Explore all emails from Austin Kleon

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/weep-to-water-the-trees Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/ff6a530f-231a-4bef-82b5-7e2905f47977?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], If you loved Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/f4fef09a-c259-4bf2-99c2-3fd5047baadd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a 5-star review on Amazon [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c3188b0-a4ae-4e87-84ff-df1ac635cfbb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or Goodreads [ https://substack.com/redirect/593e1fd2-a5b9-4765-a6c1-83bc43f1c33b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] goes a long way! Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: To express and exorcise my summer misery, I made a new mixtape [ https://substack.com/redirect/3f23ac69-2335-41e4-9399-a4e97d6f981d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] called “Weep to Water the Trees [ https://substack.com/redirect/3704b7b4-133d-4a46-8cde-dfa358cdd393?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” It was inspired by the vibe of two of my favorite live videos on YouTube: Deerhunter playing “Nothing Ever Happened [ https://substack.com/redirect/9d249827-e336-4920-8d39-e17a90b2e4b5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” and King Krule playing “Out Getting Ribs [ https://substack.com/redirect/b607d4c5-e383-4b24-994d-fd439ecb6c51?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”: You can listen to the mixtape on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/aaa38f5d-d2f3-4bcc-9f53-d0ce8f1597b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/3d3410c8-88c4-4efe-a390-147f88899952?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/cd709569-3f83-4108-b94d-701062dee631?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop [ https://substack.com/redirect/ec5cbe7c-dbec-42f5-88ce-eb668aa42675?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is my favorite book I’ve read this year. (It’s on my list of Bromance novels [ https://substack.com/redirect/ec3bdc85-0080-4e83-8161-4c802be406bc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!) My favorite thing I’ve read this year that mentions the book is Patricia Lockwood’s essay about going to a “Tradcath” wedding [ https://substack.com/redirect/a7bebd18-0292-427d-b435-ecc9608fb003?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (She also references one of my favorite James Tate poems, “Goodtime Jesus [ https://substack.com/redirect/294fb52c-e956-4b31-b62b-2a52191a9334?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) In the “Who’s having fun?” section of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/f4fef09a-c259-4bf2-99c2-3fd5047baadd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], I quote Ed Emberley [ https://substack.com/redirect/d2e22fd9-f8f3-41fd-a362-4f287512d850?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] saying, “I am determined to have fun doing my work… if I’m enjoying myself then that feeling is passed on to the reader.” Somebody who seems like she’s having a lot of fun [ https://substack.com/redirect/40f31292-fc95-4426-9271-c25c64cdc5f7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] right now is cookbook author Julia Turshen [ https://substack.com/redirect/4610e112-33bc-4f95-b833-c938d48374c6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who recently published a romance novel [ https://substack.com/redirect/3e1aa711-3d21-4000-ae94-40e2fb7fc703?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (“I feel more relaxed about this than I’ve felt about anything in my career,” she says [ https://substack.com/redirect/efe92d2b-61a8-4508-95d6-f4526e5f6420?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “This just feels really fun.”) I recommend looking around you, especially in your field, and seeing who seems to be having fun right now. (And figure out if they have something you can steal!) Dinner music [ https://substack.com/redirect/8352ba28-cd4b-4dbf-b1b7-23c149099dbc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] we enjoyed as a family this week: King Sunny Ade’s Odu [ https://substack.com/redirect/41cf87fb-8aec-43a4-8812-e11a6d2d35f6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “It’s not every day that you get hired to draw your favorite thing.” A new artist is drawing the comic strip [ https://substack.com/redirect/e655608e-5dca-4804-a599-d557fe2b5028?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Nancy [ https://substack.com/redirect/e655608e-5dca-4804-a599-d557fe2b5028?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! Her name is Caroline Cash [ https://substack.com/redirect/99482cf0-becc-4193-8407-2bfd16ed955e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and I’ve started following her on Instagram: @cash_browns [ https://substack.com/redirect/d40a8d0a-5df1-436d-808e-70154a901d3f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (One of my fantasies is that Nancy goes on forever and one day Jules Kleon gets to draw it.) Good phone hygiene [ https://substack.com/redirect/c747b776-a58f-4131-b660-8908d6f4dd10?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Open your most-used social-media app. Ask yourself one question about six of the accounts you follow: Does this expand me or shrink me? Not: Is it entertaining? Not: Do I agree with it? But: After I engage with this, do I feel more curious, more grounded, more kind—or do I feel smaller, more anxious, more numb? Unfollow the ones that shrink you. Bookmark the ones that genuinely expand your clarity, kindness, or courage.” (See also: the second of the 7 questions I ask myself [ https://substack.com/redirect/eb314c4a-cac8-4af2-a9c8-a19ae8b3aa0f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) A game for sorting through a stack of neglected books on your shelf [ https://substack.com/redirect/38346be9-0cbd-4492-9ed1-da8fa1f537d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you want to keep a diary [ https://substack.com/redirect/033cbb56-e0e9-4784-ac12-666d3681484b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] but it seems like too much work, I highly recommend trying a One Line A Day [ https://substack.com/redirect/5fa42c7a-c608-40a2-b75a-4b398dad3088?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] diary. I gave my kids this canvas edition [ https://substack.com/redirect/6f92b85e-92d7-48c1-a045-1657be04e6c2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] a few years back, but I’m buying a couple of these black canvas editions [ https://substack.com/redirect/9ed171e6-e704-4869-a947-bddad10eaa84?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for when the old ones get filled. Question from Jeff, a reader in Japan: Hi Austin, When you create your images for a book, may I ask if you use an iPad or are your drawings scanned into a digital format from pen and paper. Is there a reason you use one in particular? Answer: Pretty much every illustration and piece of lettering you see in one of my books [ https://substack.com/redirect/5da8ab93-fc5c-4a43-a40a-47c42afb87c5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was made with a marker on a sheet of typing paper, scanned into the computer, and manipulated with Photoshop. For example, here is the original artwork for Steal Like an Artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/6bd6d588-544c-409a-831c-063caf90295b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Why do I work this way? I want my books to feel as handmade as possible, and the easiest way to do that is to actually make them with my hands! “People are not hungry for your perfection: they are hungry for your love.” Do not miss my typewriter interview with violinist Vijay Gupta! [ https://substack.com/redirect/6be26cf3-86fd-47a8-8c6e-98c8825b2c93?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Thanks for reading. If you’d like to support this hand-rolled publication, buy my books [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc88f203-ee2d-4a12-b0a8-b6ff4111632c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/4010fc26-415a-424a-b87a-51dfb0077801?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/b08a2235-71b9-42fc-be67-1894fb7a1e6e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin P.S. My books are always hanging out in nicer places than I am… Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdOak14TURBMU1Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3pOamcxT1RVekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UVXlNakU1TlRNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuTnQzQ3huYnJ5NzZwM21BckYyS05Pa3RVNWJFSzBEQ0hBSC1pM1hHUW1TVSIsInAiOjIwNjMxMDA1MCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MzY4NTk1MywiZXhwIjoyMDk5MjYxOTUzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.ZuBP8S6cAOHWL25ID05F1SzpHmxNyYPYH11_muDrj6c?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/the-air-is-getting-hotter Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-285876599 ], Heads up: I’m running a 20% off paid subscriptions [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a86523a-b700-4022-806e-9073df6a1ffa?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] summer sale through the weekend! Get a special email from me every Tuesday and join in the coolest comment threads on the internet: Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “The air is getting hotter / there’s a rumbling in the skies…” My buddies and I rode our bicycles down to see Bob Dylan [ https://substack.com/redirect/387190c6-79dd-4d97-a1b8-285d1a769e0f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in Waterloo Park here in Austin, Texas [ https://substack.com/redirect/4efd929f-bc70-400d-93b7-d394f1d03af2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Monday, the Sarahan Dust blowin’ in the wind, birds flyin’ high by the light of the (full) moon, Mercury retrograde just like the night playin’ tricks on the bar register when you’re tryin’ to be so quiet. Bob did the whole set hooded in the back of the stage like some old blues wizard, plunkin’ on a piano, bringing the harmonica out a few times. Highlights for me were “Black Rider [ https://substack.com/redirect/2855529a-deb8-436d-a5a1-3cb4a01945cc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” and “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven [ https://substack.com/redirect/539a2e97-59cb-4fc2-970d-42d784d69f3e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” The man is 85 years old, and, in the words of Tim Stegall in The Austin Chronicle, he “still treats the stage as a laboratory rather than a jukebox.” “It sounds like Bob is embracing his crone phase [ https://substack.com/redirect/4ff79cd0-e45c-4d08-8688-7f3c8748fb76?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” is how Meg put it after I described the show on our morning walk. Here’s what Bob himself said about being (over) 80 [ https://substack.com/redirect/5aed3896-55ef-49cc-930a-a48e50881b9c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “The best thing about being 80 is that you outlive the clocks that have been chasing you. It’s freedom from that lie that nothing was ever under control. You don’t chase the parade anymore. You’re an old king from some vanished country. You’re harder to program. You’re not rushing to become anything, and you’re not haunted by the things that you did. You’re haunted by how little of it really mattered in the way you thought it would.”  “Every professional, in order to stay fresh and have an edge, has to retain a bit of that amateur spirit that all kids have.” I swapped words and pictures with David Epstein [ https://substack.com/redirect/00ba72ba-a0e3-4ef9-bf0b-67de931fd4a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about creating like a kid again. (He previously swapped some words and pictures with me in his typewriter interview [ https://substack.com/redirect/4a5894e6-fd15-4790-a17c-fe0a94dee164?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Anarchist calisthenics [ https://substack.com/redirect/9564f9d6-b2ef-4339-8123-73d25e7020e0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Every day or so break some trivial law that makes no sense, even if it’s only jaywalking. Use your own head to judge whether a law is just or reasonable. That way, you’ll keep trim; and when the big day comes, you’ll be ready.” (Or, in the words of Wendell Berry, “Every day do something that won’t compute [ https://substack.com/redirect/273fdc88-97e5-4dbd-9a5c-f631fdf8f36f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) “Bromance is a portmanteau of bro (or brother) and romance.” I recommended five Bromance novels [ https://substack.com/redirect/22218c4e-9d28-463d-9e0e-df54f5c4575c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and asked y’all for your favorites. Kimberly [ https://substack.com/@kimberlyhirsh ] made a case for Frog and Toad [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e15bf56-0d18-4113-99e1-2028b3b676f1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I loved that so much that after starting Gustave Flaubert’s bromance, Bouvard et Pécuchet [ https://substack.com/redirect/2a1b1f2f-d742-4eee-8156-e820e398efb0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (the Polizzotti [ https://substack.com/redirect/7a0aa0cd-fb12-487b-8180-9b6dae7f0e60?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] translation), I have been picturing the titular characters as Frog and Toad, respectively. (“Why should we read Bouvard and Pécuchet? They are we, and we are they [ https://substack.com/redirect/80c4a3d1-61fd-4dce-98df-be5cd417aea1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) Some summer mixtapes I’ve made, ideal for poolside listening: “Chlorine [ https://substack.com/redirect/861b2b3f-37e0-4223-ae54-7af1d2023bbd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” “In a (summer) funk [ https://substack.com/redirect/d422bc48-0a5d-4a9b-b42f-253cb0a78061?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” “Solar Return [ https://substack.com/redirect/1ad137b2-6e30-43f7-b94e-ef7936a836f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” and “Untitled (June 2024) [ https://substack.com/redirect/31fc036c-2eef-44f5-a6d4-7ecbe23d24d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Art shows I wish I could see: Matisse’s sleepless writing [ https://substack.com/redirect/15f68016-f12f-4616-badf-46e1e792d2d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at Grand Palais [ https://substack.com/redirect/2deb9c7e-63b6-4c46-b687-074384d86d92?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Yoko Ono at The Broad Museum [ https://substack.com/redirect/66a20e95-a469-48ce-8919-d8cf40209644?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I’m a fan of Grapefruit [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4ab2f58-cf7c-4e1c-ba50-3412af9830ff?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and a still from Cut Piece [ https://substack.com/redirect/6a533572-1381-4bcb-aff8-41b115d3cc57?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is one of the guardian spirits [ https://substack.com/redirect/3de2337b-332d-4bee-8ec5-59c722e6b4d0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of my current diary.) “I am an average man who doesn’t want to be average, and art allows me to express that frustration.” RIP “paintoonist” Jerry Moriarty [ https://substack.com/redirect/92bee8ae-b13e-4b81-9c77-5316710fd503?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (The Believer has dropped the paywall on his conversation with Chris Ware [ https://substack.com/redirect/f76e7989-1968-40a2-a133-5194d97a77fa?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “Tap into the fun of doing stuff for no good reason.” I talked to The New York Times about Andy Goldsworthy [ https://substack.com/redirect/44c099c6-4c82-457e-b59a-6a47e982eb8c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and how to make art outdoors [ https://substack.com/redirect/2e17dc3c-ca17-4c7c-aa27-085657f8be03?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Another assignment for the holiday weekend, from Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/87109a2d-7f80-4578-b0b9-94019d82f462?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Get offline as much as possible. There’s so much input to be found in the real world outside of the internet. Go old school. Listen to radio shows. Browse the recently returned stacks at your local library. Buy weird old books at thrift shops. Visit a museum you’ve never been to. Find a good record store and chat up the clerks. Interact with real people in meatspace.” Thanks for reading. If you’d like to support this hand-rolled publication, take advantage of the 20% off summer sale and become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a86523a-b700-4022-806e-9073df6a1ffa?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-285648245 ], Austin PS. Thanks to Marni H. for sending this very funny scene from her reading life. (Made me think of Nina Katchadourian’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/7b682556-6018-40b0-92e5-bb2562beb6a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Sorted Books [ https://substack.com/redirect/7b682556-6018-40b0-92e5-bb2562beb6a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] project [ https://substack.com/redirect/7b682556-6018-40b0-92e5-bb2562beb6a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdORGN3TURFMU9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3pNRGd4TURZNExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UUTJNVGN3Tmpnc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuLUhvVmJmaTNmNnFkY3J1dDI1TWpWSUJJU2I3b1NmbjNjellyaVhGTlJQdyIsInAiOjIwNDcwMDE1OSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MzA4MTA2OCwiZXhwIjoyMDk4NjU3MDY4LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.7NeCSuGxMeDI7G7KG6E6Dvv9O1CWO0dMoKZgy173AIU?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/in-a-summer-funk Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/9afd278c-0d80-4167-bcac-1ea95f414519?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Not sure how long it’ll last, but at the moment, my books Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/9d9e40bb-f813-4825-aeda-05986ba84c8b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Show Your Work! [ https://substack.com/redirect/c643ba0c-9439-4bfc-9b06-8955b6a5d2a3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] are $7 and $6 on Amazon. Here are the 10 other things worth sharing this week: Summer in Texas is never easy. You have to try hard to keep your thing together, stay cool, and remember the #1 rule of Funk: ”Keep it on the one [ https://substack.com/redirect/383969e0-bc72-47ae-a023-88ab1fa7fbd0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” I made a new mixtape to help called ”In a (Summer) Funk [ https://substack.com/redirect/faa0a418-ecd7-4357-af4c-3de311ef758c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” You can listen to it on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/a360b6a9-1b66-4e71-b69d-aa355ad3a1e4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/90d012ce-f49b-4403-a30c-03c27688aa1c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/68c3e3ef-ce93-4e7f-af4e-51103176d080?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Best experienced poolside!) “I think of every book of mine as a shipwreck in the sense that I start out with delusions of grandeur and a great big vision of a three-masted pirate ship or a battle cruiser or something, and then my vision of the ship smashes on the rocks, and I wind up building a dinghy out of the broken pieces. But as long as the thing floats and takes the reader where I want to take them, I’m okay.” I talked to my pal Wendy MacNaughton about my new book and creating like a kid [ https://substack.com/redirect/4da87cd2-9a3e-406f-9173-ea9466a4719a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The sentence I want to hear after a reader reads one of my books: “[It] made me want to make things again [ https://substack.com/redirect/b6ba3b19-7cd3-46eb-bc1c-1e3450acefe2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” To show how a book evolves (or devolves!) over time, I shared a bunch of pages from the past 10 years of my diary: “Diary of a book [ https://substack.com/redirect/539a3346-710c-40b2-8c9b-6b5bbd1d749c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” ”A couple years ago, my writer friend Austin Kleon encouraged me to write a [graphic] novel about being a doctor.” A tour of Grace Farris’s Austin home [ https://substack.com/redirect/54dea735-9dfe-4222-bdd2-d1ee43837bb9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (It’s so much easier to see the books that other people should write…) Kate Bingaman-Burt [ https://substack.com/redirect/23eeb1d2-c321-48cf-b79a-62222710553a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is putting out a book of her daily purchase drawings called Proof of Purchase [ https://substack.com/redirect/bee571d2-5fb4-4988-894d-13f05cedda80?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Her typewriter interview [ https://substack.com/redirect/dca18eb8-6f37-473e-b43d-1e35ee3380ad?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was a popular favorite.) One of the funniest things about releasing a book [ https://substack.com/redirect/f3ff9eee-9b15-4724-84d3-dcfc9d6fbd44?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is that every week I find a new quote or story that would’ve gone great in the book. The latest bit comes from artist Anish Kapoor [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c3b8482-cf16-4a77-b48f-12affb4da0f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who would’ve fit perfectly into the “Permission to be Bad!” chapter: “I have three words written on my studio wall: ‘disobey,’ ‘disagree,’ ‘disavow.’ And I try to look at them every day. You know, be a stupid naughty boy.” Documentaries: Gary Hustwit’s generative film about Brian Eno [ https://substack.com/redirect/9bd81c9a-8c89-4783-9d83-33bb586fb82f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is now streaming on the Criterion Channel [ https://substack.com/redirect/e9fb3712-599f-498d-8fb3-960578a866ce?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I wrote about it in my letter “Drawing Eno [ https://substack.com/redirect/2416de73-e30a-41bd-bdd5-52da0c0022f4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) Penny Lane’s documentary about Flaco the Owl, Wild Inside [ https://substack.com/redirect/2e2d23c2-05fb-4aa5-8126-bbe5975798db?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], just got a beautiful new poster [ https://substack.com/redirect/167ecb07-0768-4fe9-a591-4ee7e68b71dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and will have its premier in Central Park [ https://substack.com/redirect/6be875bd-b7ef-4d06-a789-adb0b36ae30e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (If you’d like to learn more about the art and business of making movies, watch my conversation with Penny [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c55d439-91b6-47bb-92bf-ac6df6f3b695?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Penny’s conversation with Gary [ https://substack.com/redirect/320a1aa5-882f-401b-a484-c9655e1999f6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Pizza night blockbuster [ https://substack.com/redirect/0ca8bc20-3a7d-41df-9f50-b16b267e7d8e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “You yell barracuda, everybody says, “Huh? What?” You yell shark…” We finally watched Jaws [ https://substack.com/redirect/a907a1b3-cb01-4555-b1cf-0f7c756e4200?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] after my son Jules (11) watched the Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c91c986-be20-44fc-9e61-4ee317c92ac9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] documentary on Disney+ about a hundred times. It’s still great and sparked a good little discussion about thriller [ https://substack.com/redirect/413c07bf-9326-429a-87f8-f239b7ce34c7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] vs. horror [ https://substack.com/redirect/d71f07c8-f3d9-4323-a91d-bf0a9b2ae274?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Tonight we’re watching Rocky [ https://substack.com/redirect/ff8a6c5b-9761-4cd3-b9fe-a54908a2a70b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]… on VHS!) Getting art advice from Beth Pickens [ https://substack.com/redirect/74f13e21-451e-4684-8f2e-044746c6d65d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was one of the most helpful chats I’ve had in the past half decade. I’m talking to Beth again on July 1st about Don’t Call it Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/e8d3f596-7710-49a2-86e6-156f461e6524?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (and the topic of failure!) as part of her Homework Club [ https://substack.com/redirect/b617bdd2-1bf3-45a5-a6f5-dcc230e8d997?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and she’s offered a free month code for y’all who want to join: Magic. ”If you are on a long road and you finally think that you have accomplished something, there is this joy, but there is also the knowledge that the quest inevitably and necessarily goes on.” RIP jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1ad668b-5d3f-43fd-acf1-f140b317466e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. If you’d like to support this hand-rolled publication, take advantage of the 20% off summer sale and become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/a341c7bc-d049-41e7-b69a-22be8979758a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/b1802bca-6f3f-44aa-b204-15956c6f0757?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdNelUzT1RBMk9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3lORGMyTXpjNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UUXdNVEl6Tnprc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuZGNDWElvN1RRal80NG9RSlZDcm9FYVNPX2tCN2NLbnBIcW01RmVrVzJoTSIsInAiOjIwMzU3OTA2OSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MjQ3NjM3OSwiZXhwIjoyMDk4MDUyMzc5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.1VRgL8i3o_1sDxPGrByBCeVpvhZIzgeGVgvPtOQulDM?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/go-on-until-you-fall-over Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-278076734 ], Here are the 10 things worth sharing this week: RIP artist David Hockney [ https://substack.com/redirect/06fd341f-8e5c-45f0-b08b-ae5edb5b325e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’ve had this newspaper clipping above my desk in multiple studios over the years. There are so many photos of him looking joyous, smiling, but I like his look in this one because it says to me, “What are you doing with your life? Why aren’t you working?” The photo had a prominent spot on my bulletin board [ https://substack.com/redirect/e664767b-663e-4e7c-b338-3b57dcd2170c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] when I was writing Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/170a193d-b79d-434d-9cb5-e5aa67e4c584?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I quoted Hockney in the last chapter from the article [ https://substack.com/redirect/bf5e2cc2-5404-4f74-9c66-959369379bf6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] the photo was clipped from: “I’ll go on until I fall over.” (He did just that! Working from a wheelchair.) “The cause of death is birth,” he said. “The only real things in life are food and love in that order.” In the pit of the COVID pandemic, Hockney was a constant reminder: “Spring cannot be canceled [ https://substack.com/redirect/f05c1861-da3d-4f57-9b67-cd7cef0cad47?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” My friend Wendy shared a lovely tribute to Hockney [ https://substack.com/redirect/56f5b13d-d78f-4abf-8ad4-2b766663439f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which included one of my favorite quotes of his: “You need the eye, the hand, and the heart. Two won’t do.” One of my fondest art memories is meeting Wendy at the de Young in San Francisco in 2014 to go see Hockney’s “A Bigger Picture [ https://substack.com/redirect/ec78c17b-d3a7-4510-a48f-504450fef550?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” exhibition. That show left a huge impression [ https://substack.com/redirect/024b78f6-0428-4932-a1d6-db169f28f0d2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on me. “I wasn’t especially surprised,” Lawrence Weschler [ https://substack.com/redirect/e2340e48-39af-4b40-b81d-a6d2453dfe3e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] wrote of the death of his longtime friend and subject, “nor frankly was I all that saddened. If anything, as I kept telling the floodtide of sweet correspondents who kept showering me their heartfelt condolences across the days ahead, I was gladdened at the splendor of a life well-lived and the magnificence of a legacy well-left.” (I love Weschler’s book about Hockney [ https://substack.com/redirect/e28147c5-d7b4-4ecd-b32f-ba5e847de3d3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “[Hockney’s] work was an argument for seeing as a form of collage,” wrote art critic Jerry Saltz [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1676d92-ae38-4a06-9c22-2be1c37e6722?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “We don’t see the world all at once. We gather it piece by piece. We assemble it in our minds.” I think this is the biggest lesson I took from him: it’s all about looking. (If I were forced to pick a favorite work, it would probably be Pearblossom Highway [ https://substack.com/redirect/a273edf1-6478-4f7d-b57f-d8f0f95ef885?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Saltz said one more thing about Hockney that struck me: “It’s sort of astonishing how sophisticated Hockney’s art is while appearing effortless.” My friend Alan [ https://substack.com/redirect/bd6510c1-cd9b-49d5-b1b3-e505146176ec?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] recently introduced me to the Italian word “sprezzatura [ https://substack.com/redirect/c960243f-c76b-4050-90ae-36f107490ae6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which was defined in the 16th century by Baldassare Castiglione: “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” Bob Gill linked looking easy to inevitability [ https://substack.com/redirect/92a632ea-8d98-4218-b849-764a73938c17?