeyourwork,maybeheorshewon’t.Maybethey’llrespondtoyou,maybenot.Theimportantthingisthatyoushowyourappreciationwithoutexpectinganythinginreturn,andthatyougetnewworkoutoftheappreciation.

“Modernart=Icoulddothat+Yeah,butyoudidn’t.”—CraigDamrauer

Thetroublewithcreativework:Sometimesbythetimepeoplecatchontowhat’svaluableaboutwhatyoudo,you’reeithera)boredtodeathwithit,orb)dead.Youcan’tgolookingforvalidationfromexternalsources.Onceyouputyourworkintotheworld,youhavenocontroloverthewaypeoplewillreacttoit.

Ironically,reallygoodworkoftenappearstobeeffortless.Peoplewillsay,“Whydidn’tIthinkofthat?”Theywon’tseetheyearsoftoilandsweatthatwentintoit.Noteverybodywillgetit.Peoplewillmisinterpretyouandwhatyoudo.Theymightevencallyounames.Sogetcomfortablewithbeingmisunderstood,disparaged,orignored—thetrickistobetoobusydoingyourworktocare.

Lifeisalonelybusiness,oftenfilledwithdiscouragementandrejection.Yes,validationisforparking,butit’sstillatremendousboostwhenpeoplesaynicethingsaboutourwork.Occasionally,Ihavethegoodfortunetohavesomethingtakeoffonline,andforaweekortwo,I’llbeswimminginTweetsandnicee-mailsfrompeoplediscoveringmywork.It’sprettywonderful.Anddisorienting.Andamajorhigh.ButIalwaysknowthathighwilltaperoff,andafewweeksdowntheroadIwillhaveadarkdaywhenIwanttoquit,whenIwonderwhytheheckIevenbotherwiththisstuff.

That’swhyIputeveryreallynicee-mailIgetinaspecialfolder.(Nastye-mailsgetdeletedimmediately.)WhenthosedarkdaysrollaroundandIneedaboost,Iopenthatfolderandreadthroughacouplee-mails.ThenIgetbacktowork.Tryit:Insteadofkeepingarejectionfile,keepapraisefile.Useitsparingly—don’tgetlostinpastglory—butkeepitaroundforwhenyouneedthelift.

“Beregularandorderlyinyourlife,sothatyoumaybeviolentandoriginalinyourwork.”—GustaveFlaubert

I’maboringguywithanine-to-fivejobwholivesinaquietneighborhoodwithhiswifeandhisdog.Thatwholeromanticimageofthecreativegeniusdoingdrugsandrunningaroundandsleepingwitheveryoneisplayedout.It’sforthesuperhumanandthepeoplewhowanttodieyoung.Thethingis:Ittakesalotofenergytobecreative.Youdon’thavethatenergyifyouwasteitonotherstuff.It’sbesttoassumethatyou’llbealiveforawhile.(It’sforthisreasonthatPattiSmithtellsyoungartiststogotothedentist.)Eatbreakfast.Dosomepush-ups.Goforlongwalks.Getplentyofsleep.

NeilYoungsang,“It’sbettertoburnoutthantofadeaway.”Isayit’sbettertoburnslowandseeyourgrandkids.

MostpeopleIknowhatetothinkaboutmoney.Doyourselfafavor:Learnaboutmoneyassoonasyoucan.

Mygrandpausedtotellmydad,“Son,it’snotthemoneyyoumake,it’sthemoneyyouholdonto.”Makeyourselfabudget.Livewithinyourmeans.Packyourlunch.Pinchpennies.Saveasmuchasyoucan.Gettheeducationyouneedforascheapasyoucangetit.Theartofholdingontomoneyisallaboutsayingnotoconsumerculture.Sayingnototakeout,$4lattes,andthatshinynewcomputerwhentheoldonestillworksfine.

Thetruthisthatevenifyou’reluckyenoughtomakealivingoffdoingwhatyoutrulylove,itwillprobablytakeyouawhiletogettothatpoint.Untilthen,you’llneedadayjob.Adayjobgivesyoumoney,aconnectiontotheworld,andaroutine.Freedomfromfinancialstressalsomeansfreedominyourart.AsphotographerBillCunninghamsays,“Ifyoudon’ttakemoney,theycan’ttellyouwhattodo.”Adayjobputsyouinthepathofotherhumanbeings.Learnfromthem,stealfromthem.I’vetriedtotakejobswhereIcanlearnthingsthatIcanuseinmyworklater—mylibraryjobtaughtmehowtodoresearch,myWebdesignjobtaughtmehowtobuildwebsites,andmycopywritingjobtaughtmehowtosellthingswithwords.

