After spending the afternoon at the Maker Lab in the Chicago Public Library, I stuck around to see Austin Kleon during his Chicago stop on his press tour for his new book, Keep Going. I enjoyed his prior book (Show your Work) so much that I built an entire course around the major themes called Design in the Open.
As he notes in his talk, Keep Going comes from a different place. Instead of a focus on finding your voice, this book takes on the challenges of keeping it. Like Show Your Work, his advice is distilled into 10 principles:
1. Every day is Groundhog Day.
2. Build a bliss station.
3. Forget the noun, do the verb.
4. Make gifts.
5. The ordinary + extra attention = the extraordinary
6. Slay the art monsters.
7. You’re allowed to change your mind.
8. When in doubt, tidy up.
9. Demons hate fresh air.
10. Plant your garden.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day at the library and agree with Kleon’s opening remarks that the library is one of the remaining places where we are all welcomed to enjoy community in our cities. I thank the Chicago Public Library for hosting this event and everything they do for our community!
Photo credit: https://austinkleon.com/keepgoing/