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “however difficult it is to make art, it should always look easy, never labored.” And Maya Angelou [ https://substack.com/redirect/ddf83325-c484-49a7-82d7-434f19118df2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] said, “It must look easy, but it takes me forever to get it to look so easy.” Mason Currey on the best book on writing he’s ever read [ https://open.substack.com/pub/masoncurrey/p/vivian-gornick-the-situation-and-the-story?r=h5dw&utm_medium=ios ]. (I’d never heard of it! But I will check it out because I believe every writing book is good [ https://substack.com/redirect/56d713f2-a2b4-4ef2-a844-1e1fb8808c4f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Father’s Day is Sunday! If you need a last-minute gift for a veteran or expectant dad, I’d highly suggest one of the Hot New Releases in the “Fatherhood” category on Amazon: My book Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/7690df8d-b3cd-4413-81b0-98df5e4d2232?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! You could also gift dad a subscription to this newsletter. (There’s even a handy gift subscription zine [ https://substack.com/redirect/b284b4af-b434-409e-8352-b2285aee9a5f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] you can print out — no need to buy a card!) Speaking of zines, here’s a Deleted Zine I made for Father’s Day [ https://substack.com/redirect/ab5af718-368a-4dc5-b556-8dbab075a580?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: After you download the PDF and print it out, here’s a video with instructions [ https://substack.com/redirect/d538c3c3-87ba-4f69-acb6-693ee7a1f29e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for how to fold and cut the zine into a booklet: Podcasts: Some really excellent parenting-related conversations dropped this week. “I haven’t had so much fun talking to someone in a while,” said Dr. Becky of our Good Inside [ https://substack.com/redirect/11f81d4a-2681-40fe-9cce-e59b635ff3d1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] episode. I talked to Kevin Maguire on The New Fatherhood [ https://substack.com/redirect/ca3dfa92-db55-4e6a-8c21-5c27a2ba2ff3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about how children aren’t an obstacle to your creative life but an opportunity for it to grow. And Ben Tallon and I had so much fun talking on The Creative Condition [ https://substack.com/redirect/d267c493-8789-4222-9e51-9d66423da88a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that he posted a bonus 4-minute episode from our conversation after we stopped rolling about Mario Kart and safely destroying each other [ https://substack.com/redirect/1ba0569d-bb36-43e6-bfa7-136a6bdda326?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Child is born / With a heart of gold / Way of the world [ https://substack.com/redirect/e747666d-bdea-481e-b999-0855a51bf1d9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] / Makes his heart grow cold.” We watched Questlove’s newest documentary, Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That’s the Weight of the World). [ https://substack.com/redirect/7a170c3e-baed-4034-ab1b-011a0c80f2e4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I need to make time to watch his appearance on Track Star: “Questlove Teaches Us How to Listen to Earth, Wind & Fire [ https://substack.com/redirect/f9a0a492-ce5d-4fdf-b39d-9e04c994bf91?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”  There’s a lot going on in this photo, so let’s start at the top: my neighborhood dad rock trio 2222 is playing our second-ever show at The Aristocrat Lounge [ https://substack.com/redirect/6c8fb5c5-fefe-4bdd-afe6-f04c511a86b2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Saturday at 5PM if you’re in Austin and want to see me to push the “Permission to be bad!” chapter of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/7690df8d-b3cd-4413-81b0-98df5e4d2232?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (and your hearing) to the limit. (I play bass and try to sing.) My friend Winston Smith, the artist who wrote me the letter that changed my life [ https://substack.com/redirect/d47a1892-d4ce-43a6-b4ca-5159ea3cdd46?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] when I was 13, made me one of his custom gold records [ https://substack.com/redirect/25bfa577-f05d-4cf0-bfa0-190195f0bc21?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (!!!) and he would be more than happy to make one for you. Amazing gift for the musician (or wannabe musician) in your life. Get one here [ https://substack.com/redirect/25bfa577-f05d-4cf0-bfa0-190195f0bc21?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I got an AKAI MPC Sample [ https://substack.com/redirect/f9486eaf-9261-490a-860c-c16aacbed3d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and a copy of Nancy For All Seasons [ https://substack.com/redirect/053aca05-56bc-4376-87fd-81661a2c40f7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for my birthday, and, much to my surprise and delight, my kids immediately absconded with both. My teenager has played with the MPC Sample [ https://substack.com/redirect/f9486eaf-9261-490a-860c-c16aacbed3d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for hours and hours — it looks like a toy, but it’s sturdy and pretty intuitive and would make a great first sampler for your aspiring beatmaker. Don’t miss my latest typewriter interview with Jennifer Daniel [ https://substack.com/redirect/7ab420ee-5248-4b5a-a4e7-90f827f52ff7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Several readers told me it was their favorite yet: Thanks for reading! This month our air conditioner died and both our kids got braces, so if you’d like to support this hand-rolled publication, buy my books [ https://substack.com/redirect/2f9ec4d0-cf26-4937-8942-420c43152249?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or get a paid subscription [ https://substack.com/redirect/1c8c73ea-c2d4-4f4b-989d-7198dbf4ba89?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-277611600 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdNall3T0RnNU1Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3hPRGN4TlRNMUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UTTBNRGMxTXpVc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuZjlvV3RWYklqMjAwOEVzNUtiU3NETW5PVFphd3NoRXVUc2ZmaDJHTHo5VSIsInAiOjIwMjYwODg5MCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MTg3MTUzNSwiZXhwIjoyMDk3NDQ3NTM1LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.eiz4zDcAVsxVPeqbko785sBrVfQWXsp7g58wu5tTP0w?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/off-the-road-again Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/238d3d16-0cb0-43fb-be08-3da703bd15f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], I am back home in Austin, Texas. Here are my 10 things worth sharing this week: Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/8ddaa16a-9f91-4677-b5fa-af6c5f7f9bbd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is officially a national bestseller! Thanks so much to everyone who has supported this book. Austin, Nashville, and Cleveland were such fun events — great questions, fun signing lines. BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/f0c1ab3f-ec51-4431-8651-40289f5df554?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Parnassus [ https://substack.com/redirect/3b0ddb4e-7441-4593-9411-0398f4984898?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Mac’s Backs [ https://substack.com/redirect/b3b5c627-1318-4bac-88ad-295a29df3421?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] have signed copies now. (Easy Father’s Day gift!) I’m delighted by the reader response so far, but especially by how many kids have apparently stolen the book off their parents’ coffee table and read it? (I heard from one parent who said their teenager discovered they have aphantasia [ https://substack.com/redirect/0053388e-813b-47a2-aecd-2866324c578f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] from the ending of the book? Amazing.) If you got the book and love it, a 5-star review on Amazon [ https://substack.com/redirect/6db0e7f0-dcab-4de9-950c-826170b8ba75?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or Goodreads [ https://substack.com/redirect/f34927fa-457b-46d1-bab0-c884be98371b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] goes a long way. “If you’re in a rut, kids can show you the way out.” Elle Hunt did a deep dive into my work for The Guardian [ https://substack.com/redirect/34413be8-78a6-4ec2-b2b7-9f6ba679b72a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Cartoon pilgrimage: I spent a good part of last week visiting friends and family in Ohio, but I slipped away for a few hours to see the absolutely incredible Chris Ware [ https://substack.com/redirect/c90a360d-bb36-4074-8a16-cc5843bb0431?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and The Story of Comics [ https://substack.com/redirect/2d7de064-398e-4a29-9178-067fd0da350e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] exhibits at the newly-redesigned Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum [ https://substack.com/redirect/213f24cb-30fa-42f2-82b8-6c51b3b07305?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in Columbus, Ohio. Here’s a little sneak peek inside [ https://substack.com/redirect/c97ac0c6-0dd1-40b3-bdf5-3341844cc041?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and behind-the-scenes [ https://substack.com/redirect/092e4ec5-da0a-4dd1-9658-ecaa1964f70c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] look at Ware’s installation. I really cannot recommend this place highly enough. Podcasts: So many fun conversations I had with lovely people dropped this week! I talked to Walter Martin [ https://substack.com/redirect/6d63dcd0-3ce0-4e8a-9bf0-0ad1bbbcfad5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about the raw power of demos, Gretchen Rubin [ https://substack.com/redirect/fd9d31de-c45c-4557-9115-a8205cb0d535?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about punk rock and being bad, Jason Chatfield [ https://substack.com/redirect/f438f603-8a34-49bf-a3e0-ab7e8d99ab1d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about Jungian mid-life stuff, Joanna Penn [ https://substack.com/redirect/89e805fd-c69d-4901-bc65-d5c10d2f4f2a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about paper reference books, Andy J. Pizza [ https://substack.com/redirect/428088be-8248-4608-a076-3705ba373761?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about the opposite of depression, Tim Bogatz [ https://substack.com/redirect/2946f342-c7e0-4ecd-934d-9fad46c540e9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about setting up a summer practice that can sustain you throughout the year, and Brendan O’Meara [ https://substack.com/redirect/6324396f-14a8-4b70-84ab-1b6589ce488a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about Metallica and Marshawn Lynch. (We talked about my book [ https://substack.com/redirect/8ddaa16a-9f91-4677-b5fa-af6c5f7f9bbd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], too, of course!) After writing about my 4 notebooks for [ https://substack.com/redirect/c0160985-5667-47ff-b984-c1575b681189?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Noted [ https://substack.com/redirect/c0160985-5667-47ff-b984-c1575b681189?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], I thought it would be fun to share an unvarnished look inside my book tour diary [ https://substack.com/redirect/ba40e509-0e65-4bbe-a47a-a14df3005eff?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Peak Gemini season: ”Hello, Syracuse and the world. My name is Prince and I’ve come to play with you.” Prince & The Revolution, live in Syracuse, 1985 [ https://substack.com/redirect/b248365b-b1c3-4a76-b279-ea68242a18a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Book recommendations: I was so exhausted and busy traveling that I didn’t read much this week, but I did call into The Sound of Ideas [ https://substack.com/redirect/27422ebf-c951-4b56-b14d-740078717b52?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] to plug Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop [ https://substack.com/redirect/093fb6d1-105b-483d-83a0-8c800533fc4c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and I helped my friend Ryan Holiday [ https://substack.com/redirect/403b968e-fefe-4544-bb95-6c15564b6498?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] pick some big books for summer [ https://substack.com/redirect/06777d68-b54e-4c30-9314-3de20cb72b30?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for Morning Joe. (I recommend Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove [ https://substack.com/redirect/9ce57916-e17f-49d5-bd4b-d2281111391f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Plane music: Nine Inch Noize [ https://substack.com/redirect/21e326e4-5395-4b12-a559-e01a000d5e05?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Rental truck music: Sturgill Simpson’s Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1 [ https://substack.com/redirect/459d17a7-d3af-4ea9-8071-0bb8c1ca9ac9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “I believe there’s a charm in having something tangible to hold in your hands…” Tom Hanks visits Berkeley Typewriter [ https://substack.com/redirect/cbfd74b0-6dff-44a1-9df0-27f7f210718e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Japan loves zines [ https://substack.com/redirect/591dd95c-4904-40dc-a6ad-ce399c34b7b2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and fans turn to physical media [ https://substack.com/redirect/b6f84ab0-974b-4a0c-acc5-a5c4df3f6977?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “You don’t know for sure what you’re getting and that’s part of the excitement… not knowing and surprising myself [ https://substack.com/redirect/97e40aac-de59-4cdf-8df2-0e3db22033cf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” RIP photographer Duane Michals [ https://substack.com/redirect/fc611fc9-3bb0-4eeb-b906-6c61c14446b0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who “considered himself lucky that he didn’t have to ’unlearn’ what was taught in art school.” I love what he said about seeing Magritte [ https://substack.com/redirect/c6189ade-56fd-49a2-ad68-d263e0d1a109?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for the first time: “That’s the great response: ‘What the hell’s this?’” Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is to buy the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2b2c68f-b567-4caa-83d3-79b69b49a945?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Liana Finck says [ https://substack.com/redirect/0d9c0bb6-b9e7-4db6-8c9a-982f1428fb81?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] it’s a “smart and joyful book” and Alan Jacobs says [ https://substack.com/redirect/6be5e42b-c1be-4a0c-ba14-9f463d6692e3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] it’s my best! xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/517455b8-6272-4a1c-9f96-e5d953b2fd44?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin P.S. Shout-out to Ruby and Cleo in Cleveland, Ohio, who gave me drawing lessons, showed their work, and, for the brief hour we spent together, made everything in my book [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2b2c68f-b567-4caa-83d3-79b69b49a945?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] come true: This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdNVFkxTURreU1Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3hNalkyTlRreExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1USTRNREkxT1RFc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuTy1MOVB4a3NBMUppMzlYWUNuTTZ3TjByRkFsUWh6a055b2JVcG9VbVAtNCIsInAiOjIwMTY1MDkyMSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MTI2NjU5MSwiZXhwIjoyMDk2ODQyNTkxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.wB1xsqAoWrZcktRx0gMt3kusSY44LF4tni6vUkFrLo8?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/dma53-with-special-guest-austin-kleon Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdNVFkwT0RjNE9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3hNakE0TmpJekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1USTNORFEyTWpNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuckRMRjVFSEk4dVo1S2VWVWF3d2pWcGpmcGZvOTlrTmFKRURtS29VeWUwYyIsInAiOjIwMTY0ODc4OSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MTIwODYyMywiZXhwIjoyMDk2Nzg0NjIzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.8q5ZUr-XWne52CECOwezII_pEezuCZg5lJv8yuFAajQ?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/out-on-the-road-again Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/a007467c-83a4-4db4-8a84-5fc0468d978c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], I’m writing to you from the Nashville airport. Huge thanks to the kind folks who packed BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/47990938-f173-4464-83f3-f46e69333c6c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Parnassus [ https://substack.com/redirect/7f20f259-37f8-419c-a649-5311a0a605e6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I had a blast. Both stores have signed copies you can order online, as does The Painted Porch [ https://substack.com/redirect/9d5b9e81-c833-4a68-a61e-1a8de5a7de0d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. This weekend I’m in Ohio to visit family and friends before our event in Cleveland on Monday [ https://substack.com/redirect/31151981-c7e3-4531-bef3-8da201cfa7d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Here are my 10 things worth sharing this week: In case you somehow missed me shouting about it: My new book Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/a11b367a-9e2b-4174-8fb3-c3bd5b55641a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is out in the world! Here’s a peek inside [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b1ca346-9e06-433a-9aaa-c390acd0f480?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The response has been amazing so far. Really exciting. People get this book. (And kids get it too, it turns out? More on that later.) Also: the magenta cover looks rad in person. If you haven’t got a copy yet, I think you’ll really love it. (If you do love it, a 5-star review on Amazon [ https://substack.com/redirect/54c64bb7-689a-479e-8154-23ea203962a3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or Goodreads [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a433193-ab96-4558-b2be-d65c0006f14f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] goes a long way!) “If you feel like your notebooks could use a jolt of creative energy, look no further than this guest post. I dare you to read about Austin’s notebooks and not come away with an idea to steal...” I wrote about my 4 notebooks for Jillian Hess’s excellent [ https://substack.com/redirect/d9a0f444-63fa-43f3-a448-aeddafe6e54d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Noted [ https://substack.com/redirect/d9a0f444-63fa-43f3-a448-aeddafe6e54d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] newsletter [ https://substack.com/redirect/d9a0f444-63fa-43f3-a448-aeddafe6e54d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Happy birthday, Jillian!) I was delighted to answer The Reading Life [ https://substack.com/redirect/e1406e47-387d-4c63-a29a-33929a473ab6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] questionnaire [ https://substack.com/redirect/e1406e47-387d-4c63-a29a-33929a473ab6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about what I read, how I read, and why I’d rather talk about books than recommend them. I was on a ton of podcasts this week! Really fun conversations. If you’re interested in parenting, check out Slate’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/1781eace-001e-4d6a-afd1-d9a42c47e589?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Care and Feeding [ https://substack.com/redirect/1781eace-001e-4d6a-afd1-d9a42c47e589?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and 1000 Hours Outside [ https://substack.com/redirect/ca47de8e-0fca-4ed1-b7c7-e799a2e7c017?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you’re more interested in creativity and business, check out Proof To Product [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1b3db2d-7118-47ca-b6cc-b4d3d0bf1e63?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Learning Leader [ https://substack.com/redirect/db3bcafb-e830-4f57-abfc-32108b9e9fa4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you’d like to hear me talking to an old pal who knows how to pull good stuff out of me, check out Chase Jarvis [ https://substack.com/redirect/ee14841a-b77f-4ea1-804b-f905d57543dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Cinema Sugar asked me to recommend four movies that pair well with [ https://substack.com/redirect/a8c12be4-3e87-4806-900f-fd0f4d96efa3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/a8c12be4-3e87-4806-900f-fd0f4d96efa3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I usually hate writing blurbs, but this one was fun: “Ten years ago, I was watching a 1996 episode of Reading Rainbow with my son when I found myself captivated by the intensity of a bespectacled 8-year-old violin prodigy [ https://substack.com/redirect/6d10384b-b809-4ae0-b51a-98ce4d85638e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I desperately wanted to know what became of this kid—did he conquer the world or have a complete breakdown? The kid was Vijay Gupta [ https://substack.com/redirect/b17cca81-2292-4fdb-b36f-422096afc6ff?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Restrung [ https://substack.com/redirect/142de2e2-5551-4e3e-9e8f-f47e6b98bec1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is his story [ https://substack.com/redirect/142de2e2-5551-4e3e-9e8f-f47e6b98bec1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: a memoir about classical music, family, and surviving what we call ‘The American Dream.’” TV: Widow’s Bay [ https://substack.com/redirect/63ceab55-ddaa-4411-8822-0868722e7f49?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is a “menacing and hilarious mash-up [ https://substack.com/redirect/69fc9028-7eab-41c5-94e4-bf9098f34c77?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” I loved Rachel McAdams in Sam Raimi’s horror/survival movie Send Help [ https://substack.com/redirect/72910835-25bd-40b3-a3db-719439bddf99?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “I like to become emotionally involved in a movie: I want to be scared, I want to cry.” RIP film editor Marcia Lucas [ https://substack.com/redirect/82c6cf87-1433-457b-859e-960a95e7d7cc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Mark Hamill famously said she was the “warmth and heart” of [ https://substack.com/redirect/18861bde-efe1-4a76-98d7-5b81198bdd24?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Star Wars [ https://substack.com/redirect/18861bde-efe1-4a76-98d7-5b81198bdd24?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “What we wanted to say is, if these people scare you, look closer: They have parents, they have lovers, they have hope, they have stories.” RIP cartoonist Marjane Satrapi [ https://substack.com/redirect/603aa917-b6d6-4912-bae5-788910b4c563?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], author of Persepolis [ https://substack.com/redirect/152e2780-6890-415d-afb3-c6cd50793086?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is to buy the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b958c79-cccd-4226-b8bc-ab01af4ecf97?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/f82393fe-1ba8-4e34-8459-5003974d00b9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qSXdNRFl4TnprME5Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3dOall4TlRBNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1USXhPVGMxTURrc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuSUdETXpQc2lramRPT3NrMjNFZFZuQk4zUFAyMnV5b3JwQ0tPSnhuay10cyIsInAiOjIwMDYxNzk0NCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MDY2MTUwOSwiZXhwIjoyMDk2MjM3NTA5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.JtRc-NxGEpEB8qvmZ1Zi8nOo4LIy4Drstjh08t5YHGQ?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/dont-call-it-art-is-out-now Hey y’all, Finally — finally! — after 7 years, there’s a new book of mine out in the world: Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again [ https://substack.com/redirect/6ab999dd-3f8c-4aac-8641-fb17cd47db54?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is now available wherever you buy books. Don’t Call It Art is a creative liberation handbook of art lessons I learned while being a studio assistant to my two young boys. It will teach you to unlearn what you’ve learned, give yourself permission to be bad, and treat yourself with the care of a loving parent so the wild 4-year-old in you will come out and play. Publisher’s Weekly said it’s “cheery,” “upbeat,” and “full of fun, wryly witty wisdom.” If you haven’t yet, you can grab your copy today: A good deal of the book’s existence is thanks to the support of subscribers to this newsletter — y’all get a special shout-out in the acknowledgements for buying me the time to experiment, fool around, and play like a kid. As a little thank you, I wanted to give you the first look inside. Here’s the introduction: I never went to art school, but being around my kids was more inspiring than any art school I can imagine. By the time my boys were toddlers, they drew like two pint-sized Picassos. They worked the way I dreamed of working: without fear or hesitation, just wild energy, raw passion, and a lightness of touch. They schooled me, all right—­ you could even say they unschooled me. I had assumed, as their dad and the author of Steal Like an Artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/b9e1c118-a6a8-46ef-8ae3-2a0bcbfed12d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and other books about creativity that have sold millions of copies around the world, that I would be their teacher and they would be my students. It soon became clear that the opposite was true: I had way more to learn from them than they had to learn from me. So, I apprenticed myself to beginners. I was the studio assistant now, and things went smoothly as long as I knew my place. My job was to fetch art supplies, fix snacks, and soothe tantrums. Anytime I tried to give them pointers or tell them what to do, it backfired on me. I learned to keep my mouth shut and my eyes open. Occasionally, they let me join the fun, but they certainly didn’t need anybody to teach them how to be creative. What they needed was for me to be there when called upon but otherwise stay out of their way. Whenever I shared the stuff they made online, readers kept asking me when I was going to write a book about creativity for kids. “Kids don’t need a book!” I’d protest. “We need a book so we can be more like them!” This is that book. As I was learning to love and care for these little artists in my life, I started wondering why I didn’t show myself the same love and care. It was the thought I had when I read parenting books: Why are we doing all this stuff for our kids but not ourselves? Why aren’t we all taking time to play? Why aren’t we all letting ourselves get bored? Why aren’t we all limiting our screen time and going outside? One day I was listening to an interview with the musician Fiona Apple [ https://substack.com/redirect/a06c7ec2-280e-4792-b7cf-bb3d8a6b6c95?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and she admitted that she reads a lot of parenting books, not because she plans on having kids but because she wants to learn how to parent herself. “So, you’re the parent and the child?” the interviewer asked. “Well, I mean, you always have to be,” Apple said. “Everybody has to be for themselves, I think.” In this book, I’m going to help you learn how to treat yourself with the care of a loving parent so that the wild, creative kid who still lives in you can come out and play. I want to emphasize here that you do not need to have kids or want to have kids or even like kids to read this book! But if you do have kids in your life, you can think of this book as a parenting book in disguise. All of the lessons here can be used as strategies to help support a kid’s creativity. (I hope you’ll learn them for yourself first, so you can set a good example.) At some point in your creative life, you might discover that, in the words of Murray Stein, you are your “own worst enemy, harshest critic, and severest taskmaster.” You can lose touch with all that energy, joy, and freedom you felt when you were just starting out. Whether you’ve failed to achieve your goals or had success beyond your wildest dreams, it’s easy to get bored, stuck, or find yourself just going through the motions. You feel washed-up. Burned-­out. Like you’ll never make anything good again. Being around my kids liberated me from so many of these feelings. These are the lessons I learned. I hope they will help you. I really can’t wait for y’all to hold this book in your hands. It’s the most beautiful object I’ve ever published. Here are a few more looks inside: Hope y’all love it. (If you do, a 5-star review on Amazon [ https://substack.com/redirect/e295dea4-9bb4-4f4a-ba33-ea80ed4be70c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or Goodreads [ https://substack.com/redirect/576165ad-a448-4246-8fb2-2f27b59fbf34?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] goes a long way!) xoxo, Austin PS. Here’s what I look like after signing [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b3a69cc-21cb-47e0-a5f8-d367e58d1099?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] 400 books: This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVPVFV5TmpZeU9Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3dOREF5TXpNMExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1URTVNemd6TXpRc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuVWFMUTY5SWM2ejEzUmRwLVhmYXUxS1NhRUN3QVdUMUQwQTlRelVXT3BJSSIsInAiOjE5OTUyNjYyOCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MDQwMjMzNCwiZXhwIjoyMDk1OTc4MzM0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.7xNEJRabK0C-X6c_GfZuts6oGRsg7fCS3JnYcJqsDac?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/i-shall-be-released Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-263444772 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: It is go time: Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/bea661db-4d86-4df9-a6f3-7b3a85531fcd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is out next Tuesday, June 2nd! If you haven’t pre-ordered yet, there’s still time to get your preorder goodies [ https://substack.com/redirect/7e094dc3-2ae9-42dd-80d2-b3e13d0bef55?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: I am headed to BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/2f0673cf-1845-44eb-8247-f62d34581936?