Theworstthingadayjobdoesistaketimeawayfromyou,butitmakesupforthatbygivingyouadailyroutineinwhichyoucanschedulearegulartimeforyourcreativepursuits.Establishingandkeepingaroutinecanbeevenmoreimportantthanhavingalotoftime.Inertiaisthedeathofcreativity.Youhavetostayinthegroove.Whenyougetoutofthegroove,youstarttodreadthework,becauseyouknowit’sgoingtosuckforawhile—it’sgoingtosuckuntilyougetbackintotheflow.Thesolutionisreallysimple:Figureoutwhattimeyoucancarveout,whattime

youcansteal,andsticktoyourroutine.Dotheworkeveryday,nomatterwhat.Noholidays,nosickdays.Don’tstop.Whatyou’llprobablyfindisthatthecorollarytoParkinson’sLawisusuallytrue:Workgetsdoneinthetimeavailable.Nobody’ssayingit’sgoingtobefun.Alotoftimesitwillfeelasifyou’relivingadoublelife.ThepoetPhilipLarkinsaidthebestthingtodois“trytobeutterlyschizoidaboutitall—usingeachpersonalityasarefugefromtheother.”Thetrickistofindadayjobthatpaysdecently,doesn’tmakeyouwanttovomit,andleavesyouwithenoughenergytomakethingsinyoursparetime.Gooddayjobsaren’tnecessarilyeasytofind,butthey’reoutthere.

Amassingabodyofworkorbuildingacareerisalotabouttheslowaccumulationoflittlebitsofeffortovertime.Writingapageeachdaydoesn’tseemlikemuch,butdoitfor365daysandyouhaveenoughtofillanovel.Onesuccessfulclientpitchisasmallvictory,butafewdozenofthemcangetyouapromotion.Acalendarhelpsyouplanwork,givesyouconcretegoals,andkeepsyouontrack.ThecomedianJerrySeinfeldhasacalendarmethodthathelpshimsticktohisdailyjokewriting.Hesuggeststhatyougetawallcalendarthatshowsyouthewholeyear.Then,youbreakyourworkintodailychunks.Eachday,whenyou’refinishedwithyourwork,makeabigfatXintheday’sbox.Everyday,insteadofjustgettingworkdone,yourgoalistojustfillabox.“Afterafewdaysyou’llhaveachain,”Seinfeldsays.“Justkeepatitandthechainwillgrowlongereveryday.You’lllikeseeingthatchain,especiallywhenyougetafewweeksunderyourbelt.Youronlyjobnextistonotbreakthechain.”

Getacalendar.Filltheboxes.Don’tbreakthechain.

Justasyouneedachartoffutureevents,youalsoneedachartofpastevents.Alogbookisn’tnecessarilyadiaryorajournal,it’sjustalittlebookinwhichyoulistthethingsyoudoeveryday.Whatprojectyouworkedon,whereyouwenttolunch,whatmovieyousaw.It’smucheasierthankeepingadetaileddiary,andyou’dbeamazedathowhelpfulhavingadailyrecordlikethiscanbe,especiallyoverseveralyears.Thesmalldetailswillhelpyourememberthebigdetails.Intheolddays,alogbookwasaplaceforsailorstokeeptrackofhowfarthey’dtraveled,andthat’sexactlywhatyou’redoing—keepingtrackofhowfaryourshiphassailed.“Ifyouaskyourself‘What’sthebestthingthathappenedtoday?’itactuallyforcesacertainkindofcheerfulretrospectionthatpullsup

fromtherecentpastthingstowriteaboutthatyouwouldn’totherwisethinkabout.Ifyouaskyourself‘Whathappenedtoday?’

it’sverylikelythatyou’regoingtoremembertheworstthing,becauseyou’vehadtodealwithit—you’vehadtorushsomewhereorsomebodysaidsomethingmeantoyou—that’swhatyou’regoingtoremember.Butifyouaskwhatthebestthingis,it’sgoingtobe

someparticularslantoflight,orsomewonderfulexpression

somebodyhad,orsomeparticularlydelicioussalad.”—NicholsonBaker

“Sherescuedme.I’dbeplayinginasteakhouserightnowifitwasn’tforher.Iwouldn’tevenbeplayinginasteakhouse.I’dbe

cookinginasteakhouse.”—TomWaits,onhiswifeandcollaborator,KathleenBrennan

Whoyoumarryisthemostimportantdecisionyou’llevermake.And“marrywell”doesn’tjustmeanyourlifepartner—italsomeanswhoyoudobusinesswith,whoyoubefriend,whoyouchoosetobearound.Relationshipsarehardenough,butittakesarealchampionofapersontobemarriedtosomeonewho’sobsessedwithacreativepursuit.Lotsoftimesyouhavetobeamaid,acook,amotivationalspeaker,amother,andaneditor—allatonce.