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] today with a huge box [ https://substack.com/redirect/43925551-75a4-4ceb-96db-2630a5cfeee9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]of magenta markers to sign and personalize hundreds and hundreds of preorders! If you live in Austin, Texas, you can get the book one day before everybody else by coming to the book release party at Bookpeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/6edb41e0-3859-4095-86ad-5ae38e7cd7b4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Monday, June 1. After that I’m headed to Nashville [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ba08716-60fa-40e2-9cf2-abb23041ee23?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on June 3 and Cleveland [ https://substack.com/redirect/499309f8-258d-4259-be77-0b303e8ec4e1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on June 8. These are free shows, but tickets are going fast, so grab a spot while you can. “Each morning, he made himself a to-do list and crossed out items as he completed them as straightforwardly as any middle manager.” Keith Haring’s ordinary, extraordinary to-do lists [ https://substack.com/redirect/78d33d5c-7513-4205-b012-5b069da80c03?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Elsewhere the sky is the roof of the world; but here the earth was the floor of the sky. The landscape one longed for when one was far away, the thing all about one, the world one actually lived in, was the sky, the sky!” Unexpected reading delight: I loved Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop [ https://substack.com/redirect/b5808130-1e4d-459c-9890-74504a3aff4e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Recommended if you like episodic books about friendship, adventure, and New Mexico [ https://substack.com/redirect/21df5a06-d290-4a0c-9122-4457c021c6b5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Why the heck haven’t I read more Cather? I really liked My Ántonia [ https://substack.com/redirect/e60fa09f-12ac-4321-a9c9-78b322f425f5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in high school, but that was the only other book of hers I’ve picked up. I might re-read it and try O Pioneers! [ https://substack.com/redirect/7bccc948-6080-4fe4-949e-f3acfd2d096c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and A Lost Lady [ https://substack.com/redirect/cdf656cd-f9d4-4fcf-a517-7316c290cddf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] next. (Many of Cather’s books are in the public domain — check out her page on Standard Ebooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/925aa9bd-1ced-4be4-8fc0-3ef94cce1d6d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Also: If you recommend an essay about Death Comes for The Archbishop or Cather in general, I would love to read it. “Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel [ https://substack.com/redirect/866e07b0-ee8d-4890-b4ef-ebef60f7d480?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.” Pope Leo dropped a 42,300 word open letter about artificial intelligence [ https://substack.com/redirect/c74dac9b-4967-4fd4-a8ec-a07e63ac733b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I haven’t read it, but I did take a look at the infographics [ https://substack.com/redirect/de150e17-02e3-4407-a84b-bd82d2359268?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) The trailer for Wild Inside [ https://substack.com/redirect/e9e73ff7-9e4f-484f-a32f-df2873be3a87?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a documentary about Flaco the Owl [ https://substack.com/redirect/bdddd962-3766-4110-a06d-d14877fc79c7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (You should watch it and then watch my interview with director Penny Lane on the art of filmmaking [ https://substack.com/redirect/07ce7f98-2fb7-40e5-a5ce-ada2e51a91af?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) My latest mixtape captures my attempt to get over the depression and anxiety [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-266681349 ] that can accompany “The Gulp [ https://substack.com/redirect/f0fce0ce-b13e-4d76-a7d6-27871bb65c72?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” in between when you finish something and finally push it out into the world. (Don’t worry, it has plenty of bops!) You can listen to the mix on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/b5709aa5-29b1-4fcb-92f6-e7d74569b5c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/c4e60594-e55a-434a-a834-47579a19e0d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/c6a99745-ab8a-41c0-a983-2e9520b99cb2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: I recommend the YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/c6a99745-ab8a-41c0-a983-2e9520b99cb2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] playlist because Loretta Lynn’s “Portland, Oregon [ https://substack.com/redirect/69fdd4e9-18c2-4a9f-84ec-536f9b99fd8c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” and Freddie MacGregor’s cover of “I Shall Be Released [ https://substack.com/redirect/efaee1de-f614-45f3-a22a-9d749496942e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” are not on streaming services! (Thankfully, I have Van Lear Rose [ https://substack.com/redirect/ee4ccc27-fd31-49de-bf4b-2c7a9ab74a52?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on vinyl and Studio One Kings [ https://substack.com/redirect/0f0a815d-6e2b-45f0-ab59-77865c28fc65?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on CD. Physical media, y’all!) I wrote about 7 books that helped me learn from my kids [ https://substack.com/redirect/36b9b95e-d093-45cc-839e-37a9851f140e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Those kids finished school this week — my youngest graduated elementary school!!! — so we did our annual blasting of Alice Cooper’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/dcc7ee7f-c53e-4cf2-adf2-c9aec74420ee?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]School’s Out [ https://substack.com/redirect/dcc7ee7f-c53e-4cf2-adf2-c9aec74420ee?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (They’re still a bit too young to watch Dazed and Confused [ https://substack.com/redirect/f2e84df1-31c0-4ddf-bd65-df656a6f411d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], so we’ll have to find something else to watch for pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/d0b9557d-dbef-4b6d-98aa-d2e1d74be903?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I’m in love with this thought about journaling and tracking your own microseasons from Melissa Kirsch [ https://substack.com/redirect/f95e0deb-085b-4ba0-a69b-c0a219fa065e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “A journal this year becomes a calendar next, a way to anticipate and follow along with the microscopic variations, inside and out.” (See also my letter “When does a diary pay off? [ https://substack.com/redirect/05475655-0dd0-455d-b6f0-d13ae87c2cd2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”) RIP jazz giant Sonny Rollins [ https://substack.com/redirect/75aaf049-931e-437b-93ec-cacb53c82e15?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you don’t know his work, start with Saxophone Colossus [ https://substack.com/redirect/23111b2e-f711-4bc6-98c0-29c2c2c7524c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Here’s a cool animated short [ https://substack.com/redirect/7764cb85-a634-4ec5-b5b9-b4cfac173175?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about his time playing with Monk and practicing on the Williamsburg Bridge [ https://substack.com/redirect/a689b6aa-4ef3-4fd5-9ea3-d40d17e4382e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I was very taken by this section of his biography [ https://substack.com/redirect/83fd11e1-d170-40d8-bc39-1708a2a56547?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which I could’ve used in the “Don’t Take Things Too Seriously” chapter of Don’t Call it Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/324f3b33-65fa-43d8-9621-ef4eda11834c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: "While he was in this world… he learned ‘not to take life too seriously,’ he said. He made tentative plans for gallows humor on his tombstone: ‘Thanks to Andy Capp, Bob and Ray, and Mad Magazine.’ He kept his Bob and Ray comedy tapes for life, was a lifetime subscriber to Mad, cut out Andy Capp comics and carried them around for a rainy day. ‘These characters have enriched my life and hit the right note.... It’s one of the things that has made my life bearable. It’s very important to me, my sense of humor.’ When he was not here anymore, he knew his music, and that sense of humor, still would be.” Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is by pre-ordering the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/324f3b33-65fa-43d8-9621-ef4eda11834c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! It makes a huge difference, truly, and it doesn’t matter where you pre-order it, it helps me the same. (If you get it from your local indie bookstore, you’re helping us both.) I know I already said it, but this book really is the most beautiful object [ https://substack.com/redirect/338bcb91-1776-48b9-bbf7-93793d0fd285?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I’ve ever published. I can’t believe it’s finally coming out. Phew! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-263852549 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVPVFV5TWpJeU9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Z3dNRFUyT0RRekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1URTFPVEk0TkRNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAua0tzZndiejhnWk9VcGFqRXVvNnBiRUQzemxUZG0xVDUzM3ltRU1ZQUdPVSIsInAiOjE5OTUyMjIyOSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc4MDA1Njg0MywiZXhwIjoyMDk1NjMyODQzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.OZSyrT8An_I7ss1ANkKJDXK5RDxDIFtbJwl1dnXdeRU?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/dads-and-grads Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-261833229 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: Don’t Call It A Book Tour [ https://substack.com/redirect/80bf7697-99d8-4e2c-95ab-5ac415fd13a3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] news: A venue change for Austin, Texas! We’ve decided to throw the June 1st book release party in-store [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4fe70b-2b2d-40a9-9179-53c36539e9a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]at [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4fe70b-2b2d-40a9-9179-53c36539e9a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4fe70b-2b2d-40a9-9179-53c36539e9a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4fe70b-2b2d-40a9-9179-53c36539e9a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It’ll be cozier and more fun. Attendees get the book a day before everyone else. Maybe best of all, the ticket price is now just the cost of the book. You can bring a +1 as long as we have room. Plenty of parking. Easy-peasy. RSVP here!!! [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4fe70b-2b2d-40a9-9179-53c36539e9a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Nashville! [ https://substack.com/redirect/89d6086a-f643-4085-883d-bd2efac2df42?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Cleveland! [ https://substack.com/redirect/f1104014-2288-4256-b616-9c88c4c4223c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] These are free shows, but tickets are going fast, so grab a spot while you can. If you can’t make one of these shows and you want a signed and personalized copy of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/2d3eb190-ac73-4386-a31d-4ebc359d55bb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (or any of my other books) I’m signing a huge batch at BookPeople next Friday afternoon (like, hundreds of them) so there’s still time to get your orders in [ https://substack.com/redirect/ed40878b-c3a0-4a0f-aca0-42c64a71c5ea?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and claim your pre-order bonuses [ https://substack.com/redirect/18d568b7-4e76-499f-b8ef-51261e098822?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! It’s what the publishing industry calls “Dads and Grads” season. My books [ https://substack.com/redirect/c0c4b4c8-6fc3-4aab-bf8a-2eccc29db3a7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] make great gifts for both, but if I had to drill down, I’d say Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/7374e3c9-04de-4d19-b615-00bb23efd21d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/955300ee-9db0-4e51-81f9-64c4dd8f1bf3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] are the best picks for dads, Show Your Work! [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc2e3f5f-d09b-4be8-817b-3fd6479bc62f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is great for college graduates and others about to enter the (depressing) job market, and Steal Like an Artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/1d592591-7160-4ecb-9717-b51c0572b828?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and the matching journal [ https://substack.com/redirect/18ce1948-e16d-486a-ba37-652e4417c925?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] are great for high school graduates and folks who are just starting out. (Newspaper Blackout [ https://substack.com/redirect/b23f969a-7eb8-428e-9bc2-43d0e9903d64?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is a deep cut for the true weirdo in your life.) And again, a reminder that you can get those signed and personalized by me [ https://substack.com/redirect/ed40878b-c3a0-4a0f-aca0-42c64a71c5ea?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] from BookPeople! Since I shared a “Mothers!” zine [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-255919363 ] for Mother’s Day, I figured I’d make one for Father’s Day and graduation season, too, while I was at it. (I am insane.) Free to download! And here’s a video [ https://substack.com/redirect/1101746f-0545-4c3f-9429-790405b54778?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] showing how to make them into a booklet: If you dig these zines, you can get issues #1-5 in the preorder goodies [ https://substack.com/redirect/18d568b7-4e76-499f-b8ef-51261e098822?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], #6 and #7 here [ https://substack.com/redirect/1d62af36-d163-4a92-8335-01e7740d62dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and #8 here [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-255919363 ]. “Chani, take the wheel!” The collage at the top of Chani’s Gemini “chit-chat” season newsletter [ https://substack.com/redirect/2be75e09-3572-401f-9a5b-cc9ae6e8ffa1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] sums up the vibes in our household of two Gemini parents — two birds chattering at each other on top of a cassette tape. Maycember [ https://substack.com/redirect/64894801-1f06-4291-81a2-d90391636c22?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is raging! (Time to throw on Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights [ https://substack.com/redirect/d5b2177d-e0ae-408d-8c61-4fc19958828c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) If you need one, here’s “the greatest pep talk in art history [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc89d1a3-9128-4e28-82e4-1c41ff5c74cd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” (I quoted this Sol LeWitt letter to Eva Hesse in Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/955300ee-9db0-4e51-81f9-64c4dd8f1bf3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Better than any pep talk, I think, is watching Letterman and Colbert throw CBS property off the roof of The Ed Sullivan Theater [ https://substack.com/redirect/88ee9aeb-8559-4e25-b18f-7968e876a0ef?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Rather than revising on screen, he prints out a section of his draft - no more than 1,000 words - deletes it from his document, and types it back in from the paper.” I can confirm that this writing tip [ https://substack.com/redirect/43e62f85-dbcb-4217-92d5-a51faafb53b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] from Oliver Burkeman [ https://substack.com/redirect/f6156cfe-9eaa-4c51-9874-cb65d1cbba90?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] works. (Here are my own 3 tips for self-editing [ https://substack.com/redirect/b992de9c-b976-4761-96fa-d537cec74828?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I love Hollis Heichemer’s paintings [ https://substack.com/redirect/14307e4f-464e-4a2c-bea0-eac54bfd4113?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. She has a new show [ https://substack.com/redirect/2c04e4b5-2e23-4dc9-a479-800d7b56f8c9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in NYC opening next week. (One way to own a copy of her work is to buy Walter Martin’s The Bear [ https://substack.com/redirect/dd25f860-6e20-4119-87dd-c5193123be53?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on vinyl.) “‘Strokin’’ is one of the great American songs. To me, he was the Mozart of Southern music…. There’s a disc jockey in all of us, and I just wanted to share ‘Strokin’’ with all of you. Why not? Where are you gonna go and hear ‘Strokin’’ in this day and age? Where? Nowhere! Here, that’s it! I mean, if I were doing a movie about the life of Beethoven, I would use ‘Strokin’’ on the end credits. Or Shakespeare! You know, if I was doing Hamlet, imagine ending it after Hamlet’s death, and the funeral oration by Horatio or Fortinbras, then you hear ‘Strokin.’’ And that sends you right out of your chair – YES!” That’s director William Friedkin [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e38d888-e40b-46a5-bb97-18cd20983754?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the great Clarence Carter [ https://substack.com/redirect/c9f8a14b-0fc1-4def-9056-a33cfd94038b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who died this week. (My favorite Carter song is “Slip Away [ https://substack.com/redirect/305e2963-fee1-4413-92c2-661d1bfce235?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which I heard on the excellent Wonder Boys [ https://substack.com/redirect/60ba5d6e-d9f8-4215-8501-bd697d59e799?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] soundtrack [ https://substack.com/redirect/60ba5d6e-d9f8-4215-8501-bd697d59e799?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Watch him do it live on [ https://substack.com/redirect/4316d243-04e5-4ae5-b0f2-82c51330a8d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]The Midnight Special [ https://substack.com/redirect/4316d243-04e5-4ae5-b0f2-82c51330a8d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in 1973 [ https://substack.com/redirect/4316d243-04e5-4ae5-b0f2-82c51330a8d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “My real hobby is being at the mercy of my own whims and moods.” I had several readers tell me that this typewriter interview with Brad Neely [ https://substack.com/redirect/bc032e96-f31d-4451-b54c-2232827b58dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is the best one yet. Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is by pre-ordering the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/7374e3c9-04de-4d19-b615-00bb23efd21d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! It makes a huge difference, truly, and it doesn’t matter where you pre-order it, it helps me the same. (If you get it from your local indie bookstore, you’re helping us both.) This book really is the most beautiful object [ https://substack.com/redirect/d70f9b70-698b-48ab-86fa-0764548039fe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I’ve ever published. xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/1a80fe42-41d6-4abc-9581-82e6b3443812?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin P.S. Trust me, you want one of these [ https://substack.com/redirect/7374e3c9-04de-4d19-b615-00bb23efd21d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVPRGN4T0RVeE55d2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzVORFV5TVRBNExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UQTVPRGd4TURnc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuMmt2YzBIcG1HQ2hRLWR1bzFLVi1vdEgwbnYwTjQ2emxHOU9JbUJnTE0wbyIsInAiOjE5ODcxODUxNywicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3OTQ1MjEwOCwiZXhwIjoyMDk1MDI4MTA4LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.wofGy4eTrs1VvtFRAoInowSlu23SC_dMNnKflE-KoRk?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/fledging-season Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-257491018 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: I spent an afternoon scanning diaries from 2023 [ https://substack.com/redirect/c8af9c50-f934-4b8f-ba33-a7838b17e154?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for a speaking gig [ https://substack.com/redirect/ebfa13e9-02ea-49d0-8a5c-1bd3df5f2322?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]and I came across all the spring entries from when we had owlets in our backyard owl box. I was obsessed with those owlets and I couldn’t help comparing them to the two young humans we had in our house, except the owlets developed at super speed: They hatched in April, and by this time of May they had already fledged [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b66a47d-c8d4-48bb-9071-e0151fadf793?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (To fledge [ https://substack.com/redirect/a0f7ac0a-aa8e-4c7d-86ca-fa490228e701?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is to leave the nest after you get your feathers.) Our youngest is fledging from elementary school later this month. Counting down the drop-offs we have left. Fledging season [ https://substack.com/redirect/6cb4e503-af52-44be-84af-9315dac14998?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’m quickly coming up out of “The Gulp [ https://substack.com/redirect/c602b22a-57cb-4e4d-96ac-b7134879ea13?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!” I spent the past week and a half recording podcasts. I was a little nervous [ https://substack.com/redirect/6177aa22-0e79-48a0-99f2-1d58663bc7a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but it was a huge relief to finally get to hear what people who didn’t work on Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/939a8eb5-f8ae-4444-a6b9-ced98267b602?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] think about the book. Oh, also: I got to hold an actual copy of the book for the first time! It’s truly the most beautiful object I’ve ever published. Crazy proud of it, though I do have a confession [ https://substack.com/redirect/a156bdd5-ceac-401f-bfe1-7fcfa5fad6a6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: I shared two brand-new issues [ https://substack.com/redirect/e7c32691-d4c7-4012-b99c-03284354956c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of the Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/939a8eb5-f8ae-4444-a6b9-ced98267b602?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Deleted Zines — #6 and #7 are called “Not-knowing” and “Complexity.” You can get the first 5 issues in the pre-order goodies [ https://substack.com/redirect/99a25f03-d4b3-4cdb-ab4d-6da8cfc364fd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and in case you missed it, I shared issue #8 last week: “Mothers! [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-255919363 ]” (Here is a very nice writeup [ https://substack.com/redirect/583e7f91-f63f-4004-9aa8-25e07ac6d29b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of that issue.) Issue #9 is, you guessed it, “Fathers!” It’ll drop before Father’s Day.  “All human wisdom is contained in these two words: ‘wait’ and ‘hope’!” I finished all 1,000+ pages of The Count of Monte Cristo. [ https://substack.com/redirect/985906ab-48b9-49b3-9d5b-6f6917ed4fd3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] It’s a (long) ride I wish I’d taken when I was younger and felt more like taking my revenge on the world. But it’s a page-turner, and a worthy big book for summer [ https://substack.com/redirect/2bfa5616-d4ac-4506-a675-5107a9d68516?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’ve heard the PBS Masterpiece adaptation [ https://substack.com/redirect/a481a56d-9463-4942-838e-3101d5e78b0d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is great and look forward to watching it. At some point I might pick up Tom Reiss’s The Black Count [ https://substack.com/redirect/0d39b4e9-c3e0-427e-a3d8-ae8763e39fea?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], the incredible story [ https://substack.com/redirect/d3ff6ce3-bc1d-4529-991b-61452cf5a36e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of Alexandre Dumas’s father. (Someone recently asked me if I had a summer reading recommendation and I basically said, “Read a classic you think you know that you’ve never read. It will probably be much weirder than you expected [ https://substack.com/redirect/01492be7-cb40-4b49-9232-0615eebfccc6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) Austin, Texas: Here Be Monsters [ https://substack.com/redirect/b1179268-82e4-4caf-91ca-d6e2f88fd9b2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is a “two-day exploration of Austin's most celebrated indie-classical artists and creators.” May 24 & 25 at Radio East. (Speaking of live music: I saw Grandaddy [ https://substack.com/redirect/43134265-d0fd-4156-8344-9bef7af1d443?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the Mohawk with all the other sad dads [ https://substack.com/redirect/6a9e3075-38b9-4ef6-8050-c4bebf2c0344?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and they covered Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer [ https://substack.com/redirect/caa9ca7b-cd09-401e-8f66-dfbf4d43f445?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which I later found out [ https://substack.com/redirect/6526d69d-d99b-4b98-a0f4-d1117643445d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was actually written by Mike Campbell for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when he was messing around with a LinnDrum and an Oberheim synth.) More musical treats: 45 minutes of Elvis Costello and The Attractions live in 1978 [ https://substack.com/redirect/2d6721af-2d50-4fbe-b0ad-55ba889f3957?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Timmy Thomas doing “Why Can’t We Live Together [ https://substack.com/redirect/d3e8af59-615f-44a3-ba55-c40c0155114c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” on Countdown in 1986, the XX on recording “Crystalized [ https://substack.com/redirect/a77de018-f7ee-46e1-940e-b0cb39311098?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” and Phoenix playing a stripped-down table-top version of “1901.” [ https://substack.com/redirect/860ad4d5-f3c9-4e26-910d-0eda4e2d1541?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I can’t remember if I’ve recommended the Washington Review of Books [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b8a83aa-4496-4788-9dfa-06c501716ba0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] or not, but the latest issue includes a bunch of good stuff like smart thoughts about Pet Sounds [ https://substack.com/redirect/78fe8aef-4727-4e7e-ab2e-145a57e6c127?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Brian Wilson, Iggy Pop reading [ https://substack.com/redirect/91de74d0-2535-42f6-a595-c96bbd062e53?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire [ https://substack.com/redirect/91de74d0-2535-42f6-a595-c96bbd062e53?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and a cool-sounding book of Rosa Montero’s called The Danger to Be Sane: Creativity and the Eccentric [ https://substack.com/redirect/95d20923-bee2-4522-8821-c9f31fde958a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] [ https://substack.com/redirect/95d20923-bee2-4522-8821-c9f31fde958a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Mind [ https://substack.com/redirect/95d20923-bee2-4522-8821-c9f31fde958a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Printmaking eye candy: big ol’ block prints [ https://substack.com/redirect/5af1f0b3-4dc8-4318-ad63-4fff00f493ba?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and a searchable database of Japanese woodblock prints [ https://substack.com/redirect/fe310440-bc52-45e7-9633-3cca0f3d2d64?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Thanks, Clive [ https://substack.com/redirect/b3f91032-72bc-42a8-be10-e36992a8aeaf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!) You might know about the “golden hour [ https://substack.com/redirect/9adef8af-901f-4d85-9459-1b9edcc7cbc3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” — that pretty period of daylight after sunrise and before sunset — but did you know there’s also a “blue hour [ https://substack.com/redirect/7d6c7cac-6b98-463f-8f63-511a0392c032?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”? It’s the period of twilight [ https://substack.com/redirect/13cfe2ad-7745-4a18-a62c-06cb3142f090?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] before sunrise and after sunset. (Thanks, Rob! [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a6a0519-7587-4801-921d-56dfe5683811?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) Your assignment this week comes from FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks [ https://substack.com/redirect/1df15020-16e8-4e9e-910e-9766afe4560d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Harry, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Everyday, once a day, give yourself a present. Don’t plan it, don’t wait for it. Just let it happen. It could be a new shirt at the Men’s store. A catnap in your office chair. Or two cups of good, hot black coffee.” Reminder: I have Austin, [ https://substack.com/redirect/76f4be8b-3049-4749-bb28-f92cce776b34?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Nashville [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a30e59d-3276-4d1f-aa6a-ae54fb206bd9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Cleveland [ https://substack.com/redirect/58241d6a-dea3-4761-9053-486d64000ff0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] events coming up in June to celebrate the release of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/218b74f7-f80b-48e2-98b5-760244921758?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you’re around, I’d love to see you there. Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best ways you can support my work right now: pre-order the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/218b74f7-f80b-48e2-98b5-760244921758?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and/or become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/5badf434-a15b-4dd3-ba87-470cc7734075?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-258993370 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVOemN4T1RReE5Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzRPRFEyT1RnMUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1UQXpPREk1T0RVc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuQUtWSnpMTE8xY1NNV2Zzd0t0d3czeWIzOGV2VFY1UGVsM1ZJS0JPUFZzMCIsInAiOjE5NzcxOTQxNSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3ODg0Njk4NSwiZXhwIjoyMDk0NDIyOTg1LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.9lGct2pP3FRFSaav0c96zlLGtgO75QKy2f0yKq7A1u4?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/dont-call-it-a-book-tour Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/8ca815c9-cdc7-47a3-b7a9-b5a9fac99bf8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Lots of stuff today. Let’s get right to it: Don’t call it a book tour: Austin! [ https://substack.com/redirect/ecac8064-4b35-46e7-b5b6-0219b5c16a89?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Nashville! [ https://substack.com/redirect/6c03e69e-4f50-4d9a-9681-85c0d9bf96a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Cleveland! [ https://substack.com/redirect/84d69bce-d14e-4a28-96a9-c5fa7bf769b4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I’d love to see you in June to celebrate the release of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/782cf9d7-919b-4583-9027-2b6ec4d251b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. You can find more details and RSVP links here [ https://substack.com/redirect/6594bd35-b3df-4ce0-9650-155837c6811f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Mother’s Day is this Sunday. Don’t panic! My books [ https://substack.com/redirect/45c9c936-04ec-4a1d-87c7-6714decc8e34?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] make excellent gifts. You could even pre-order the new one [ https://substack.com/redirect/782cf9d7-919b-4583-9027-2b6ec4d251b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and give her this special Mother’s Day zine I made: Here’s a video with instructions [ https://substack.com/redirect/a6e6e4b3-0d47-4c01-813e-58525b83438d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for how to fold and cut the zine into a booklet: If you’d like to download issues #1-5 in the Deleted Zines series, follow the instructions on this page [ https://substack.com/redirect/0b97d9a5-b917-4fc4-b36d-da082af0c91f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Issues #6 & #7 will be in a forthcoming Tuesday newsletter! [ https://substack.com/redirect/1b1f5654-2cb7-4a43-8807-d596ee14e6e0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) “I didn’t think a residency was for me. I have a studio. I don’t have kids. What could I get out of it?” Wendy MacNaughton [ https://substack.com/redirect/e09c1efb-288b-4e0a-8066-430900d4a76a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] reports back from seven weeks in the woods [ https://substack.com/redirect/4fcba069-411c-4d05-9459-4c00408fa0a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Every time I hear about a creative residency I think about this bit from Also A Poet [ https://substack.com/redirect/e8c85889-9a8c-4c3c-8303-c745ee990733?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Ada Calhoun’s great memoir about her father, the late art critic Peter Schjeldahl: “My father rolled his eyes. He thought residencies were lame. He said he wouldn’t be caught dead at a writer’s colony. My mother snapped at him: ‘Your whole life is a writer’s colony.’” “Whenever I spend some time, even a little bit of it, goofing off with a friend or family member's kid, I can see the small respite it gives to the parents. And let’s not forget my own selfishness. I feel a lightness of being—an unanchoring in my heart—that seems harder and harder to come by these days. It’s a feeling I relish.” I somehow missed Isaac Fitzgerald [ https://substack.com/redirect/089fcd82-2cee-40b6-b9ce-1d39efbed5c7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]’s 2022 Esquire essay “The World Needs Uncles, Too [ https://substack.com/redirect/96a515b6-0333-42b8-a25a-bbefbf59a0da?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Isaac is what I call a “curious elder.” He embodies the spirit of the “Borrow a Kid!” chapter of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/782cf9d7-919b-4583-9027-2b6ec4d251b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Thanks to Kevin [ https://substack.com/redirect/7d79d82c-2fd2-4859-9458-27a5b1cf0d30?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for the recommendation!)   I’m excited to read Isaac’s new book American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed [ https://substack.com/redirect/d558f7a9-11ec-43b8-9763-a9ade0832d43?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for a very specific reason: Other than line dancing to Jerry Reed’s “Amos Moses [ https://substack.com/redirect/605d99b1-87c0-4ff5-ba70-6e77c00b5b44?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” one of my favorite childhood memories from summer 4-H camp is when we sang “Johnny Appleseed” as grace before meals: Oh the lord is good to me / and so I thank the Lord / for giving me / the things I need / the sun and the rain and the appleseed / the Lord is good to me. (I later found out it’s the first verse of a song called “The Lord is Good to Me [ https://substack.com/redirect/5b522189-8104-494b-b13a-0abbbf5f68de?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which was featured in an old Disney movie called Melody Time [ https://substack.com/redirect/cd349a6c-e496-4be1-90bb-3b9ea6a94236?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].)   On Wednesday, one of my nightmares came true while walking my kid home from school: I saw two sixth graders jaywalk across what is essentially a four-lane highway — as I’ve seen many of their classmates do — cross in front of a parked school bus, and get hit by a car in the next lane. Thankfully they were okay. Special shout-out to members of the Austin EMS and Fire Department, who were so good at their jobs I asked if I could shake their hands afterwards. Do me a favor! Drive slower and teach your kids the words of Ghoulardi [ https://substack.com/redirect/900737f5-3d28-4324-b11b-d0808c0bc4dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: On a (much) lighter note, I’m enjoying Walter Martin’s “30 Greatest Living American Songwriters [ https://substack.com/redirect/6f1dbc49-08a5-4b8d-b05e-53aca8920357?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” shows, which he made as an “emotional response” to the [ https://substack.com/redirect/e37cd276-a04f-4dc8-a346-fc70be381660?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]New York Times [ https://substack.com/redirect/e37cd276-a04f-4dc8-a346-fc70be381660?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]’ list [ https://substack.com/redirect/e37cd276-a04f-4dc8-a346-fc70be381660?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] people were arguing about online. (Is there any other reason for such a list?) I found the print magazine’s “The Objects That Inspire Them [ https://substack.com/redirect/48e019b9-2cb8-47ce-9d10-999bc9e9942a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” feature more interesting than the actual list. Here’s some creative wisdom from Stephin Merritt [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e4ee2a3-2d48-4879-9d8c-f2c8579175de?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of The Magnetic Fields: “It’s very easy to dismiss an idea as derivative or stupid before it’s written down. If I had dismissed the title ‘The Book of Love [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoAydx7Anuc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Nh28saKYwI ]’ as derivative, I wouldn’t have a house.” Do you need a nudge to release that special thing you’ve been working on? Sign up for the “collective deadline” of Creative Mornings [ https://substack.com/redirect/f5a0454b-3ced-4033-805a-68b6211cd5b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]’ Release Day [ https://substack.com/redirect/f5a0454b-3ced-4033-805a-68b6211cd5b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on May 29th. Our local Austin chapter asked me if I’d make a little video about it: The latest typewriter interview is with author David Epstein [ https://substack.com/redirect/6011702b-df5f-4c0f-8c82-029b32270c15?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], whose new book Inside the Box [ https://substack.com/redirect/a4afd28f-a28e-4d49-8338-021e5adbc222?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is out this week. (Includes drawings!) Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best ways you can support my work right now: pre-order the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/782cf9d7-919b-4583-9027-2b6ec4d251b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and/or become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/0da053fe-2cd4-40b5-9708-522391159864?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/d36687ce-10ae-492c-92ad-fa29bb1b51ca?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin P.S. Big thanks to my friend Ryan Holiday [ https://substack.com/redirect/91e6f8ea-0ac5-42d9-95cd-37d3a8b4eaf2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who recommended [ https://substack.com/redirect/bdef5fdc-429c-4a40-9484-4881d4197ae6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] my book Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c0b9900-de60-42ce-8f69-0e0d36c128d1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Morning Joe [ https://substack.com/redirect/08ee79e0-a0f9-4775-80d5-ec20e62d5d4c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. He’s been a supporter of that book — my most Stoic! — from day one, and I’m very grateful to him. If you’re having a hard time right now, I think this book can really help. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVOamM0TnpFeU5Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzRNalF5TlRjMExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EazNOemcxTnpRc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAudF8zV2xwdzBPbjI5MW1xWlNDQVJGRkJ2YzIxX2dpTF85NDk4eXBjRl94RSIsInAiOjE5Njc4NzEyNCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3ODI0MjU3NCwiZXhwIjoyMDkzODE4NTc0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.UlfHU7b56mkDyE0lEglfTEC1Up3HIRmws9uyR1aOlaA?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/return-of-the-snails Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-251247035 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: Last weekend I found myself printing 100 snails [ https://substack.com/redirect/602881c4-da9f-4944-b4aa-fed4672c4c09?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for a little project I’m working on: You can see how I make these prints in my unofficial guide to block printing [ https://substack.com/redirect/8354f096-058c-4b4f-876c-7d9c3d3f03b1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I take a lot of joy in the repetition [ https://substack.com/redirect/d708313d-24d2-4303-998b-7bd9555e315f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of this kind of comfort work [ https://substack.com/redirect/e0993e60-16f2-4033-b73a-2b7e6790cdb2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It does something to me emotionally — I think, ”Let’s do another one… until we’re dead!” I’ve made the snail the mascot for Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/002674a1-76b3-455f-be02-3fa9788f35c6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] because it took so long for me to get the book just right. (Snails leave a snail trail [ https://substack.com/redirect/8c47acfe-822b-4926-9186-ae54ef40434d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], writers leave a paper trail [ https://substack.com/redirect/efd49eaf-c87f-45af-871e-8859f0fb8d42?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “I like art that feels like it was made by a free person. I like to see how a person chooses things. I like art before it gets noted and workshopped and homogenized. I like art that preserves the rough edges of the person.” Brad Neely on embracing errors when making art [ https://substack.com/redirect/4a9d7900-8ed4-4718-890e-db30cb8a0fee?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Uncertainty is healthy [ https://substack.com/redirect/42b6db0d-2fd8-4e33-a5cc-c1ac53db5e4b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” (I really want to read Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life [ https://substack.com/redirect/c45aaf2b-e92c-4a16-9f6b-12c2ce39ee56?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — it had the best-ever book trailer [ https://substack.com/redirect/991cc9fc-6bcc-44ec-9393-9cd2e3083f4a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — and watch more of James Burke’s Connections [ https://substack.com/redirect/0d49cf16-4d26-4708-a992-9ec401d8e7e2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] beyond this shot [ https://substack.com/redirect/884bd72a-28f7-43b3-99ef-5c736181fa60?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) ”Looking into the things that you’re not good at, especially intellectually, is one way to stay young, because you’ve got a beginner’s mind.” Stewart Brand on [ https://substack.com/redirect/880566f0-e3b3-47ac-a6ba-b088cadb56a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]The Ezra Klein Show [ https://substack.com/redirect/880566f0-e3b3-47ac-a6ba-b088cadb56a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Brand tweeted [ https://substack.com/redirect/c29e410a-902b-4db4-96bc-5e88ab13addf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that folks should read the transcript so they "don't have to try to understand my words poorly spoken through a denture lisp," but I think that's why people should listen: it's very rare to hear someone in their late 80s in front of the microphone! More, please!) My other mid-life inspiration this week came from our prickly pear cacti — despite being beat-to-hell by the storms of life, they are still growing: (Gardening provides rich creative metaphors [ https://substack.com/redirect/186fad3e-7e16-4372-b24f-0c6dc5d93cc3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that are antidotes to hustle culture and other contemporary nonsense!) “Do you have any small routines or actions, like a personal ritual or quiet signal, that help activate your creativity each day?” “Yes, not doing anything [ https://substack.com/redirect/508c94f9-9528-425c-ac03-e4b0326f92d2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” XOXO [ https://substack.com/redirect/b39fb2aa-a435-470d-9e2f-2c32654a635b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was an experimental festival for independent artists and creators from the internet. (My wife and I went in 2013 with our brand-new baby. It was great.) They just launched XOXO Explore [ https://substack.com/redirect/e10916fe-eaca-4722-bd77-3bedc8296f21?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a complete archive of all eight years of the festival and a bunch of new limited-edition merch [ https://substack.com/redirect/74ddd0e8-e930-46d0-bc5a-91ef1e51b1ab?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I pre-ordered the “Lower Your Expectations” light [ https://substack.com/redirect/b7ee6bd2-742e-4b6b-933d-f79913141652?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] because I’ve had their sticker up in my studio and on our kitchen fridge for years and years: If you ever wanted to own the “Here to Make Friends [ https://substack.com/redirect/eada648d-3763-4837-8567-75bc4b132d0d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” t-shirt I’m wearing in Steal Like an Artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/45684af4-fc04-4fcd-9302-e5f92672a382?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], now’s your chance! My friend Chris Glass [ https://substack.com/redirect/6267166c-47fe-486e-843a-25127ca3bb9e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] told me they’re taking pre-orders until May 8 [ https://substack.com/redirect/eada648d-3763-4837-8567-75bc4b132d0d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Shout-out to Chonkers the Sea Lion [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4233034-281c-4bf5-946c-c2657ec53e1a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Athena’s orphaned owlet [ https://substack.com/redirect/c237763c-8e14-4385-9ff9-fc82cdc10f51?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Anybody who survives is taking revenge. Revenge is a creative force. No matter how much you were told not to be artistic, still being artistic, that’s revenge; no matter how childish and naïve you were told your ideals were, still believing in them, that’s revenge [ https://substack.com/redirect/a4920069-d41f-439c-9683-e88f4adeae3a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best ways you can support my work right now: pre-order the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/6d7f0237-aeae-4a1d-84a4-eb0afc553d05?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and/or become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/c3086a37-2960-4973-b460-50055a1b482f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-249434730 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVOakF4TVRBMU9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzNOak0zTkRreExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1Ea3hOek0wT1RFc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuV1JyWVNycTJfUG1mSjFPZjFaTXlrUzhIRFM5Z1MwVW9pZU16Q2JRaEZYZyIsInAiOjE5NjAxMTA1OSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NzYzNzQ5MSwiZXhwIjoyMDkzMjEzNDkxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.3a2zqp7YLDskWEMPCnxx52I8kVikQaJiTgz7BgrJzdU?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/the-method Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-244597623 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important.” How to get some cosmic perspective [ https://substack.com/redirect/711f3b67-dbe1-4ed4-b3c6-2e836acd473f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (My favorite comment: “This post inspired me put down my phone and immediately go for a walk with my dog.”) “Get out now. Not just outside, but beyond the trap of the programmed electronic age so gently closing around so many people at the end of our century. Go outside, move deliberately, then relax, slow down, look around…” That’s the beginning of John Stilgoe’s book Outside Lies Magic [ https://substack.com/redirect/33e9a909-6f05-4e81-86e6-f53155694f91?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Stilgoe also wrote the preface for the abridged edition of Thoreau’s journals [ https://substack.com/redirect/d76b06f5-f90f-43c2-a676-c4f8610a6e33?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that I love. Both were big influences on my book Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/03482123-840b-4fcc-991b-7efffec92dbb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Here’s a great 60 Minutes [ https://substack.com/redirect/b65b9a95-f4d6-4fc4-8c79-2fe6f158a5d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] segment from 2003 [ https://substack.com/redirect/b65b9a95-f4d6-4fc4-8c79-2fe6f158a5d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] where Stilgoe walks Steve Kroft around, talking about education and teaching him to look closely at advertising and the built environment. “Most people, when they learn to read, stop looking around…” (I feel like my friends Sara [ https://substack.com/redirect/2ddff2c2-e152-46a8-a8c2-c02383b6264f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Deb [ https://substack.com/redirect/3cd8a328-3258-4ee0-962b-cbede97b0f75?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Rob [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e014b9c-3976-4bb3-a5d2-bac4ef1f6886?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] will love this if they haven’t already seen it. Thanks to Oliver [ https://substack.com/@oliverburkeman/note/c-178571810 ] for recommending Stilgoe many years ago!) “Chris was extraordinary in that, honest to God, he would wake up every morning almost like how kids wake up in the morning and they’ve had dreams.” Chris Burden’s impossible artworks [ https://substack.com/redirect/31247632-3de1-4e24-88ed-1dd83f9dce58?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A few nights ago, Hrishikesh Hirway [ https://substack.com/redirect/066f25b9-bd95-4eef-8f07-0351b646c772?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and I were talking about “The Gulp [ https://substack.com/redirect/480a6300-57c9-47c6-b299-ca7d87e9d262?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” that Jonathan Lethem writes about in The Ecstasy of Influence [ https://substack.com/redirect/be340606-1ca9-46b9-aeed-0d481247570a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: the time in between when you finish something and its release date, the “interlude where the [thing] has quit belonging to you but doesn’t belong to anyone else yet.” Hrishi’s gulp is over today: his new album [ https://substack.com/redirect/066f25b9-bd95-4eef-8f07-0351b646c772?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is out now! Bach Artillerie [ https://substack.com/redirect/2dca4aa3-9c12-438d-8cf8-0fda52758936?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is Deerhoof drummer Greg Saunier and Curt Sydnor playing the Goldberg canons of Bach. Here’s a video [ https://substack.com/redirect/f10721cb-ddc0-450d-aa56-4952dbad1ebb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of them jamming. Love it. I can’t stop playing Nine Inch Noize [ https://substack.com/redirect/373589fd-e805-4d31-a1e1-53b81bf45cd9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I watched both weekends of their Coachella performances [ https://substack.com/redirect/cf66faca-4550-4a6c-b9f0-d07dfc0e81a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and I can’t get enough. Blasting it at top volume in the studio like electro-shock therapy. Big ole book [ https://substack.com/redirect/bf2c1e7f-c6ce-467f-b5fe-162c93a3fdde?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: I’m about 250 pages (1/4) into The Count of Monte Cristo [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2c2c3ef-51c1-413a-b6c6-7bbef01d68f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] by Alexandre Dumas. (“The name is Dumas! [ https://substack.com/redirect/f68e23b8-d00d-478d-9ffb-f5bd0e98d58d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”) From The Writer’s Almanac [ https://substack.com/redirect/213ffc2d-462a-44de-8ede-e3ff085860bb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “[Dumas] started writing fiction at a time when publishers used fiction to sell newspapers. When his first novel appeared in a newspaper, it generated 5,000 new subscriptions. Dumas didn't care much about characterization or historical accuracy or even plausibility; he just wanted to tell an exciting story. Whenever he made money, he spent it lavishly and then some, the result being that he was often feverishly writing a new book to keep ahead of his creditors.” A close look at security envelope patterns [ https://substack.com/redirect/9c52f40a-ff82-4393-b0fe-6a36f4abb1e5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and some collages made from them [ https://substack.com/redirect/347374df-043e-4d45-80b8-df2322f16d53?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Some 🦉 news from Austin, Texas: Athena’s surviving owlet was rescued [ https://substack.com/redirect/e46c10f0-db35-420c-856d-c6baab9e6a0c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] by the fine folks at Austin Wildlife Rescue [ https://substack.com/redirect/ba93dbd6-f714-4a0e-b947-89d7267bfd88?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Back in 2023, when we had owl babies [ https://substack.com/redirect/b07b988f-c6fd-4e2c-a5cc-f8cf405c79c8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in our backyard, Meghan and I got to meet a screech owl at AWR [ https://substack.com/redirect/fb8e8618-3499-40e3-98fb-1d861e1e620c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I continue to be delighted by seeing photos of what people have done with their pre-order goodies [ https://substack.com/redirect/8bd1cc52-47dc-407c-8271-f12015fe61d1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/74537628-1f61-43d6-9e39-bd65e1bbb105?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Here’s a video I made of how to fold the zines [ https://substack.com/redirect/09b97e39-ae66-4c77-bb9d-f6586a57c20f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] made of bonus material and extra book chapters: Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kindness of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is to pre-order the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/74537628-1f61-43d6-9e39-bd65e1bbb105?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-244862348 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVOVEkyTXpZek9Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzNNRE16TURBekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EZzFOamt3TURNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuMkhvSWJVbGZOd3N5dWtqUkQ4SkVfUU9Qc1hzQTFvd3puNTJBWFBTeGZSQSIsInAiOjE5NTI2MzYzOCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NzAzMzAwNCwiZXhwIjoyMDkyNjA5MDA0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.mOOk494CF_u1TzrpaUcYGgJjca84A7TUem4AGWoGTAA?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/crazy-socks-and-silly-rituals Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-243893652 ], Next Wednesday (4/22) here in Austin, Texas I’m interviewing Hrishikesh Hirway [ https://substack.com/redirect/d8dac0da-4f65-41c2-bc6f-bdfd8a7f9d2b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (host of my favorite podcast Song Exploder [ https://substack.com/redirect/1348c329-43bf-4b24-ae4b-6dde147ff19c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) onstage as part of the release show for his new album. Details here [ https://substack.com/redirect/c9c86136-ae31-4bcf-8188-519a7e4bce0a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Here are 10 other things I thought were worth sharing this week: My 11-year-old’s take on crazy sock day [ https://substack.com/redirect/a088aabc-1bd7-4204-b479-f6f70e81fc8c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] feels deeply profound to me and relevant to contemporary life in ways I don’t want to ruin with explanation. “Out of the mouths of babes [ https://substack.com/redirect/14471c80-ab69-4068-9ca0-271eefd9dcb3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]…” and tweens! I am downright delighted by how many of y’all have picked up the pre-order goodies [ https://substack.com/redirect/52a69f06-0782-4edc-913f-d5335b131343?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/84e5a832-5d8c-4192-9ff7-371765872be5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’m extremely impatient to have this book out in the world, so seeing the zines and posters printed out and in your spaces is a real treat… One of my favorite parts of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/84e5a832-5d8c-4192-9ff7-371765872be5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is about “silly rituals” — the fun, goofy things we do in the studio to make our work feel more like play. (I always ask people if they have any silly rituals in my typewriter interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/6dd58e27-460e-478a-8b76-5260c81f2ec9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I have quite a few, and one of them is weighing my notebooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/d66a2616-5620-481f-98b9-59f64ec7fdca?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] when I start and finish them: “You think you’re doing random stuff, but your unconscious is screaming out a kind of sense that others can see better than you.” —Brad Neely, Creased Comics [ https://substack.com/redirect/f428afd9-b742-4cbc-8c7d-44e89c92e23c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I finished Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove [ https://substack.com/redirect/46199738-6ab9-4df8-b020-33456cc7fdc2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for the second time. I loved it when I read it 15 years ago, and probably loved it even more this time around. The first time I read it, I didn’t have sons, I hadn’t read Don Quixote or Tolstoy’s big novels, hadn’t had any midlife crises [ https://substack.com/redirect/f33e4f85-7eb7-4626-8d04-d932ebc768de?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I didn’t know anything about Stoic or Epicurean philosophy. (One of the primary creative tensions [ https://substack.com/redirect/72ff03f7-3069-458c-817e-97bc11c0be05?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in the book.) That’s the magic of re-reading: you’re changing all the time, so the book is a different book every time you pick it up. Parts can be as bloody and gruesome as McCarthy’s Blood Meridian [ https://substack.com/redirect/883c9f0c-c77c-4139-b4e7-34383c76a32d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (published the same year!), but Lonesome Dove is funny and fun and you don’t want it to end. My highest recommendation, and a perfect big book for summer [ https://substack.com/redirect/10cd85e9-cba2-445d-9f88-c49dfb2eaa61?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Calling it Art: “Duchamp helps us understand that ‘art’ shouldn’t be thought of as a noun that picks out certain kinds of objects, but as a verb: We ’art’ absolutely any object at all by using it to trigger thoughts and conversation.” That’s Blake Gopnik in the [ https://substack.com/redirect/33b2c7d6-b3aa-4ab0-87ae-db963d3ea0c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]New York Times [ https://substack.com/redirect/33b2c7d6-b3aa-4ab0-87ae-db963d3ea0c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], quoted by my friend Rob Walker [ https://substack.com/redirect/7c677dda-47e7-499a-80c6-a3fb9aaabb41?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in his letter, “Just Art It [ https://substack.com/redirect/03ab59c6-137f-4b3f-a8e5-9ffb17b929cd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” (I love the Duchamp galleries [ https://substack.com/redirect/f2a21e86-1c83-4043-afab-fb783a19fea5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the Philadelphia Museum of Art — Rob gave me valuable intel: the MoMa show [ https://substack.com/redirect/2edb88cd-a34f-459b-8572-0045cb3e5bdf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is headed there in October.) I’m a fan of Calvin Tomkins’ two books about Duchamp, Duchamp: A Biography [ https://substack.com/redirect/808e7c45-e853-4ac9-9664-430d09512323?