Agoodpartnerkeepsyougrounded.Afriendonceremarkedthatlivingwithanartistmustmakeourhouseveryinspiring.Mywifejoked,“Ohyeah,it’slikelivingwithdaVinci.”She’sthebest.

Inthisageofinformationabundanceandoverload,thosewhogetaheadwillbethefolkswhofigureoutwhattoleaveout,sotheycanconcentrateonwhat’sreallyimportanttothem.Nothingismoreparalyzingthantheideaoflimitlesspossibilities.Theideathatyoucandoanythingisabsolutelyterrifying.

Thewaytogetovercreativeblockistosimplyplacesomeconstraintsonyourself.Itseemscontradictory,butwhenitcomestocreativework,limitationsmeanfreedom.Writeasongonyourlunchbreak.Paintapaintingwithonlyonecolor.Startabusinesswithoutanystart-upcapital.ShootamoviewithyouriPhoneandafewofyourfriends.Buildamachineoutofspareparts.Don’tmakeexcusesfornotworking—makethingswiththetime,space,andmaterialsyouhave,rightnow.Therightconstraintscanleadtoyourverybestwork.Myfavoriteexample?Dr.SeusswroteTheCatintheHatwithonly236differentwords,sohiseditorbethimhecouldn’twriteabookwithonly50differentwords.Dr.SeusscamebackandwonthebetwithGreenEggsandHam,oneofthebestsellingchildren’sbooksofalltime.“Tellingyourselfyouhaveallthetimeintheworld,allthemoneyintheworld,allthecolorsinthepalette,anythingyouwant—thatjust

killscreativity.”—JackWhite

TheartistSaulSteinbergsaid,“Whatwerespondtoinanyworkofartistheartist’sstruggleagainsthisorherlimitations.”It’softenwhatanartistchoosestoleaveoutthatmakestheartinteresting.Whatisn’tshownversuswhatis.It’sthesameforpeople:Whatmakesusinterestingisn’tjustwhatwe’veexperienced,butalsowhatwehaven’texperienced.Thesameistruewhenyoudoyourwork:Youmustembraceyourlimitationsandkeepmoving.

Intheend,creativityisn’tjustthethingswechoosetoputin,it’sthethingswechoosetoleaveout.

Choosewisely.

Andhavefun.

WhatNow?

TalkawalkStartyourswipefileGotothelibraryBuyanotebookanduseitGetyourselfacalendarStartyourlogbookGiveacopyofthisbookawayStartablogTakeanap

RecommendedReading

LindaBarry,WhatItIsHughMacLeod,IgnoreEverybodyJasonFried+DavidHeinemeierHansson,ReworkLewisHyde,TheGiftJonathanLethem,TheEcstasyofInfluenceDavidShields,RealityHungerScottMcCloud,UnderstandingComicsAnneLamott,BirdbyBirdMihalyCsikszentmihalyi,FlowEdEmberley,MakeaWorld

Y.M.M.V.!(YourMileageMayVary!)

Someadvicecanbeavice.Feelfreetotakewhatyoucanuse,andleavetherest.Therearenorules.Tellmewhatyouthinkorsayhelloat:www.austinkleon.com

“DeletedScenes”

Thisbookbeganitslifeonindexcards.Herearesomethatdidn’tmakeit.

THANKYOU

Tomywife,Meghan—myfirstreader,firsteverything.

••••••••••

To my agent, Ted Weinstein, my editor, Bruce Tracy, my book designer,Lidija Tomas, and all the fabulous people on the team at Workman. Y’allimpresstheheckoutofme.

••••••••••

ToallthepeopleI’vestolenfrom,includingbutnotatalllimitedto:LyndaBarry, Ed Emberley, Hugh MacLeod, John T. Unger, Jessica Hagy, KirbyFerguson,MaureenMcHugh, RichardNash,David Shields, Jonathan Lethem,andChrisGlassandthefolksatwireandtwine.com,wholetmeusetheir“HeretoMakeFriends”T-shirt.

••••••••••

Tomyparents,SallyandScottKleon.

••••••••••

ToAmyGash,forherkeeneye.

••••••••••

To all my lovely friends and family online and offline, who spread theoriginalblogpostaroundtheInternetandsentmenumeroussourcesandquotesforinspiration.

••••••••••

Finally,thankyouverymuchtoBroomeCommunityCollege—withoutyourinvitationtospeak,Imight’venevercomeupwiththelist.

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