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Marcel Duchamp: The Afternoon Interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/1127de96-f173-4558-888f-957b14e8ca5f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “A lot of these moments… are usually so small and fleeting that we don’t pay attention to them. And we’re kind of experiencing them almost on autopilot and running on emotions. And we’re not really choosing anything. We’re not making a choice there. And so, I’m basically just collecting these moments. There might be a small touch of some discomfort or dissonance or awkwardness or absurdity or something. And I just jot it down, and sometimes it’s clearly funny as it is. Sometimes I have to kind of find it on stage as I share this moment with the audience. But it all starts from just being present and engaged with your life.” Comedian Sheng Wang [ https://substack.com/redirect/668c713f-a9f5-46aa-a6da-1f76e8239ef3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on stand-up and his new special, Purple [ https://substack.com/redirect/2602be45-cdc6-4c2b-a987-eee9c95eefb6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I haven’t watched it yet, but I laughed a lot at Sweet and Juicy [ https://substack.com/redirect/a86c9237-4a47-4d7a-a3ac-011bf510c987?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — I tried to get “Uncle Sheng your breath smells like birds [ https://substack.com/redirect/8e889598-36ff-42af-80b4-82922a5b52c2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” into my new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/84e5a832-5d8c-4192-9ff7-371765872be5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but just couldn’t quite fit it in....) Mixtape: Last April I made an “April Showers [ https://substack.com/redirect/a80eee62-4dbd-4e61-aadb-19206d7193bf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” mix that I love. Earlier this month I was listening to Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April [ https://substack.com/redirect/bbd2d5c3-b5e0-45e5-b4b1-30f00900c10e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” and wondered if I could do a frozen version of April Showers, with a bunch of wintry music that might still sound good in spring. Here’s what I came up with: Snow in April [ https://substack.com/redirect/e022ad8a-72f5-4233-90dc-ff4b4efddd2d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. RIP singer Asha Bhosle [ https://substack.com/redirect/2f155db1-8848-4d51-a414-184689b4352d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Check out this playlist that Hrishikesh made [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c7be786-6e70-4247-86b7-c5c95f8c7ef4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that features a bunch of her work. Don’t miss my typewriter interview with the great Tim Kreider [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ad45f9f-c854-4486-8f76-5d3aeda04666?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. The best way you can support my work right now is to pre-order the new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/84e5a832-5d8c-4192-9ff7-371765872be5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-243573771 ], Austin PS. I was a bit stupefied by this news story [ https://substack.com/redirect/f07279a9-c9e9-47bc-927d-04cc65328452?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but to be honest, a box of POSCA paint pens [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc579f16-f29a-470b-aae9-c2f0bfe8262c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Steal Like an Artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/3adcc998-64d7-4585-a843-790ef9357ae0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] would make a killer present. Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVORFF6TlRJeE1Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzJOREk0TWpRMkxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EYzVOalF5TkRZc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAucXBfdFFmeHY2NXNITlpsbjRicWc5Vk9xQWdiMkJqQXp1RTI2LVVKX0tVWSIsInAiOjE5NDQzNTIxMSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NjQyODI0NiwiZXhwIjoyMDkyMDA0MjQ2LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.bK1OwkC-KGXgsUmUjCuJ4tR94eKwAR3NsFRiGVdGG8U?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/free-posters-zines-and-a-mixtape Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-238219617 ], Let’s get right to it: I had a ton of fun over the past couple of weeks making a big batch of bonus goodies for folks who pre-order my next book, Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1da9201-a286-41b6-afb1-c4bbbdfa21c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. All you have to do to get them is pre-order the book wherever you like to buy books… …then take a photo or screenshot of your receipt and fill out the form on this page [ https://substack.com/redirect/4ea4cae2-5ace-41e8-8581-2dd422b32ad7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. You will immediately be able to download a printable PDF that includes: - A personal note from me - 5 mini posters - 5 zines with bonus material - 1 playlist of all the musicians mentioned in the book, plus a J-card if you’re feeling inspired to make your own mix on cassette! Pre-ordering the book not only gets you these exclusive goodies, it’s the best way to support my work right now. Pre-ordering lets bookstores and retailers know they should be stocking the book and helps boost the numbers in the first week of sales to increase the chances of it hitting the bestseller lists. Publishers Weekly published our first review this week and said the book’s “cheery, upbeat lessons” are “full of fun, wryly witty wisdom.” If you like my other books [ https://substack.com/redirect/962201a4-1ca9-4228-a8db-736aaf231a76?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], you will love this one! I spent all Wednesday in a studio in Austin, Texas recording the audiobook: Quite the step up from recording The Steal Like An Artist Audio Trilogy [ https://substack.com/redirect/1b363d23-a80a-4ddb-a573-818c4bce2997?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in my closet [ https://substack.com/redirect/717b1786-7f38-4cce-b1bf-b08ec9d79075?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] during the pandemic, but man, I forgot how physically and mentally demanding it is! During our lunch break, I played the engineer clips of Winnebago Man [ https://substack.com/redirect/2f04bb93-0638-4e96-8998-15a7a68f8417?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] to re-enact what was going on in my head all day. (PS. You can buy Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1da9201-a286-41b6-afb1-c4bbbdfa21c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in any format — hardcover, ebook, or audiobook — and still be eligible for the pre-order goodies!) I’m in that weird place called “the gulp [ https://substack.com/redirect/aa9c3ab2-4d32-4883-a2fa-7838a31ea4c2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” —  the thing is finished and it’s no longer in your hands, but it’s not in anybody else’s hands yet, either. This can be a dangerous time for the psyche of a creative person. My favorite example is Paul McCartney, who thought that [ https://substack.com/redirect/05f06c24-837a-4baa-8ef4-8673ba602006?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Revolver [ https://substack.com/redirect/05f06c24-837a-4baa-8ef4-8673ba602006?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was out of tune [ https://substack.com/redirect/05f06c24-837a-4baa-8ef4-8673ba602006?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and the other Beatles had to assure him that it was just fine. (The Walter Martin Show [ https://substack.com/redirect/76afa0a1-5c7d-48bc-9845-8d16c743841a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] has infected me [ https://substack.com/redirect/54cdc7ee-c10d-47d1-9c53-d419a9d06aa9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] with Beatlemania.) “Never look at the audience. Look over their heads, look somewhere else, look into the darkness…” Advice from Steve Martin [ https://substack.com/redirect/9c669569-706c-472b-80f9-231d3ac1c7c0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I enjoyed this story [ https://substack.com/redirect/6694260f-3bce-4ce2-8707-012f6d6ad639?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of Bob Dylan, one of the greatest thieves [ https://substack.com/redirect/892cbc04-2517-4321-b365-cdbb98b1eab5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in musical history, being sore at John Lennon, another brilliant thief, for stealing from him. I chased it with Anthony Lane’s “How Bad is Plagiarism, Really? [ https://substack.com/redirect/c58bf8aa-84b9-4d75-871d-78f4346631c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” “We have a word, in English, for self-plagiarizing so habitual, and so fruitfully evergreen, that it becomes the mark—the smack, if you will—by which an artist is recognized and loved. We call it style.” Lane’s ending made me chuckle, because, intentionally or not, he’s lifting from Alfred Hitchcock, who said, “Self-plagiarism is style.” (Steal like an artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/57c99fbd-2a68-4a5b-adef-123ceae1623c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “An idea arises spontaneously, just like any other thought… a concept is built deliberately through a series of choices and constraints.” Penny Lane on ideas vs. concepts [ https://substack.com/redirect/8baf3fda-58e4-4471-9089-931d221899f2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. VHS/90s nostalgia: When I got chicken pox in the fourth grade, I spent a week on the couch watching a VHS tape dubbed with a double feature of Wayne’s World [ https://substack.com/redirect/3f1661c9-ff6b-4892-bad3-cabb438da0d2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Edward Scissorhands [ https://substack.com/redirect/92f1e12c-3d8f-4e56-a3e4-58d3fe41aa5b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (The former was a pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/bdaa6886-946e-421d-b906-449512b4833d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] hit — it really holds up.) My gaming fifth grader is really into VHS — my mom actually mailed him her VCR — so I’m curious whether he would like Retro Rewind [ https://substack.com/redirect/09f4c92b-5e6a-4ad8-81d5-d91104ec9fb9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a game where you work in a video store [ https://substack.com/redirect/ecac8ba5-6925-43be-9e07-212db18a1641?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Criterion just ran an interview with Alex Ross Perry [ https://substack.com/redirect/19517108-4ccd-4f80-864d-82d8231ee7b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who directed an essay film about the rise of VHS, Videoheaven [ https://substack.com/redirect/3744feb3-a7fa-4da5-81db-076559c3c410?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Map reading: the cartography of literature [ https://substack.com/redirect/1411d147-d0f6-4198-821f-6cde6ffcbf6b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Saul Steinberg [ https://substack.com/redirect/ee85a5f1-cb6b-408f-ba23-1a071b3cb002?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (This photo of Steinberg with his six-year-old self [ https://substack.com/redirect/1606dabf-296b-40bb-903d-2514fb098fda?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is mentioned in the back of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/d1da9201-a286-41b6-afb1-c4bbbdfa21c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I thought of it when I saw this gallery of fathers and sons holding hands [ https://substack.com/redirect/feee1c06-d2fa-428f-9e48-ce56d18f7323?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) RIP drummer James Gadson. [ https://substack.com/redirect/fea69146-cd7a-4a88-960a-0ca2bbfc9326?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] One of my favorite things is him grooving behind Bill Withers singing “Use Me” [ https://substack.com/redirect/a5ee5223-49bf-4830-a0e0-7f130b78a469?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972. Lifting my spirits: pictures of Earth from Artemis’s moon flyby [ https://substack.com/redirect/45b14674-5297-40ca-9456-9820ac7de407?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], this baby beaver [ https://substack.com/redirect/5b8bbbb1-6f1b-4708-9ffe-29568e89e80d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] rescued in Austin, and Athena’s new owlet [ https://substack.com/redirect/83a777f2-3d7c-4df7-aecb-e3125bd1df54?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-239387047 ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNemN3TnpjNE9Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzFPREl6TWpJd0xDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EY3pOVGt5TWpBc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuMi1uVHNfVk95MlQ1TnRYQUVKRXd2T2k0cHVHZFdYVVlPRWI0dWR3MUt1OCIsInAiOjE5MzcwNzc4OCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NTgyMzIyMCwiZXhwIjoyMDkxMzk5MjIwLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.GWSKbdThL0ipFYRfSe0iUG4IZIf4X-SbhDNEshcE3WY?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/do-something-that-wont-compute Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/bf1d649d-7d24-4861-8eac-0b014ea78289?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Putting down my Rubik’s Cube [ https://substack.com/redirect/0908a41c-4477-455e-9b70-744e57b6a03b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] to type. Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “Thoreau was saying: if you’re beginning to die within, take measures right now. There must be some cabin in the woods within you. There must be some space where you can regenerate yourself and remember what is most essential to you.” That’s writer Pico Iyer [ https://substack.com/redirect/1ec978dd-64f8-42b2-a162-d226a6df6878?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a talking head in the Ken Burns-produced PBS documentary Henry David Thoreau [ https://substack.com/redirect/4ff3ec51-952a-48bc-876f-c1df77934ada?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Other talking heads include Michael Pollan [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4e54315-c693-46a8-b528-8ca6a63c51db?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (“[Thoreau’s] big project as a writer is to wake us up”), Rebecca Solnit [ https://substack.com/redirect/b713e35d-0d0d-42fc-95ef-f54d6d5ff23a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (she has the best response to the “But his mom did his laundry! [ https://substack.com/redirect/404dc075-94ae-4c20-813a-14414a09644f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” fun bunch choir), and Laura Walls [ https://substack.com/redirect/337b5619-1cfb-4e06-bbb9-bc77bd6e6277?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who wrote the wonderful biography, Henry David Thoreau: A Life [ https://substack.com/redirect/862ba77c-f3fe-431d-9125-6d2b08fddc6d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I fell asleep several times, but my kids made it through all 3 nights of one-hour episodes! Our only trouble was that the ending was so heavy-handed [ https://substack.com/redirect/849c33a9-709a-4f84-9181-c9b008dddadb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] we all went to bed depressed. (I’m going to get through Walden some day, but what I really love are his journals [ https://substack.com/redirect/88bee5d7-ce7b-48ea-94c4-51abcd389ac3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Lighter fare: the teenager and I went to see Project Hail Mary [ https://substack.com/redirect/c13b7910-b4f6-4c66-a8f8-9bc84ea4a0f5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a good ol’ popcorn movie. Ryan Gosling says his performance was inspired by Chaplin in Modern Times [ https://substack.com/redirect/44ee15b1-4137-49a8-bd3c-1e8b5496ddc0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Val Kilmer and his t-shirt [ https://substack.com/redirect/7f9bec85-61dc-44a3-9ab4-891d1f777a71?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] game in Real Genius [ https://substack.com/redirect/b93de332-2dfc-4676-80af-4ceac95653c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], so I added both of them to our pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/1fbcaadf-f91b-44b4-bbc1-a831fdb1ceeb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] queue. (We liked The Martian [ https://substack.com/redirect/aaa85fa0-afaf-4d21-bda3-e9b5e5552631?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] a while back, another adaptation of a novel by Andy Weir [ https://substack.com/redirect/bebea05a-cf1d-4765-ac23-6eb8bba389fb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The teenager read both.) Funny thing: when I was signing at BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/c4726422-c142-4a6e-a9cd-df928e54195b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] the other day, Isabel told me that nobody wants to buy books with movie tie-in covers — they want to be seen reading the original! Ryan Holiday’s 5 years of lessons from running a bookstore [ https://substack.com/redirect/6cb09319-bfa4-4b61-b161-a76860ab130b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I know a bunch of people with new books out: My blurbs are on the back of Mason Currey’s Making Art and Making a Living: Adventures in Funding a Creative Life [ https://substack.com/redirect/39959330-e6fb-4dac-9a2c-5520ee31b98f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Grace Farris’s See One, Do One, Teach One: The Art of Becoming a Doctor [ https://substack.com/redirect/cac6559b-2c23-41bf-ab01-60d513a08e1a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (she’s at BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/5aec6d7d-6136-455a-a617-db29dfb5688a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] next week), and I was in the first draft of Jenny Lawson’s How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc991680-9444-4b91-ad1a-bfb158242d1b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but I think I got cut, LOL. (She’s at BookPeople [ https://substack.com/redirect/b35ad60f-a67c-42bb-bda1-d18ee0036bd5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] later this month). Zine-lovers of Austin, TX: This weekend is Staple! The Independent Media Expo [ https://substack.com/redirect/428244bb-5100-4ce4-ac68-a26ee7405bdd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The special guest is Tara Booth [ https://substack.com/redirect/70d7dbbd-97b2-4151-a53d-086e7f24c3d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], whose book Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It [ https://substack.com/redirect/ba32570a-d0dc-4fa0-a828-40ef6807745d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was one of my favorite things I read last year. Music-lovers of Austin, TX: On April 22, I’m interviewing Hrishikesh Hirway [ https://substack.com/redirect/e719f2c6-5191-4882-bd89-c2382c0f7935?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (host of my favorite podcast Song Exploder [ https://substack.com/redirect/60e973a0-e716-43a9-84c5-9277493391d7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) onstage as part of the release show for his new album. You can get tickets here [ https://substack.com/redirect/a062ab04-eae9-4c9e-a681-09b92dc025ac?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A message I co-sign: “Start a band, even if you’re terrible [ https://substack.com/redirect/981b77c8-8f51-4aa6-bde3-b78623b412ce?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” At the beginning of the year, I started playing bass in a 90s rock cover band [ https://substack.com/redirect/17ddf585-6819-464c-989d-650f3953d193?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] with a couple of other dad friends. We played our first show in our local park last Sunday, and somehow, we weren’t terrible! It was fun. I always played guitar in bands when I was a teenager, but I love playing bass in a trio: you’re in this great spot between rhythm and melody. Speaking of bass players: Dusty Henry’s thoughts about Flea [ https://substack.com/redirect/9d522688-0119-448b-a689-b8535c11457c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] made me think of the recent NYTimes profile [ https://substack.com/redirect/d0b79fa7-42bd-4f5d-b2e5-7b8c2581d516?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. Both bassists are haunted (and animated) by the death of a friend and bandmate who brought them to their music: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ founding guitarist Hillel Slovak [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8c88263-340a-4d66-b38e-22ade5cfb977?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Minutemen leader D. Boon [ https://substack.com/redirect/faa8287a-ee2e-40a7-9a65-a8b60d500116?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], respectively. (Flea’s monologue in The Other F Word [ https://substack.com/redirect/3599ade0-e5ef-49c7-a66a-5da27ed0c358?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is cited in the back of my next book, Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/e58700cd-08fe-49bc-8662-5f82011271b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Incredible deal: you can get PDFs of [ https://substack.com/redirect/99a49898-e9e5-4116-9f70-480085024511?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]The Collected Peanuts [ https://substack.com/redirect/99a49898-e9e5-4116-9f70-480085024511?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for $25 [ https://substack.com/redirect/99a49898-e9e5-4116-9f70-480085024511?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “One principle of collage, for me, is you have to kill one thing to make another. It’s a small-scale model of revolutionary behavior.” Lucy Sante on collage [ https://substack.com/redirect/5f3f5cf1-d937-4f70-8bde-29d1e9715a38?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. RIP cartoonist Glen Baxter [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e80879f-2200-4d6c-bc81-6f3707cc4b87?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who I will add to my list of creative people who stutter [ https://substack.com/redirect/c8426f27-bbc7-4f11-982c-836b1d367b1f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “An autodidactic spirit was fostered by his stammer. It made him dwell upon words, and their substitutes, and this would inform his captions’ idiosyncratic vocabulary. As he recalled, ’you can’t ask the grocer “Can I have some oranges?“ because you’re going to immediately hit the word c-c-can, so you say, “Good morning, have you any oranges?” Of course the shop’s full of oranges — who is this idiot? — so you’re in the position of being slightly mad and also there’s this fear involved. This childhood fear means I tinker with sentences until I’ve got them just about right.” (You can see more of Baxter’s work on Instagram [ https://substack.com/redirect/0cce8ca3-c775-4ee7-8a7c-afa731cc04d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I will give the last word to Wendell Berry [ https://substack.com/redirect/faf86bca-21cc-463c-9d00-486707d2ff5b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Every day do something that won’t compute.” And Elmore Leonard: “Really all you have to do is be yourself. Be cool.” Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/73fef35f-a229-42c9-b2c1-61c3e571458d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/266c6119-1fac-4287-a48f-674cc291f37c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin PS. Next week I record my second audiobook [ https://substack.com/redirect/a44779ef-f5d8-448f-9cd6-cab97bd16281?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! This one is for Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/d73e414e-3b33-43f1-aeb9-5b39b8a59b4f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Also, next Friday I’ll have some fun goodies for people who’ve pre-ordered [ https://substack.com/redirect/e58700cd-08fe-49bc-8662-5f82011271b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] the book, so save your receipts!!! Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNamsyTURBM05pd2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzFNakU0TWpZNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EWTNOVFF5Tmprc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAub2VFYmx5aFhTdEk4ODVkWHltRUp2c3BfWEhEQzBubl9wSGVPMXo4cVVFWSIsInAiOjE5Mjk2MDA3NiwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NTIxODI2OSwiZXhwIjoyMDkwNzk0MjY5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.5ItxMcMTXBTbjR4-7XnqzJi4p_fGLO2zRcVmyh5sJw8?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/desert-not-so-solitaire Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/99312fb4-6cfe-4dbb-9f11-e13bf7196221?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: I don’t know how or when it happened, but I’ve somehow become a person who likes being in the desert? It started a few years ago driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, then developed on trips to Joshua Tree [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad364cc7-c923-482c-b14b-799b163f0d9a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and New Mexico [ https://substack.com/redirect/12d1df4d-1112-423a-9bd7-fa960c1c362f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Last week for spring break we took a little 3-night trip to Arizoña (I pronounce it like Matt Berry [ https://substack.com/redirect/2857424f-5f32-4bf6-a273-6c9879881f10?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]), hiked in a canyon outside of Sedona, stargazed under dark skies, looked at the sun through a solar telescope at the Lowell Observatory [ https://substack.com/redirect/645a9863-ade0-45dd-b020-6578ffcd0ae3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in Flagstaff, and caught a Cleveland Guardians [ https://substack.com/redirect/3515fcc8-2319-4a6f-ac30-d3c022675959?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] spring training game at Goodyear Ballpark [ https://substack.com/redirect/f175fc64-8619-4938-aec9-f3ad06683c66?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in Phoenix. (The most fun I’ve ever had at a baseball game. Highly recommended.) Upon our return, we all watched the original Bad News Bears [ https://substack.com/redirect/042417cb-09fb-4192-a947-e93586b83b1b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for the first time. A pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/2fb98a48-c502-4557-866a-b6b91385cef4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] hit. (Baseball! “It is designed to break your heart [ https://substack.com/redirect/d5f05e0a-2fdb-4730-bc25-bab5754b3f81?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It begins in the spring, when everything else begins again…”) A friend found out I was reading Edward Abbey’s classic Desert Solitaire [ https://substack.com/redirect/5bd5ace6-6c10-40fa-9593-a5eb6cdd46f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the trip and asked me what I thought. I texted back, “If it weren’t for Abbey’s sense of humor, it would be intolerable. With it, it’s just right.” Then I remembered I actually quote from the book in Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/fc748fb8-64ae-413a-8648-b85c49afdc4a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], using Abbey’s words to describe my days with the kids when they were little: “Time passed extremely slowly, as time should pass, with the days lingering and long, spacious and free as the summers of childhood. There was time enough for once to do nothing, or next to nothing…” Meg and I had planned to listen to Marty Robbins’ Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs [ https://substack.com/redirect/24ba6755-5a5f-4025-92f1-883366a76067?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] as our road trip soundtrack, but then our oldest suggested the Stardew Valley [ https://substack.com/redirect/8eba475a-a79e-422c-b454-02b1efee0ab2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] score, and it was… kind of perfect? (I am very tempted to get it on vinyl [ https://substack.com/redirect/94d5ecc2-24bc-4e4d-b155-6f27332a671d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!) Maybe it was the time out in the desert, but I felt compelled on Tuesday to write about introspection [ https://substack.com/redirect/10fce36c-dced-4d31-967e-3a826c340f40?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Fun With Your Typewriter [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4ab46d0-5b22-4d5c-bea7-5fba1509a739?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a 1956 book I found via an Instagram post [ https://substack.com/redirect/60ccf100-aec3-47c2-a9a5-8e21cb91e237?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that friend of the newsletter Kelli Anderson [ https://substack.com/redirect/6a7e2838-84f7-4ec5-91ae-c3435cd9feaf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] sent me. (Speaking of: two years ago, I inadvertently started my typewriter interview [ https://substack.com/redirect/d00b8422-6587-4999-9c3a-6cc751014aa5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] series with the legendary poet Mary Ruefle [ https://substack.com/redirect/27867030-fb14-4c9a-8382-ea8bfb279d9e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Random thing in our house that gives me joy: this bug catcher [ https://substack.com/redirect/096d4297-de65-4057-aa11-502adcd6976a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] we bought to catch, inspect, and release bugs. “My first job downstairs is to open the back door and get a big breath of fresh air – rain or shine, winter or summer – I just copy the cats and dog, that’s what they do – that’s how the ‘read’ the day, nose up, what’s in the air? What smells different? Clear out the night-lungs. Start again.” Jeanette Winterson [ https://substack.com/redirect/1c075cef-436c-42fa-96f2-cd0fdea40bc8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the spring equinox [ https://substack.com/redirect/13d0a47b-83fa-49c2-bbed-1f5b5e54ea6a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], the real start of the year. RIP writer Tracy Kidder [ https://substack.com/redirect/3058cf93-bdd9-456c-b6b6-07520dc1835d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I bought The Soul of a New Machine [ https://substack.com/redirect/4c398161-a2be-4f3f-bc32-9ccab0d10e1e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for my teenage coder, but I think I’ll steal it back and give it a read myself. (A quote from that book about engineers makes me think of artists, too: “Part of the fascination… is just little boys who never grew up, playing with Erector sets. Engineers just don’t lose that, and if you do lose it, you just can’t be an engineer anymore.” So many creative people are just kids who didn’t stop [ https://substack.com/redirect/fc748fb8-64ae-413a-8648-b85c49afdc4a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) This is the last weekend to take advantage of my spring 20% off sale on paid subscriptions [ https://substack.com/redirect/b211d4c5-5de2-4eaf-9ebe-f30dc1cebe6f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! A paid subscription supports my work, keeps Friday free for everybody, and gets you access to a special letter every Tuesday, the nicest comment section on the internet, and the full newsletter archives [ https://substack.com/redirect/af59abe6-b055-4488-8a08-99cff1ab8d93?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A sampling of the kind of letters you’ll unlock with a paid subscription: looks inside my notebooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/f7c2ae3e-c090-4efe-9e7a-4391b1586fcf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]; printable zines [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8915050-2529-412d-a494-1bc47ce95893?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]; tutorials on block printing [ https://substack.com/redirect/9b205e93-045e-48c3-bac9-51a5f8926ec2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], making collages [ https://substack.com/redirect/f196d051-8e3d-48ba-a80b-5f035e755710?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], playing exquisite corpse [ https://substack.com/redirect/5f22d0f0-10f0-4819-b6d3-1ab168f944fb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], how I dive deep [ https://substack.com/redirect/43ed72ce-605a-463f-80c7-e04ec869d833?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] into a new subject, how I read the internet [ https://substack.com/redirect/4df04b77-adf5-4444-9748-1eb7e9e33406?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and much, much more… Thanks for reading! xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/8aea9d24-fa15-47bc-acd4-c1f51f908738?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNakl4TkRRME15d2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzBOakV6TXpRMExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EWXhORGt6TkRRc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuaGpjc19nb0pQbUxYZjhmRnBndmxFZnVEQ3dtZDctRnA4RXE5ejRPQ1E3dyIsInAiOjE5MjIxNDQ0MywicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NDYxMzM0NCwiZXhwIjoyMDkwMTg5MzQ0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.jvbMNOMpjGCNYq2x8P0gXVrY4tkVd7Kqx4cXYQwWgU8?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/the-return-of-spring Hey y’all, Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: Today is the first day of spring [ https://substack.com/redirect/8649091d-5379-47e9-ab19-9f7b34e520fd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in the Northern hemisphere! To celebrate, I’m throwing a 20% off sale on paid subscriptions [ https://substack.com/redirect/07af66bc-90d6-45c3-8580-6777818aff63?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A paid subscription supports my work, keeps Friday free for everybody, and gets you access to a special letter every Tuesday, the nicest comment section on the internet, and the full newsletter archives [ https://substack.com/redirect/84115cee-658e-4779-90d2-9fd31fb482a9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Art in Austin, TX: This is the last weekend for a very fun show at Northern-Southern [ https://substack.com/redirect/8498c87a-aa47-4808-901e-e2f08c77e5e2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Brian Dulaney’s Deck of Many Things [ https://substack.com/redirect/04f76248-bc0f-4c0e-b9a0-80619fc39fd1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is made of 120 baseball card-sized mini-prints. There’s an artist talk and closing reception this Sunday, March 22 at 4PM. (You can see more of his work on Instagram [ https://substack.com/redirect/23627ac3-0a83-42d0-bfa9-dacf4ba501c0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) I had a nice chat with gallery owner Phillip Niemeyer [ https://substack.com/redirect/b05b879d-395f-46e6-9e42-f7d68513df9a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who thinks the art scene in the city right now is as good as it's ever been. He tipped me off to the Friends Fair [ https://substack.com/redirect/29060383-cdad-40da-a40e-a517495279ed?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] happening May 7-9, which will take over the second floor of the Loren hotel. Documentaries: Our houseguests who went to SXSW Film told me to keep my eye out for Cookie Queens [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c939e21-3103-484f-b568-88cde2a3458d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a documentary about Girl Scout Cookie season, and #Skyking [ https://substack.com/redirect/07f03be4-db57-4a10-aed2-89d79c248585?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], about an airline worker who stole a plane. I also want to see Beyond The Duplex Planet [ https://substack.com/redirect/9c0b12f4-5952-41c3-bc23-6e44d978cae5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a film about artist David Greenberger, who in 1979 started publishing interviews with senior citizens in his zine, Duplex Planet [ https://substack.com/redirect/74fbe998-b650-47c5-9c02-78606802f8a1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (He’s now a senior himself!) Oscars [ https://substack.com/redirect/7302687e-8167-4522-92f7-6edc3ef946c6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: I think I only saw two of the winners this year: One Battle After Another [ https://substack.com/redirect/172fff73-6faf-4b17-9cb6-91312a3a7ebb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and KPop Demon Hunters [ https://substack.com/redirect/bbb5adb6-d45d-45f8-953d-866d0631af5b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Both were great!) It’s weird how I watch a movie every Friday night with the kids [ https://substack.com/redirect/7c6ab155-ea7b-47a0-bb47-73fc77b31757?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — at least 52 movies a year! — but how out of it I can be when it comes to new releases. (I really want to see EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert [ https://substack.com/redirect/8d850035-1e6e-4aaa-9bf0-5470c4e88862?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] while it’s still in theaters.) Spring mixtape: I got one side of a cassette perfectly filled with no gaps… and the tape broke. So I had to pivot to a blank C90 cassette. Then I (re)discovered that many 90-minute cassettes are actually more like 95-minute cassettes, because the manufacturers added a few extra minutes to each side. So this half-finished mixtape — one side of the cassette — is 47 minutes and 17 seconds long. You can listen on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4b882af-e7bb-4418-8f8f-1fb4e3804629?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/58d0689f-53bb-4a33-be68-3d2351d2350b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/58ee1183-b8db-4aaf-a7a6-26df73e57f81?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: ”[The song] is like a magic box. Take the lid off and inside you can glimpse the whole history of twentieth century music.” Ian Leslie on The Beatles’ “I Feel Fine.” [ https://substack.com/redirect/dc300cfe-9e07-4e0d-8809-da17e30ec86d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (For more Beatlemania: McCartney’s creativity in 3 photographs [ https://substack.com/redirect/34d44b2e-7d7c-41de-a80a-8c797328db11?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) The folks at Standard Ebooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/8e57ae1e-411d-48f7-a9db-9c8163e31004?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] just dropped a free version of one of my all-time favorite books, William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience [ https://substack.com/redirect/2f20e17b-136b-48f7-a949-7ad70df564f1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “When a book designer writes a book, who designs the cover? [ https://substack.com/redirect/e6d925c4-4ff1-4b07-a114-3cceeeb53eab?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” Designer Oliver Munday [ https://substack.com/redirect/8791717f-ffab-4b93-abb7-38b91e9a3d2d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on his first work of fiction, Head of Household [ https://substack.com/redirect/c10b0406-9891-440e-b646-7c6d4914a457?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. From the BBC Archives [ https://substack.com/redirect/01d2b45f-e56d-43ce-be95-441ff8b52df8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: artist Tony Hart draws Stonehenge using chalk pastels and a marker [ https://substack.com/redirect/589a2715-7154-4f20-af10-489f65491e79?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (If you like that, here’s another [ https://substack.com/redirect/5e3bb127-314f-4caa-8804-21d8457510a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Maybe the wildest entry in the typewriter interview [ https://substack.com/redirect/a3c82135-9cc4-474c-84ae-e4229cb21bcb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] series so far: 10 questions for cartoonist Marc Bell [ https://substack.com/redirect/60d86d2d-207b-485b-b99d-a548ef074182?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading! This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/07af66bc-90d6-45c3-8580-6777818aff63?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo, Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNVEUxTmpBNU9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56YzBNREE0TmpBMExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EVTFORFEyTURRc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuRjNmNWJEYmttRDZRRU41NllHR012dkxxWS1faWRYYUJfLVA3ekhNUmVoOCIsInAiOjE5MTE1NjA5OSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3NDAwODYwNCwiZXhwIjoyMDg5NTg0NjA0LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.9wXNPH6uJdJZiutkiLfgZXmhPjOUlLfs2TwOjC2eWYg?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/flowers-from-texas Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-225057402 ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: As I mentioned last week, spring has sprung in Austin, Texas [ https://substack.com/redirect/96dcd900-2fd7-4d57-acb7-297dd3b26740?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The bluebonnets are starting to pop! Maybe it’s not superbloom in Death Valley [ https://substack.com/redirect/83bd44ff-61a9-4849-9d53-6a9e3bab93d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] levels of excitement, but it’s my favorite time of year, and I try to savor it all I can. Central Texas is not “ [ https://substack.com/redirect/a7ef8dbf-d483-4003-84e0-2058f418f3fe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]grand” [ https://substack.com/redirect/a7ef8dbf-d483-4003-84e0-2058f418f3fe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — a place like this teaches you to really pay attention, track the subtle changes around you, and fire up your eyebeams to search for beauty. Austin writer Christopher Brown published a spring dispatch [ https://substack.com/redirect/77b9bdd1-3e49-4865-9c2f-e29ad2ec575f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]that I think conveys some of the cognitive/spiritual dissonance you experience when you’re trying to process so much beauty and tragedy at the same time. (See item #4 in my letter “Leaving a paper trail [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc24a757-ee6c-4d41-a7c4-5586cd30e077?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” for an interesting encounter I had with Brown’s book A Natural History of Empty Lots [ https://substack.com/redirect/58f23c46-21eb-4e62-bb2e-6edf3355e76c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, ’The Beatles did.’” — Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake [ https://substack.com/redirect/9cae29b7-6d74-4b30-bbe6-11c1b29142cc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Listen: I had an absolute blast on Walter Martin Radio Hour [ https://substack.com/redirect/828aa590-892a-4d13-b58e-959a21df2288?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] talking about Paul McCartney. So much so that I followed it up with 2,000 words about McCartney’s creativity in 3 photographs [ https://substack.com/redirect/0638894a-a31b-4107-87a0-8f524e9f530f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Speaking of musicians with podcasts I love: On April 22, in Austin, Texas, I’m interviewing Hrishikesh Hirway [ https://substack.com/redirect/5939c08a-702f-4a90-91e0-c78920afd481?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] onstage as part of the release show for his new album. You can get tickets here [ https://substack.com/redirect/601ebcd4-e9c2-4eab-be02-c034d2a02a31?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Hrishi is also playing several SXSW shows [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c9b89e1-99ea-453a-ba94-b72c9b585434?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and dates in other cities. (Interviewing such a good interviewer [ https://substack.com/redirect/f6fa13eb-5fff-4d57-a5ac-e73f3bde5ea9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is going to require no small amount preparation on my part! [ https://substack.com/redirect/e677b023-a26f-464a-a51a-c7c7d4720455?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) I’m not doing anything official at SXSW [ https://substack.com/redirect/a6bb2d08-99b3-43ad-94c2-f5b86d6b0102?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but I will be riding my bike around quite a bit. I have a few pieces of advice for visitors: - Check out individual book stores [ https://substack.com/redirect/aff2abd1-30b7-477b-920c-8402a3a7a0f1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and record stores [ https://substack.com/redirect/083c4d58-9471-40ee-9291-6203980a39b8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for free events. First Light Books [ https://substack.com/redirect/8b087bb4-af08-40ea-80a4-0904835e22dc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], for example, is hosting keynote speaker Tom Sachs [ https://substack.com/redirect/096d547f-7aa5-4b16-b072-7f58af79bc9f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] tonight. End of an Ear [ https://substack.com/redirect/1d0704b2-de89-457e-a486-08b9ca400dd1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — my favorite record store in town — is hosting a short reading and signing [ https://substack.com/redirect/cce45add-2c90-44ac-ae5b-e36b21fa0f74?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] by Damon Krukowski [ https://substack.com/redirect/f75c2daa-a2c8-4e64-b389-d8f526179b2d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] next week. A new little shop downtown is TOMO mags [ https://substack.com/redirect/5cc9c61d-d96d-4942-8cd7-4c712fab5edb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — they’re hosting an [ https://substack.com/redirect/06794670-0900-42f7-95cd-b76ae05e7822?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Attensity! [ https://substack.com/redirect/06794670-0900-42f7-95cd-b76ae05e7822?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] event [ https://substack.com/redirect/06794670-0900-42f7-95cd-b76ae05e7822?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and a full day event called Analog: Future Front [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc7d9ff8-d8b0-41bc-bc92-8665e83fadee?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. - Old reliables: KUTX [ https://substack.com/redirect/e8fdf027-8c1d-45de-a5ea-b5ba49c996a3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and the Flatstock poster show [ https://substack.com/redirect/04b58a25-9710-4a15-b58f-6fa85def7812?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. - Our local chains are good, actually. If you don’t want to wait in line, just get a taco from TacoDeli, a burger from P. Terry’s, or a juice from Juiceland. (Great record shopping at all Juicelands, actually, courtesy @explodedrecords [ https://substack.com/redirect/e0f9bb64-d5e9-4f5e-a6b4-88d8ba50347e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] aka Soundfounder [ https://substack.com/redirect/0d335094-b97b-43cc-9d4d-02c40a446ccd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) - Go see Thor Harris! [ https://substack.com/redirect/dfef7303-c414-4349-af16-9a552c8ffdb9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] He plays all over the place and is probably the most interesting/sweetest human who hasn’t left Austin. I put some other Austin/SXSW tips at the end of my previous letter, “South by Southwest [ https://substack.com/redirect/2ecac217-c7af-42d3-ba52-a841346ccaac?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” The Benton Museum of Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/f709c448-36e5-4518-84d0-96100bad8580?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at Pomona College received 76 works of art [ https://substack.com/redirect/3373aa9b-2015-41cb-8f11-1b4281b888cc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] from The Saul Steinberg Foundation [ https://substack.com/redirect/44c56e67-dfb5-4b1d-9e7d-0186c82181e6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Meg and I got food poisoning last weekend, so I recreated a moment from my youth when I got chicken pox in the fourth grade and watched Wayne’s World [ https://substack.com/redirect/2afd0bfe-e3df-481c-a603-d57376c5b4b5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on VHS over and over again. It holds up [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-224974477 ], big time. I love at least two of director Penelope Spheeris [ https://substack.com/redirect/435fecfe-0016-497c-8e76-41d3d268e405?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]’s other movies: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years [ https://substack.com/redirect/ea688a45-49b9-4eeb-8f37-f08710b6bb78?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (which you can think of as a prequel to Wayne’s World) and The Little Rascals [ https://substack.com/redirect/53940fff-d5ef-48de-bff4-8169b8af62b8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (big pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/b8aa4ceb-30d5-4f6e-ac24-d2ac75342201?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] hit). I really didn’t have becoming a huge Sherlock Holmes nerd [ https://substack.com/redirect/a40dab9b-665e-489d-b9db-3302269b3d40?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in my mid-life plans, but here we are. I’m reading the ninth and final book, The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes [ https://substack.com/redirect/6e1b27f4-dbc5-4469-b04c-05a19469b299?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and also dipping into The Daily Sherlock Holmes [ https://substack.com/redirect/8285dbe9-9728-45fd-a367-420aa226d79b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which was co-edited by my friend Levi Stahl [ https://substack.com/redirect/687936d4-0a08-4cdd-81fb-271e980930d9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and has a really lovely foreword by Michael Sims [ https://substack.com/redirect/fd09f701-4880-43c4-bccb-b148a8681126?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who wrote a book about Conan Doyle and the creation of Holmes, Arthur and Sherlock [ https://substack.com/redirect/3b10d62e-6024-4083-9229-3d9ff758d495?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Perhaps it was the state of my brain-gut connection, but the funniest thing I saw all week was Redman’s 2001 appearance on [ https://substack.com/redirect/0e6d3bbe-5821-46c8-8957-ff71338185ff?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]MTV Cribs [ https://substack.com/redirect/0e6d3bbe-5821-46c8-8957-ff71338185ff?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I also found myself watching [ https://substack.com/redirect/1e155b2c-0406-4da5-9317-525090bbb725?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Jackass [ https://substack.com/redirect/1e155b2c-0406-4da5-9317-525090bbb725?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] clips [ https://substack.com/redirect/1e155b2c-0406-4da5-9317-525090bbb725?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and laughing like Beavis and Butt-Head. Nostalgia is a helluva drug! [ https://substack.com/redirect/31522dde-71e0-46e0-b4ed-7cb451db93d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) I just approved the final pass of Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/2342caba-929f-45f3-b807-3e3d0aa9ba38?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which means it’s ready to go to the printer. Now I attempt something I’ve never done before: re-formatting the illustrations in a square book so they look bigger and better on a rectangular, portrait mode e-reader screen. (My books [ https://substack.com/redirect/db0f7f50-0e50-4566-bbf6-5e3162dc4814?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] are [painstakingly] designed to be read in print, but I know people have their reasons for ebooks!) Wish me luck… Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/7ab7bb16-edcc-4b40-8ed9-86e3645c95e8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/3b5b5683-2900-40fb-b7a8-b597b9ea5935?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNRGMwTVRnMk1Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3pOREF6TmpnekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EUTVNemsyT0RNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuV0Z3Ui1UVE9xWU5VcjduWk53VldjWjlHbTF0dGVRQlM4c1d4bS1ZWDJPRSIsInAiOjE5MDc0MTg2MCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MzQwMzY4MywiZXhwIjoyMDg4OTc5NjgzLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.JI0DBUT5rNKndd75h1KIH3k21zfafOZvlN6MwmWNYBU?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/spring-reverb Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/2cd8c1f4-ca77-4c05-8171-dd4246667f77?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: Spring has sprung in Austin, Texas. “The trees are coming into leaf / like something almost being said [ https://substack.com/redirect/579e8cb7-eb7e-46fb-a705-6e0e68e995b2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]…” The mountain laurel are flowering and filling the air with grape soda perfume. Athena the Great Horned Owl [ https://substack.com/redirect/acbd4b2b-aa8b-44ea-9ab6-a089140abca7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] has laid her first egg [ https://substack.com/redirect/a61555da-cea0-4647-a968-a1950494242e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Our Pisces baby is about to turn eleven. “Tender age in bloom [ https://substack.com/redirect/091a17b7-87db-4301-bd15-c6e7a648d02e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” While evil men do everything they can to destroy this planet, I’m thinking of David Hockney: “Spring cannot be canceled. [ https://substack.com/redirect/7c7a0f43-4d8c-4145-9754-ca801335a375?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”  Galileo’s handwritten notes discovered in an ancient astronomy text [ https://substack.com/redirect/fb0b9aa3-04c7-4d20-8fed-3d7ac32f42a1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A lost 19th century film by French filmmaker George Méliès discovered in The Library of Congress [ https://substack.com/redirect/5cf6b2b7-acf8-4e8a-bc4c-01d09b4a9778?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Have you checked out their National Screen Room [ https://substack.com/redirect/1d40d0cc-2e5a-4720-a4fe-7303fdb2bd0a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of free motion pictures? it’s incredible. Watch, for example, this 1894 film of Japanese dancers [ https://substack.com/redirect/6e1f7968-bc91-49e4-a5e6-c5dc8129923e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. For fun, put it on a loop and play different bits of music over it.) Levi Stahl on “Rainbow Connection,” film noir, and [ https://substack.com/redirect/7cae4cc1-1339-4d40-8c9b-e69d03e07779?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Four Quartets [ https://substack.com/redirect/7cae4cc1-1339-4d40-8c9b-e69d03e07779?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. How yellow became Van Gogh’s most powerful color [ https://substack.com/redirect/1bafd6b4-15af-468a-94e7-d2338b460096?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “She stuffed nearly all her notebooks with newspaper cuttings, scraps of notes, telegrams, letters, sometimes even a bird’s feather or a leaf.” Susan Sontag’s playground of ideas [ https://substack.com/redirect/d9eecf4f-a983-454e-acaa-c4bd6be643b5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The two funniest things I watched this week: the first half of “Covercraft [ https://substack.com/redirect/61db253a-5ff3-438f-a4c7-ae8453048fb1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” an episode of The Simpsons in which “Homer has a mid-life crisis, takes up bass guitar and forms a cover band with some of the other dads in town” (to quote my children: “Papa, they made a Simpsons about you!”) and this 12-second Arrested Development clip of David Cross as Mrs. Featherbottom [ https://substack.com/redirect/8c57e9c4-fa0d-484b-bca5-f8d4551d373e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] which we all agreed is worth more laughs than the entire 2 hours and 4 minutes of Mrs. Doubtfire. “The best things in life are free [ https://substack.com/redirect/e963fb9e-81ce-41e2-ad75-bf633fa4a179?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] / but you can give them to the birds and bees…” Mason Currey writes about how to be a writer with a day job [ https://substack.com/redirect/ccdbb52b-bab3-4af3-ace3-3e96fcbe69cc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Manjula Martin and friends bring back [ https://substack.com/redirect/b4c6ec24-871c-4a6e-9872-36d368d68768?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Scratch [ https://substack.com/redirect/b4c6ec24-871c-4a6e-9872-36d368d68768?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] as “a weekly newsletter about how your favorite writers are surviving. (Or not.)” “‘There’s life, death, and bad writing [ https://substack.com/redirect/98d7f40a-6070-4a14-b7de-3d25f71b6a25?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],’ he told his students. ‘Only one is avoidable.’” RIP engineer and producer Bob Power [ https://substack.com/redirect/562c075b-b042-4326-8549-19bac5f3488c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who worked with artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and A Tribe Called Quest. (Here’s a list of 10 songs he engineered [ https://substack.com/redirect/c7b04260-542f-430f-9822-48216a2bd070?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Power said: “Great music is made by people who either don’t care or don’t understand what is ‘normal,’ so they do something extraordinary.” An assignment for next week: Send somebody something in the mail [ https://substack.com/redirect/e73ba9fe-9cbd-4c94-9961-d7977e243711?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/f92ed363-5b3b-41f6-aa72-98d60162c7cb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/f08537cd-9409-4f81-8f2d-bdcb63c5b6a6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTVNREF4TnpFeE5pd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3lPREF5TmpRNExDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EUXpNemcyTkRnc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuMWI5NnpPUXRTLWdBUXVLdEpzbVpjYk1wMTFJaDlMLTRhSWQ4MzJJUTBLQSIsInAiOjE5MDAxNzExNiwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MjgwMjY0OCwiZXhwIjoyMDg4Mzc4NjQ4LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.rlDCUulvDziz9STsC7_rlfc2IuAbHM40jr8HWsejpdY?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/unnecessary-obstacles Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/0ec58eb1-b54a-44b8-9c38-85f9ee8ed1c3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: I was delighted (and a little overwhelmed, honestly!) by the response to last Friday’s announcement [ https://substack.com/redirect/904d6206-8ba6-42b8-bc84-c082df6651e6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of my next book, Don’t Call It Art [ https://substack.com/redirect/f0e8daed-24f5-4dfd-a410-7bf5f4e828ee?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Many people asked if they could order signed and personalized copies — the answer is yes! You can pre-order from Book People [ https://substack.com/redirect/4552b52e-0b11-414b-91d7-b9d83dca184a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] here in Austin, Texas and I’ll not only sign and personalize as many as you want, I’ll draw in them, too [ https://substack.com/redirect/5db95099-9d52-4d2d-a77a-1692492932c6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], like I do in all my other books [ https://substack.com/redirect/ba72f420-30e9-4d28-8df5-eda5ccf46f3d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” That’s Bernard Suits in The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia [ https://substack.com/redirect/d0fab2a0-07f6-4f11-a48b-d19a69cf3a14?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a favorite of philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, whose new book The Score: How To Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game [ https://substack.com/redirect/0cc21783-67f8-4e87-8bfb-68616d87619a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] both thrilled and exasperated me. I’m still processing it, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it later, but for now I’ll just say: I think it’s such a pleasure to see an academic write in a conversational voice and swing for the fences with a book that appeals to a general audience. “All of my hobbies involve basically micro-dosing epiphanies [ https://substack.com/redirect/ccc6195c-7966-47a5-b581-704855f0f423?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” he says, and it’s hard not to love a writer who’s so passionate and articulate about his pasttimes. (See: my letter, “Your hobby looks exhausting! [ https://substack.com/redirect/ab0c1990-4e9b-4bba-b297-fc17bea222f0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”) The funniest thing I watched all week was Listers: A Glimpse Into Extreme Birdwatching [ https://substack.com/redirect/2db9c2b9-8c87-491c-9846-d91cd76460f9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a full-length documentary streaming for free on YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/5dfdf5ac-1d8c-4b57-834e-c6194f5fe356?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I think Nguyen would love it — it’s about what happens when a scoring system takes over a pleasurable hobby!) “I love struggling, actually. It makes me feel alive.” Like everybody else, I was thrilled by Alysa Liu’s gold medal-winning free skate [ https://substack.com/redirect/9ec27c57-fe70-4c76-ab25-58162d855063?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the Olympics and the story about how she went away so she could come back [ https://substack.com/redirect/0c2db692-8e13-44be-8887-bfde46e6fe06?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I was reminded of the words of philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah: “In life, the challenge is not so much to figure out how best to play the game; the challenge is to figure out what game you’re playing.” If you’re playing the game you want to play the way you want to play it, you’ve already won. Oliver Burkeman [ https://substack.com/redirect/810a197d-1c72-4ea8-9867-7cbcd4729a28?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] has a helpful term he calls “unclenching [ https://substack.com/@oliverburkeman/note/c-193987523? ],” which he describes as “a psychological ’move’ that involves relaxing in the midst of anxiety and uncertainty.” He’s been writing really great newsletters on the theme, such as “The freewriting way of life [ https://substack.com/redirect/d18d6d7d-de76-40aa-a7b7-2768f58215b1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” and “Nobody’s ever ready [ https://substack.com/redirect/9a759cb3-afc9-4fe9-abc9-ac57bd5211e4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which was about avoiding the anxiety around whether you’ll get “left behind” if you’re not into A.I. Great mantra: “Unclench!” Pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/87a65d58-43bd-49bb-9fb8-592fba0a7227?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail [ https://substack.com/redirect/de431866-e348-40a1-a8d9-a44c760583b3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was a good excuse to show the boys this 1974 BBC clip of Terry Gilliam [ https://substack.com/redirect/9c683210-7096-4565-99d8-d6b7a41ed0cb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on his cutout animation technique. “There is always, in every piece I do, something wrong.” RIP French composer and musique concrète legend Éliane Radigue [ https://substack.com/redirect/6cb1b01c-7ef2-4790-b9ac-f93251f0403a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Here are essays on her life and work by Louise Gray [ https://substack.com/redirect/a03479d0-797f-42c8-b4bb-c6bca8e3cb01?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Geeta Dayal [ https://substack.com/redirect/d7da2c33-cc58-4f3b-b446-9ca77655c38a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “[She] described the book she’d like to see written, the book she said she’d want to read. She went into what I could only describe as a literary jazz riff for about 20 minutes. Her tempo increased as she spoke. She concluded by saying, ‘So, if that’s what you want to write, if you want to write a book about the cathedral within, then that’s a book I want to buy.’” RIP editor and publisher Ann Godoff [ https://substack.com/redirect/c63bebb9-a2a4-458a-8e26-5356cb8a4ddd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “I want things to be intentional and slow. I don’t need them to be optimized.” I spent part of the weekend painting a cassette rack Meghan bought me to hold my mixtapes [ https://substack.com/redirect/b2dad166-c8d6-4584-a387-2f6d00537499?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], so yeah, I enjoyed this story [ https://substack.com/redirect/c968a1e1-79d3-46a2-ada0-b9e3a7ae498a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about a man in Los Angeles [ https://substack.com/redirect/a313fdca-abd2-461c-8134-aa6f17e6bd65?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] repairing old tape decks. If you’d like a weird peek inside my brain (and how this newsletter often comes together) I wrote about how I get into something new [ https://substack.com/redirect/6dffee5b-cb39-43a6-a122-21544aef2958?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/cde34364-622a-4d2d-9e29-43e992d7a89a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/38846f6e-b598-48e9-9925-02f00c25d7bb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRPVEkyTnpreU5Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3lNVGs0TURZNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1ETTNNelF3Tmprc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuX2VWVkNqUm91STUydFhCOFVSWVJ0MzlHMkRMd20yN1pwbkxtblpONXBIdyIsInAiOjE4OTI2NzkyNCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MjE5ODA2OSwiZXhwIjoyMDg3Nzc0MDY5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ._qSU9UDrafCxJ9_NOqoUoihbos9N-BKxnS3hKQ8ls2I?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/my-next-book-dont-call-it-art Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/44a568f9-24b5-4b02-a5a6-b55896ed6c7c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: My next book is Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again [ https://substack.com/redirect/7984d57f-08ae-4290-a6a1-515f4c641586?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It was inspired by my time spent as a studio assistant to my two sons when they were really little and the lessons I learned from them about loving and caring for yourself as a creative person. The book is designed to put you back in touch with that wild and fearless 4-year-old kid that still lives inside you and wants to come out and play. The release date is June 2, but you can pre-order it now [ https://substack.com/redirect/7984d57f-08ae-4290-a6a1-515f4c641586?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] wherever you love to buy books: It’s a weird time, to say the very least, to be putting out a book about curiosity and wonder and freedom and fun and humor and imperfection and magic. But it’s also a time when, I think, we could desperately use those things in our lives. Watching my kids draw and make music and come alive to the world unlocked something in me that I’ve been trying to get into book form for over 10 years. I really can’t wait to share it with y’all. If you liked any of my other books [ https://substack.com/redirect/720e58bb-3c13-4a53-ab8f-e7e15457366f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], you will love this one [ https://substack.com/redirect/743337f3-e2cf-4881-b116-b2178baba8b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I borrowed the title from John Baldessari [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ef7eab2-7b5e-467e-b74e-18ce72ae49f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: ”I learned so much about art from watching a kid draw. I taught at the grade-school level. Kids don’t call it art when they’re throwing things around, drawing—they’re just doing stuff.” (And Brian Eno’s diary [ https://substack.com/redirect/1a7c433f-3b80-44d9-a89c-29a46020bf5b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “People do much better when they don’t think they’re being artists… if you don’t call it art, you’re likely to get a better result.”) “There is a hugely underestimated intelligence attached to manual labor…. When you use your own energy, your own body, you have to be economical about how you do it. If you’re picking potatoes all day, or picking stones, you are working repetitively. You have to work with a rhythm and a fluidity, and you can’t be fighting it or forcing it. That’s really important for what I do as an artist—if you work with the right flow and rhythm, you give the work that rhythm.” A profile of Andy Goldsworthy [ https://substack.com/redirect/5503debb-baa0-4c56-b910-df3f95a6aefd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “It felt like the opposite of the machine. No one could mistake my drawings for an actual statement; they were wobbly and imperfect, obviously made by my hand.” Kate Bingaman-Burt on 20 years of her daily purchase drawings [ https://substack.com/redirect/b35df0b0-23f2-4a77-8ec2-cbf2616ec439?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Do not miss her typewriter interview! [ https://substack.com/redirect/45aef4d0-55fb-4c17-9790-f14d6a4bee5b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) RIP civil rights leader Jesse Jackson [ https://substack.com/redirect/ee428036-ccfa-44ba-b724-2952d7871844?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Take some time today to watch him reciting “I am somebody” with kids [ https://substack.com/redirect/0963b415-fdcb-495f-bdac-5d2046fdbe7b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]on Sesame Street and reading from [ https://substack.com/redirect/f088ebfe-d63b-4890-b928-298773e6cd5d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Green Eggs and Ham [ https://substack.com/redirect/f088ebfe-d63b-4890-b928-298773e6cd5d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Saturday Night Live. (To quote bell hooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/7643f057-eda2-4f6f-9900-ded1249acd11?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], “We cannot have a meaningful revolution without humor.”) RIP filmmaker Frederick Wiseman [ https://substack.com/redirect/1f14982e-785b-4640-96cc-2c843eb23e1f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who didn’t make his first feature until he was thirty-six, and went on to make forty-seven of them! I had a quote from Wiseman in the first draft of Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/b41e7255-f9f2-4898-bb9e-16c1a5a5eebd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — his work embodied the message of the book! — but it felt too jarring in the context of the page, so we cut it. Here it is: RIP actor Robert Duvall [ https://substack.com/redirect/c6503382-6ca7-463d-a3e3-1cc4c40b090f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who said of his favorite role, “When I finished Lonesome Dove [ https://substack.com/redirect/1f84257b-124d-4057-97ad-56dce5a7dc62?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I said to myself, ‘Now I can retire. I’ve done something. Let the English play Hamlet. I’ll play Augustus McCrae.’” (Gus is one of my favorite characters in literature and Larry McMurtry’s novel [ https://substack.com/redirect/75449ccb-39a9-4fed-90f3-6025260ab19d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is one of my favorite books. It’s the perfect big book for summer [ https://substack.com/redirect/fd3b7eff-5da9-4369-95ac-948c460fce40?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Or any other season, for that matter.) RIP actor Tom Noonan [ https://substack.com/redirect/ba218e09-88db-4b0f-bf5a-73e025650f53?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], whose passing gives me an excuse to watch Michael Mann’s Heat [ https://substack.com/redirect/795b60f3-3e1e-42ef-8f3c-c1779b7c181c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for the 100th time. “You are a human animal… [ https://substack.com/redirect/039478e5-1a29-4717-914a-b24e2abaaf9d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” RIP Michael Silverblatt [ https://substack.com/redirect/957b4796-e841-49fc-8473-d7fb3ab48e80?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], host of KCRW’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/d3fe69c7-9910-47b4-b4ed-4922754d7c70?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Bookworm [ https://substack.com/redirect/d3fe69c7-9910-47b4-b4ed-4922754d7c70?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The Bookworm archive is really incredible — just earlier this year I found four episodes with writer Robert Stone [ https://substack.com/redirect/1285f0fe-8ad0-4d51-81d8-78cf12d8bbf7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], spanning the years 1992-2007. Try typing “Bookworm” and your favorite author’s name into your podcast app and see what comes up. (Here are Silverblatt’s 10 “rules” for reading [ https://substack.com/redirect/57221861-b6ae-4069-8a68-0cba42c8aabd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) A delightful typewriter interview with cartoonist Tom Hart [ https://substack.com/redirect/77ce2260-1eae-451a-b395-7c429206385c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/03a947a3-e78a-4520-9099-038e58444357?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/ce625c0a-2180-4d6c-be65-d92766b19875?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin PS. I did remember to mention there’s a new book [ https://substack.com/redirect/7984d57f-08ae-4290-a6a1-515f4c641586?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] coming, right? Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRPRFV3TURnNU1Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3hOVGt5T0RnM0xDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1ETXhNamc0T0Rjc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuT1lkVTNUazBsWXR3QU9TcVhqOGpZcjVoQ2ZSdjV1Sjhyc1VpNUg0NmFFSSIsInAiOjE4ODUwMDg5MSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MTU5Mjg4NywiZXhwIjoyMDg3MTY4ODg3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.v7r_v3fAXIPS_9H57HA2M3pFmT4Y70g3ydBlS5Gv41s?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/love-tko Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/4a253086-7c15-41f7-95f1-eb1cbe82db81?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Today is Friday the 13th. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day [ https://substack.com/redirect/5cb990e9-d894-43ac-8ad1-974022e2b8a3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing: My favorite thing I wrote this week was a Tuesday Trio [ https://substack.com/redirect/c3f88778-af42-4a4b-8c99-308d18550f2d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] based on the 2001 short documentary and cult classic, The PriceMaster [ https://substack.com/redirect/da1bcb11-aab6-47da-ba4e-2198e937e862?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Nelly, I am Heathcliff!” I got about halfway through Wuthering Heights [ https://substack.com/redirect/995f5048-53c8-49cd-b126-f94f1e4b813c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and gave up, so I laughed quite a bit while reading this review [ https://substack.com/redirect/f583fbc5-564f-42a4-ba3c-dcbf8fa34d64?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I remember enjoying the artsy/trashy mix of Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn [ https://substack.com/redirect/70891864-d431-4cca-91ab-b4afffc20d4e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], so a “smooth-brained [ https://substack.com/redirect/a411167a-9b91-4036-a530-4a91deb71fd7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” adaptation might be up my alley, honestly!) But I know many people who love the novel, so let’s take a poll: You might be tired of me talking about the band Geese [ https://substack.com/redirect/79642e1f-e1bd-4be0-b1b7-c8bd137f1e01?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but too bad because they recorded an NPR [ https://substack.com/redirect/038aefc2-978b-4dae-b359-079cdab66950?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Tiny Desk [ https://substack.com/redirect/038aefc2-978b-4dae-b359-079cdab66950?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] concert [ https://substack.com/redirect/038aefc2-978b-4dae-b359-079cdab66950?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and it was great. (Also, if you’re new to Bad Bunny via his Super Bowl performance [ https://substack.com/redirect/5125a52b-41fd-46b1-a57b-5133ed8be774?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], check out his Tiny Desk concert! [ https://substack.com/redirect/82d6a3fa-be39-4a0c-9039-adc98b212033?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) Love is not a gadget [ https://substack.com/redirect/fba9ca8e-43e8-4fdf-8876-ba4094524af7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Love is not mind-reading [ https://substack.com/redirect/1209d0d0-a8bd-419c-bed3-60169278b909?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Love don’t make things nice [ https://substack.com/redirect/13f5d342-69f7-4a75-875b-ae7076878141?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” “Love is a mixtape. [ https://substack.com/redirect/831c41b8-a629-4013-8e8a-c829ece68743?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” Here’s my latest Valentine’s Day mixtape, called “Love TKO [ https://substack.com/redirect/dba3bc12-3c7c-4227-8b39-107b0e627e38?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Teddy Pendergrass, Barry White, Bill Withers, and more. You can listen to the mix on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/144b6382-3705-4887-9077-692fd45c9435?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/6d688f95-2e41-4d1b-8bbb-2505ac942a25?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/ab86bdc0-2acf-4c2e-8459-7c9e6a76a151?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Comics: I got a copy of Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier [ https://substack.com/redirect/bb98a47f-26eb-44d3-969b-c6708a25cadc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for my 10-year-old cartoonist. (He’s read all her books, including her latest with Scott McCloud, The Cartoonists Club [ https://substack.com/redirect/d0ca4157-d82e-4809-8594-3d4e008719f7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Facing Feelings was originally a career retrospective at The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum [ https://substack.com/redirect/cd7bbdfe-cf6c-4eef-8c6c-6511372d8541?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in Columbus, Ohio. They just announced that their next show is dedicated to the work of Chris Ware [ https://substack.com/redirect/bf3c2562-46ef-483b-a701-d707b174a537?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. App: I’m always maxing out my iPhone storage from taking too many photos, so I am in love with the “Swipe Mode” function of Clever Cleaner [ https://substack.com/redirect/7013e9b4-e909-4906-b7dd-106a3131732f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It pulls up your photo library month by month and lets you delete or keep photos by swiping left or right. Extremely handy, and it doubles as a great way to revisit old photos and memories [ https://substack.com/redirect/083e3a1b-6a41-4891-a5dc-ca66308c3061?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Thanks, Recomendo [ https://substack.com/redirect/a2540615-7a69-4252-b63f-50895e35d3ad?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!) Decaf: I’ve been drinking lots of barley tea [ https://substack.com/redirect/f0fe377a-88d1-4517-a561-1ab79625cca3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I get mine from Asahi Imports [ https://substack.com/redirect/1ab2737f-f069-4a8b-84b5-cf40b7186526?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] here in Austin, TX.) RIP Fred Smith [ https://substack.com/redirect/10fecc81-ad65-43a0-921a-687673001073?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who left Blondie to play bass in Television. (Debbie Harry is quoted in the great book Please Kill Me [ https://substack.com/redirect/be12ffd3-3328-4f32-bf18-b2208ef011b9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] as saying, “Boy, did he make a mistake.” But… he played on “Marquee Moon [ https://substack.com/redirect/f7cfdf71-260d-47cb-b9be-52249a58220e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!”) Burp your studio! [ https://substack.com/redirect/4584a652-d4e6-413e-adba-c86a08671fc5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/a853f5b8-7935-483c-88c3-21899d272859?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/7dbc8edb-319a-4bfe-981b-6e3eb774a8b1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTROemMzTlRFeU5Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3dPVGc0TXpnMkxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1ESTFNalF6T0RZc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAubHJCZGZ5MGo2Qk5jVG9wUlZMSEN0YkZlaUJfNExHVVJXY3hNT3FQMDVEZyIsInAiOjE4Nzc3NTEyNSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MDk4ODM4NiwiZXhwIjoyMDg2NTY0Mzg2LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.l5yuFKDZklQSF86Oh8wGLvJDyORbd4KFJKhfm57QTuQ?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/everything-has-been-saved-from-a Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/03bcccb5-d1f0-4ebf-84c1-0988b1c998bf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], This letter is brought to you by 120g of pseudoephedrine. Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not passing time with me rather than I with her?” I finally finished book two of Michel de Montaigne’s The Complete Essays [ https://substack.com/redirect/acd27325-3e46-49b9-aded-61c1b766321c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’ve been reading 5-10 pages every morning of 2026, and every morning Montaigne tells me something about his life in the 16th century that speaks directly to mine in the 21st. (Pro-tip: Break bread with the dead [ https://substack.com/redirect/6e79025f-e560-43c8-b5dc-65c264c82952?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]!) Here’s what my chonky Penguin Classics paperback looks like: That stuff I’ve penciled on the pages is called an edge index [ https://substack.com/redirect/72fb4df5-e777-4631-a4e0-6f66f6917b60?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It’s a great way to make a book your own and better understand its structure. Here’s a video [ https://substack.com/redirect/69562d38-6512-4224-b281-a4c4f960949b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] of how I make one in my logbook [ https://substack.com/redirect/7c680dc5-c28a-461d-b91e-3157c11c9ae9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: How to play my favorite drawing game: Exquisite corpse! [ https://substack.com/redirect/7190d717-cac2-4a18-b706-71eeb0970ce9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I subscribed to [ https://substack.com/redirect/d015a26a-d580-4ba0-ac44-e076afa6a458?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]The Onion [ https://substack.com/redirect/d015a26a-d580-4ba0-ac44-e076afa6a458?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in print [ https://substack.com/redirect/d015a26a-d580-4ba0-ac44-e076afa6a458?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and the first issue we got in the mail was a gigantic hit with my teen and tween. They spent all of dinner reading the headlines out loud to each other and laughing. My favorite sound in the world. Filmmaker Penny Lane [ https://open.substack.com/pub/austinkleon/p/penny-lane-on-the-art-of-filmmaking?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web ] shares 5 funny documentaries for dark times [ https://substack.com/redirect/1d2a1382-4f9c-4fbb-9539-d9ccf6bbcb06?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Film critic Stephanie Zacharek [ https://substack.com/redirect/89a21a32-2dc3-4bfc-8690-02e552797d80?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] lists the 50 most underappreciated movies of the 21st century [ https://substack.com/redirect/8f700d07-dd3d-42dd-8ba6-225042078dc4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (A few of my favorites: American Splendor [ https://substack.com/redirect/633bf31a-df16-436e-9e4f-90b1588db772?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Only Lovers Left Alive [ https://substack.com/redirect/e37c5c17-8608-4b9f-9fbf-73669aeaecc4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [ https://substack.com/redirect/76be720f-4416-41b6-988f-b3eba588753f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Tobias Wolff reading his short story “Bullet in the Brain [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc915d4d-30c1-4459-895b-1fa9673482c9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” (From his marvelous collection, The Night in Question [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ca900c8-adcf-48b2-9e63-7ea97497e673?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “When in doubt, play insane [ https://substack.com/redirect/e28533a0-1c33-4542-8346-8ba8504ea987?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” RIP actress Catherine O’Hara [ https://substack.com/redirect/09892569-b022-42ff-9149-b0a73b2e2b52?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. She was great in everything I’ve seen, but the stuff that jumps to my mind: Home Alone [ https://substack.com/redirect/27ba2bc3-0e8e-4bef-bf06-45251a424478?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Beetlejuice [ https://substack.com/redirect/72249cc3-7c59-4b5c-914f-8e62ee56462f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Schitt’s Creek [ https://substack.com/redirect/368ea53d-b949-404b-917f-3e34addca384?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], The Studio [ https://substack.com/redirect/b93dc48d-528a-425f-839a-6a7782708fc7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and, of course, Best in Show [ https://substack.com/redirect/bc6211e8-d67f-4ed6-970a-59a4871e2af9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. On the importance of having a sense of humor, she said [ https://substack.com/redirect/2c92f723-0eb4-45df-ad55-b0329b47c743?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “My husband and I laugh about everything all day long… My parents were blessed – they laughed until the end. That’s the best way to live, because there’s so much sadness. You’re really lucky if your sense of humor is encouraged, because I think we’re all born with it, and if it’s encouraged in your life, that’s a gift.” Novelist Edan Lepucki’s 45 notes to self on life, parenting, and writing [ https://substack.com/redirect/a6e3d632-f7bf-4e06-aa91-3527339f6ee9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. G.K. Chesterton [ https://substack.com/redirect/b05484c4-0e55-49f1-adc6-96005fa4d533?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “It is a good exercise, in empty or ugly hours of the day, to look at anything, the coal-scuttle or the book-case, and think how happy one could be to have brought it out of the sinking ship on to the solitary island. But it is a better exercise still to remember how all things have had this hair-breadth escape: everything has been saved from a wreck.” Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/afdd9a46-5abe-44cc-88a4-37bab66a525a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/b735efed-ea56-42a1-8ee1-44981518b6f2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin PS. I had a ball with the teachers attending @theartofed [ https://substack.com/redirect/0d0ef926-dc8c-465f-bb75-4531bc4adcc9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] conference. (Hit me up if you’re looking for a speaker [ https://substack.com/redirect/cf1b35e8-c7e3-4db2-8e85-ecd07bff6543?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]for your event!) Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTROams1TXpVeU5Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56Y3dNemd6TXpFeUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1ERTVNVGt6TVRJc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuT0RSdlJYVWVrVkF4Tk8xMGExOVM3bmVuM3gtWHNKenpEVmx1YXhOTldfbyIsInAiOjE4Njk5MzUyNSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc3MDM4MzMxMiwiZXhwIjoyMDg1OTU5MzEyLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.rp7dy9iYSXIltAVnY4-eO7Rb-AzaCCu-ciVx2xmKpkk?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/the-year-is-too-young-to-be-this Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-205958135? ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: In desperate need of distraction and something to look forward to [ https://substack.com/redirect/7bc8532f-eccf-417f-aa5e-920a1365ee73?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], I’ve been having a blast writing my new “Tuesday Trio” series [ https://substack.com/redirect/9fd0f9e5-4aa0-4ee1-a0c2-d13b9c6076b0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. In each letter, I recommend one book, one record, and one movie around a theme. The first three: “Radioactivity [ https://substack.com/redirect/2bff600b-a55c-44dc-b235-7cefb26f6ccc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” “Problematic Gifts [ https://substack.com/redirect/a892acd6-a700-46a9-a9c8-e4dd162f36fb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” and “Sherlock Holmes [ https://substack.com/redirect/af9fdc61-a94c-4820-9f99-e3047dc8682d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” (As always, I get a ton from our excellent comment section: based on your recommendations, I’ve downloaded the complete Sherlock Holmes audiobook [ https://substack.com/redirect/4010ffb8-0e14-4aaf-a22e-292cdd2308c4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] read by Stephen Fry [ https://substack.com/redirect/74dcfc23-1d05-4c51-9845-ddf636aea170?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and queued up The Great Mouse Detective [ https://substack.com/redirect/e4d1b12f-c29a-4ec6-b1d5-7a7c362184a0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/9edad4be-3ec0-4f66-9475-899982afa374?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) “That tension—between everything mattering so much and nothing mattering at all—is probably the through line of the collection…. The speed with which I can move from obsessing over ass-puckering, invisible minutiae (removing italic formatting from spaces in a Word document, for instance) and wanting to chuck the whole enterprise of civilization into a bonfire (see “Original Syntax”) is remarkable.” I read an advanced copy of Elizabeth Zaleski’s The Trouble With Loving Poets and Other Essays on Failure [ https://substack.com/redirect/19c7e065-fadb-43d9-b347-f9e63eda9b82?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] based on a single newsletter sent out from her publisher at Belt, Anne Trubek [ https://substack.com/redirect/232a93a0-0445-4624-91cf-8a3bae0b4221?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. It’s a delight to pick up a book by a writer totally unknown to you and finish it in a single day. (And hey, we both hail from rural Ohio and love Tim Kreider [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e5dc4d4-32f5-4bcd-8d0c-5dfb8fb37173?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], so I was primed to like her!) Lesser known books new to the public domain [ https://substack.com/redirect/eb9f655b-9688-48a3-85d3-31c2fa6e04a1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. On director Rian Johnson’s website, he’s posted many of the scripts for his movies [ https://substack.com/redirect/f4aef088-1588-462a-89c9-9887fa5fdca0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. This seems like it would be a treasure trove to an aspiring filmmaker — the script for Wake Up Dead Man [ https://substack.com/redirect/50608fd6-b5b3-49d7-9f32-81d0d4f89d73?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is “the final shooting script, so it has stuff that was cut and moved around.” (And speaking of directors with websites: I missed that Steven Soderbergh posted his [ https://substack.com/redirect/2be348b2-a61a-4d95-9de4-bb259a97655f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Seen, Read [ https://substack.com/redirect/2be348b2-a61a-4d95-9de4-bb259a97655f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] list for 2025 [ https://substack.com/redirect/2be348b2-a61a-4d95-9de4-bb259a97655f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Radiohead shared their “walking in” pre-show mix [ https://substack.com/redirect/54add2c0-0aad-4c9a-bbf1-ddd7775c2382?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Freewriting does involve relaxation, but it’s not the relaxation of lassitude or passivity. It’s more a matter of getting out of action’s way, so that your whole self, no longer so constrained by your controlling ego, can bring forth the most of which it’s capable.” Oliver Burkeman [ https://substack.com/redirect/1278a0bf-8e2b-4220-bb0e-be9eaa7f2b93?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the freewriting way of life [ https://substack.com/redirect/cbe1cf6d-10d4-4a99-b3a3-b42b35dbceed?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Questions I ask myself when I don’t know what to do next [ https://substack.com/redirect/da5ce296-2fc8-4d8e-91c8-4dc3250c5b5f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “There is something destabilizing about having known someone only as a child and then hearing they were gunned down in the street.” Kristen Radtke, author of the wonderful graphic novels, Imagine Wanting Only This [ https://substack.com/redirect/ea65628c-908c-4159-ae12-57b464fc60af?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness [ https://substack.com/redirect/3dd396c9-52f3-4706-bce1-a2ebf86d5e9b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], on losing her best friend from childhood [ https://substack.com/redirect/598cb813-af84-4388-ae2d-b79eceb7e0bc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. RIP legendary reggae drummer Sly Dunbar [ https://substack.com/redirect/ab9148ca-1341-4cae-88fe-4469d10eb597?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who along with his bass-playing partner, Robbie Shakespeare [ https://substack.com/redirect/a5d7ed57-723e-4e31-ae59-73a4bc0095e8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], “backed nearly every reggae artist of note and collaborated with an array of admirers.” They played on so many great tracks! And tons of stuff I didn’t know about — I had no idea they played on Bob Dylan’s “Jokerman [ https://substack.com/redirect/f48c98d8-f98a-4912-ba17-bfd88b0278f0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” for example. (Grace Jones’ “Private Life [ https://substack.com/redirect/910702c2-b80b-438d-9ffa-70e5ef9f6986?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” would’ve been great on my [ https://substack.com/redirect/121279a4-fd49-4d8c-a7b9-46bd4e12348c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]About Time [ https://substack.com/redirect/121279a4-fd49-4d8c-a7b9-46bd4e12348c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] mixtape [ https://substack.com/redirect/121279a4-fd49-4d8c-a7b9-46bd4e12348c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) February is just a few days away. It’s the shortest month [ https://substack.com/redirect/8607258f-45dd-4985-be1d-4b5e6726ccc7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a clean four weeks, so if you’re feeling strong enough, it might be a great time for a 28-day challenge. Here’s a poster you can download and print out to help you along: And remember: for artists, every day is Groundhog Day [ https://substack.com/redirect/84452abd-9652-4125-88ff-390f74f8be9d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone and get an exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/0fd0708d-6e54-4edc-87dc-01076b45d7b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-205046187? ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTROakl4TmpBM01Dd2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTVOemM0TnpreUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1ERXpNVFEzT1RJc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuRzZvWGlLcGF4MnVNeXZWR3hreEcwYzlRa0dROXRxMlBjbGtkb09HTGllRSIsInAiOjE4NjIxNjA3MCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2OTc3ODc5MiwiZXhwIjoyMDg1MzU0NzkyLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.epKS0d_wWATu01NBgc9X3IimmglDw8nelmxgWMBIVl0?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/about-time Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/e11edfae-b709-418d-9764-476b5baf307d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “There’s only one season lately. There used to be an agreement between the seasons, that they would all stay for three months, and then go wherever seasons go when they’re not where we are. Lately there has been no spring, no summer, and no fall. Politically, and philosophically, and psychologically. There has only been the season of ice. It is the season of frozen dreams and frozen nightmares. A scene of frozen progress and frozen ideas. Frozen aspirations and inspirations. They call the season ‘winter.’ We call the song ‘Winter in America [ https://substack.com/redirect/654742c3-b636-445b-b2c8-9a9cb60aca41?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].’” “So far, it’s been a bleak streak over here in America! You know what? It’s a famine of beauty. It’s a famine of beauty, honey! My eyes are starving for beauty.” —André Leon Talley, The September Issue [ https://substack.com/redirect/5dc58585-05f7-4f42-bd2d-09b1909de0c8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] “The old is dead, and I don’t know what the new is. The only way to find the new is to start different things and see if there’s something that can come out of experimentation.” That was the filmmaker David Lynch, who we lost one year ago [ https://substack.com/redirect/d6fd9285-9911-412a-aafa-c6c505657305?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (You can look out the window and tell what season it is outside, but it can be hard, sometimes, to look inside and tell what creative season [ https://substack.com/redirect/e1139591-5911-4084-8c47-1a89e3292ad2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] you’re in.) “So much that is best in America is a state of mind that you can’t export.” I spent a lot of time with the novelist Robert Stone [ https://substack.com/redirect/cfdd7b7a-de8e-4fe3-bc83-068a3791dd69?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] this week, reading his Vietnam-era novel Dog Soldiers [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad4494c0-5724-40b3-a4ba-1d9a23578966?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], his excellent Paris Review [ https://substack.com/redirect/162047a6-a4d1-4292-91dd-0900f80c8539?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] interview, and some of his nonfiction [ https://substack.com/redirect/d7054206-4db4-44ba-8310-8df8988614eb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Stone tried to tell stories of who Americans are. Our prophet, he said, was not Orwell, but Herman Melville: “Moby-Dick is the most uncanny act of incantatory prophecy known to fiction. Unlike Nineteen Eighty-Four, it’s nearly unreadable, talking in tongues and uttering visions.”) Stone began his literary career as “The Least Merry Prankster [ https://substack.com/redirect/400e0496-b64e-487a-a128-970818f1b7f5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” so I’ve decided it’s time to read Tom Wolfe’s book about them, The Electric Kool [ https://substack.com/redirect/098d9ae6-f32f-48f5-8388-07a74cdef678?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]- [ https://substack.com/redirect/098d9ae6-f32f-48f5-8388-07a74cdef678?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Aid Acid Test [ https://substack.com/redirect/098d9ae6-f32f-48f5-8388-07a74cdef678?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “I had a girlfriend, and she was from Washington, and her father worked in the government, and she shocked me by saying — I must have been 19, 20 — she said, ‘Oh my god, my father thinks that Eisenhower is such an asshole.’ [Gasp!] ‘Somebody talked about a president that way? Your father said that to you and he’s working in the government?’ She said, ‘Yeah, he’s really a a dumb asshole.’ I said, ‘Presidents can be dumb assholes?’ I didn’t understand the world.” That’s journalist Seymour Hersch in the Netflix documentary [ https://substack.com/redirect/455c97a1-c1b1-41ee-b222-3d13ecc3301a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] about his life and work, Cover-Up [ https://substack.com/redirect/455c97a1-c1b1-41ee-b222-3d13ecc3301a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (A little uneven, but I was really taken by the first half, about how he broke the Mai Lai story, Vietnam, Nixon, etc.) I had a little bit of trouble figuring out the right vibe for my January mixtape, About Time. I went with: “the sound of having a smoke on the front porch in the dead of winter.” You can listen to it on Spotify [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c266333-609a-4502-9a36-c127350ea19d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Apple Music [ https://substack.com/redirect/61654d7f-63bd-466a-be8e-3c36622b1b98?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], or YouTube [ https://substack.com/redirect/954ffa94-440c-42a3-b9f1-31be033d5c96?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Every time I try to make these mixes more conceptual or abstract, I freeze up. But if I just start with a good leadoff track and ask myself, What do I want to hear after this? the mix just sort of makes itself. I think this is also true of writing and drawing, too: if you start with big, conceptual, abstract ideas about what you want the thing to be, it’s easy to freeze. But if you just start with one good line and ask yourself, What comes next? the thing builds itself. “It’s amazing what cutting a bad sentence will do. Or taking out a bad paragraph. Cutting is essentially a kind of sculpture. It reveals the face inside the piece of rock.” RIP Austin novelist James Magnuson [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8273d2c-f1d0-4d4b-a77a-aa9356f2e70f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who directed the Michener Center for Writers [ https://substack.com/redirect/84061b86-0924-49bf-a639-cfc2c3d87df9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the University of Texas for more than 20 years. JetPens picks the 47 best pens for 2026 [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8523629-cf8f-490f-ba84-5c867e0025f8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (My personal favorites: Pentel Portable Pocket Brush pens [ https://substack.com/redirect/26abc76b-4e6a-49ca-b903-5c3af7c99dc2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Lamy Safari fountain pens [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2cbcc36-bb7e-468e-b8b7-28fa013561be?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Pilot G-2 Bolds [ https://substack.com/redirect/fb56a51e-7b93-4413-9ebd-5f71657976d5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Pentel Sign Pens [ https://substack.com/redirect/6b9868cb-9623-44d0-ba9c-ad10e1a7ca3f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Yahoo! adapted a bit from the “Demons Hate Fresh Air” chapter of my book Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/46c04787-550d-4188-9115-e0ba54c0b80a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for their piece, “52 fascinating people reveal the tiny habits that changed their lives [ https://substack.com/redirect/8f9051f7-12f3-4f9d-94e1-7f77ef759a5f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”: Years ago, we adopted the unofficial United States Postal Service motto [ https://substack.com/redirect/21dbd242-995c-44c1-aba3-d1c1ef2e9cf2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] as our own: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom … stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The best way to read the internet [ https://substack.com/redirect/e507a016-d456-47eb-9103-a348b257812b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone, buy me time to make you fun stuff like mixtapes [ https://substack.com/redirect/40a496be-c66c-48c9-ad1f-30bfe43394c7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and typewriter interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/32a42e63-c867-48ee-b15f-41b1358f51a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and get an extra exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/cd89a9e0-b35a-40e4-890f-e74eb4c55bf2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/8c65b922-abf8-40b7-8192-17cb976c8acb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTROVFF5TlRFd055d2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTVNVGN6T0RZNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EQTNNRGs0Tmprc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuaDNyWEVBSzZfLUMyMkYxZk56Wm5ITWNDYmNKRGI4VGJwV0JoLWdtZDNWayIsInAiOjE4NTQyNTEwNywicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2OTE3Mzg2OSwiZXhwIjoyMDg0NzQ5ODY5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.YeZFhPlxqjpwb-vmlR6h3MpZggHtUIzsrvibT3FoNAM?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/virtuous-by-comparison Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2e83511-5e2c-425c-923b-175c37296874?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “Evil fortune does have some use: it is a good thing to be born in a century which is deeply depraved, for by comparison with others you are reckoned virtuous on the cheap.” That’s our old friend Michel de Montaigne [ https://substack.com/redirect/1fe92165-ab29-49ce-ac8a-0b3c02eb4d04?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I’ve read a few pages of his Essays [ https://substack.com/redirect/47745128-a6f3-45be-b9ce-4cf89a46cb2f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] every morning of 2026, and every morning I find some wonderful 400-year-old line that speaks directly to my present moment. (Old books are time machines [ https://substack.com/redirect/41c9c29e-21c0-453f-8e18-d598d4326c94?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) If you don’t know Montaigne’s work, check out Stefan Zweig’s short biography [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c121dec-04e1-4cf0-91d1-9519e3084fbd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], written in exile during World War II. My friend Ryan Holiday loves the book so much he bought a thousand copies [ https://substack.com/redirect/f3fda776-4953-47ea-97c4-2bb03e46ea86?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] to stock at The Painted Porch [ https://substack.com/redirect/24553518-9f09-47b0-ac2d-29a371d70013?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] before it went out of print. (Montaigne was an influence on my book Keep Going [ https://substack.com/redirect/656ea5dc-cca6-4d71-a55a-3c2fe2d2bc23?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I wrote more about his famous tower [ https://substack.com/redirect/27639dd2-5d37-4212-9e4e-be7989a2107b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in my letter, “Room To Think [ https://substack.com/redirect/b2931c62-9a4c-4335-ac86-7f2a6e3b3cdf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) “Writers, we’re magpies, you know? We steal all the bits and pieces that everybody says as best we can.” Director Paul Thomas Anderson [ https://substack.com/redirect/12ddb53d-6485-4eb5-956f-b76eab28164f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on stealing like an artist [ https://substack.com/redirect/0e55c1c1-5de6-45ee-872b-e3a0fd17fec1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “Please put me in the company of first-class artists with good hearts and good minds doing meaningful work.” This profile of Noah Wyle [ https://substack.com/redirect/3d831975-fbc1-46f9-8b89-6bd76dfe637c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and season two of The Pitt [ https://substack.com/redirect/c3d6d62b-fdc3-481f-9401-b9cbe8d04806?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] is excellent, even by Sam Anderson [ https://substack.com/redirect/06d333dc-abfd-4dac-ad2c-afdbe976bff6?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] standards. (I was not expecting the appearance of Roland Barthes by Roland Barthes [ https://substack.com/redirect/a4146e9e-8ba8-4b22-95b5-66af8dc87ff4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which has been in our home library [ https://substack.com/redirect/6c0486d7-2454-49fc-91f6-1ad232057d4c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for years, but I still haven’t read.) The show is so intense I hadn’t really thought of it as comfort viewing! (As “competency p*rn [ https://substack.com/redirect/f395b616-a1c5-4cf1-8730-b09c4fe6db34?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” sure.) “The real world is, yes, broken and foaming at the mouth and desperately in need of healing. But, at least while we’re watching ‘The Pitt,’ we begin to believe that there might be someone out there who can fix it.” “Humor is… reasonableness. Reasonableness in the face of the ghastly serious people who have dominated the twentieth century.” The humor in writer Robert Stone’s work [ https://substack.com/redirect/82bbabca-dcc5-4071-b807-85477b33bcd5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I just started his novel Dog Soldiers [ https://substack.com/redirect/777055f9-ccda-4b2e-950c-d28161d3805c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and it’s great so far.) “If they passed a law saying I needed to draw with Procreate, I would quit art, convinced I could not draw.” Cartoonist Vanessa Davis on why pencils are everything [ https://substack.com/redirect/c71632ff-9439-4100-b335-3c6acf2eb318?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Our tools matter! I switched from my Lamy Safari fountain pen [ https://substack.com/redirect/223128e6-dfc6-4e68-abcd-c77c0b0e731a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] back to my beloved Pilot Brush Pen [ https://substack.com/redirect/ce3fa832-e8e2-4869-a480-c02eed7e2487?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] earlier this week, and I immediately started drawing more in my diary.) If you’d like to be drawing more, too, there’s still time to be part of my friend Wendy MacNaughton’s 30 Days of Drawing [ https://substack.com/redirect/735bef23-221c-49c5-8423-a28fd4e759e2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Check out her Saul Steinberg-inspired exercise [ https://substack.com/redirect/96a5b731-a773-4d43-a7b4-1b4ef9118cc0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for a taste. (Steinberg is who I stole my “writer who draws” tagline from — see my letter, “Steinberg at play [ https://substack.com/redirect/7c11a9e8-928a-4856-b71d-e6cee553cbd3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) Miyazaki’s Sherlock [ https://substack.com/redirect/e6d2818e-1953-4cef-9bc1-ca3d5a04faa2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Pizza night [ https://substack.com/redirect/8cc7db0d-dadd-4b01-b2e4-225dc500fe74?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: Meg and I re-watched Billy Wilder’s The Apartment [ https://substack.com/redirect/1f5b0849-de0e-41a8-a861-419298057483?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] a few weeks ago, and we loved it so much we decided to give Some Like It Hot [ https://substack.com/redirect/75f2f3fa-7abb-4f76-a257-9c72be9bd471?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] a go with the boys. It was delightful. I need more Jack Lemmon on my TV. And more Billy Wilder. And maybe more Marilyn! (“Where’s the bourbon? [ https://substack.com/redirect/ee7f34a8-076e-4b2d-9e8d-7e9043a2ae50?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]”) “The chances are I spent more time standing onstage playing guitar and singing than any human who ever lived.” RIP Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir [ https://substack.com/redirect/c46a9284-9569-4711-b6fb-bdc1d06c6a92?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], who also loved to ride a bike [ https://substack.com/redirect/168387c4-8b49-4f2f-853b-e5ffa7ce751d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I enjoyed Walter Martin’s tribute show [ https://substack.com/redirect/0e0013e8-c838-412a-98da-47b7e7da4945?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) A typewriter interview with artist Tucker Nichols [ https://substack.com/redirect/87c53e94-1931-4c2a-a4da-a1cd8422c0ba?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone, buy me time to make you fun stuff like mixtapes [ https://substack.com/redirect/ab63e04a-0f83-4e7f-bfc9-5996beecdeef?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and typewriter interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/bff30cd7-7a53-484c-98bd-d51cbbf4b592?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and get an extra exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/f8989c2e-8a72-4968-b766-1fbde1104089?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/abb8bc47-9f43-49e4-bffe-a5a451b67324?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin PS. I was stoked to see this whole rack of my books [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e35e63f-698e-477f-a26a-00670bae32e4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the World Book Fair [ https://substack.com/redirect/ea90ba8a-41a3-4f41-8f5d-d2fce81f8089?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in New Delhi. (My books are always hanging out in cooler places than I am!) Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRORFk0T1RBeE9Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTROVFk0T1RjM0xDSmxlSEFpT2pFNE1EQXhNRFE1Tnpjc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAueWFiNkVJb0hiLXZJLUV5a0JDckJWMUZobjZXVThsQkdSRW1ILTFURGNHayIsInAiOjE4NDY4OTAxOSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2ODU2ODk3NywiZXhwIjoyMDg0MTQ0OTc3LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.gmc6yHgkPyU1JdyUOssVLf5DCiyknBYwWi3DitbzVPI?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/dubious-practices Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-196213321 ], On Tuesday night I joked, grimly, “Well, that was a long week!” It’s finally Friday. Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing: If you’d like to start a family movie night, I wrote about a dozen lessons we’ve learned from our favorite ritual [ https://substack.com/redirect/2bc82e33-51c6-4327-81b8-4c40ddad1228?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (A tip from the comments, that I co-sign: some kids will watch almost anything if you let them stay up late!) The Slits’ Cut [ https://substack.com/redirect/736a1342-6ef9-45ee-98f3-8c4ab19cbd6a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] was one of my favorite new-to-me discoveries of 2025, so I began the year by reading guitarist Viv Albertine’s memoir, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys [ https://substack.com/redirect/1438883b-55bc-4476-93ea-a9f062483875?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I enjoyed the urgency of the present tense and learning about the band’s early days. (Their cover of “I Heard It Through The Grapevine [ https://substack.com/redirect/0daf609e-0e77-4825-9740-c718449953a9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” was the first song they ever recorded in a studio?!?) But what really hit me is the second half of the book when Albertine comes back to music after being a mother and a housewife. In some ways, it’s the most “Punk” part of the book. She has to re-learn how to play the guitar and starts writing songs about her life and driving 3 hours so she can sing two of them at an open mic night in a dinky little pub. There’s no triumphant ending, just a woman doing what she feels like she was born to do, at no small cost. “The perilous time for the most highly gifted is not youth. The holy sensibilities of genius — for all the sensibilities of genius are holy — keep their possessor essentially unhurt as long as animal spirits and the idea of being young last; but the perilous season is middle age, when a false wisdom tempts them to doubt the divine origin of the dreams of their youth; when the world comes to them, not with the song of the siren, against which all books warn us, but as a wise old man counselling acquiescence in what is below them.” So wrote Elizabeth Peabody [ https://substack.com/redirect/15f97a47-7fd5-426b-a651-a66a7baa5f9d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. “My true nature–which I suppressed in order to function and succeed as an adult–is surfacing again.” Reading Albertine’s memoir reminded me of re-watching the 2003 documentary about Metallica, Some Kind of Monster [ https://substack.com/redirect/327a671f-8fc9-475a-9705-36e6357d0d4a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], where they’re middle-aged (they were all younger than I am now, actually) and going to therapy and scheduling band practices around their kids’ school drop-offs and pick-ups. I remember watching it in my 20s and thinking it was pathetically not Metal, and now I think it’s one of the most Metal things they ever did. Six music documentaries filmmaker Penny Lane loves [ https://substack.com/redirect/52c85f18-70cf-4843-9915-8235d80614a8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Come to think of it, 2021 was a particularly good year for watching music movies! [ https://substack.com/redirect/9790165a-10f0-44a0-befd-3d09fef10330?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) Penny and I talked more about music and movies in a delightful live chat that you should watch if you haven’t. [ https://substack.com/redirect/299a88f5-1fca-409a-82f2-d768b94cdfa2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] A list of books, movies, art, and music that enter the public domain in 2026 [ https://substack.com/redirect/e591e526-11e0-4b9c-8ae3-5d34e1b83669?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. One of them is Willa Cather’s Death Comes to the Archbishop [ https://substack.com/redirect/fe05a99b-4dce-4380-9aa1-64fc40de319c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which I meant to read a few years ago when I was in New Mexico [ https://substack.com/redirect/f9f305e2-b5ba-4bec-82d2-d1f6bfa46409?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. I polled y’all about your favorite reads of 2025 [ https://substack.com/redirect/9bfa9b6e-bb49-4a00-8eed-87e6d9b96708?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I was delighted by how many folks enjoyed Roland Allen’s The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper [ https://substack.com/redirect/d2f2d9cd-c775-49f6-ad1a-1dae58f71684?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], which was one of my favorite reads of 2024 [ https://substack.com/redirect/e5bba72e-704f-4a8a-95e0-d7bb370287d2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A book I’ve put in my queue thanks to your recommendations: Fredrik Backman’s My Friends [ https://substack.com/redirect/2c8c2d77-7c56-42c4-805c-1cbf59a479fb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If it’s half as good as this speech [ https://substack.com/redirect/f45253d5-5880-411c-9d82-39dcaa1b760d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], it will be very good. (I need to stop reading Sherlock Holmes stories and Montaigne essays first. Might be a while.) “Rip it up and start again [ https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=30594&post_id=183705633&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=h5dw&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjo4MDAxMzIsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE4MzcwNTYzMywiaWF0IjoxNzY3NzMzNjY5LCJleHAiOjE3NzAzMjU2NjksImlzcyI6InB1Yi0zMDU5NCIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.1IOlZjoGp1BIkvLBb8lbonbh4GkCQHIAOB-YTExyh-w ].” (The only one of these writing practices I endorse is re-typing your drafts.) “They haven’t got me yet, baby.” We re-watched Billy Wilder’s The Apartment [ https://substack.com/redirect/83a7c3f1-08f6-42f2-bf82-9e6fa50ddce7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] last week, and it was even better than I remembered. Could it be the ultimate dead week movie? The only competition, in my opinion, is The Thin Man [ https://substack.com/redirect/88f311cf-3777-4eae-869e-86ceacd0c5a2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], but Paul Thomas Anderson’s marathon lineup [ https://substack.com/redirect/62775475-ee12-47ea-90e8-b7ae20719d10?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] would make a solid week of viewing, too: (One time someone asked PTA in a Q&A to name a great movie he loves that nobody’s seen and he replied, “I like watching movies that lots of people have seen.” I love that.) In case you missed it last week, here’s my big list of 100 things that made my 2025 [ https://substack.com/redirect/2272e225-5261-4922-bf3b-b30df3844649?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thanks for reading. This hand-rolled, ad-free, AI-free, anti-algorithm publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To keep Friday free for everyone, buy me time to make you fun stuff like mixtapes [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ee6b4e8-254a-4784-aff7-f23709ab991a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and typewriter interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/948fe0d7-08ef-46e0-96bd-7957cfdf47f3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (new one coming soon!), and get an extra exclusive email from me every Tuesday, become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/854528c0-8185-4aca-99ad-415f10646254?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/52afb024-1567-4cd1-ba3e-da568d549083?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRNemt5TmpRME1pd2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTNPVFkwTWprMUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFM09UazFNREF5T1RVc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuM1QtWEpjdk9HdHAyYkZKRVFmMXVBRW5TNmt3ZThyaXh3eUQtRnhsTU10cyIsInAiOjE4MzkyNjQ0MiwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2Nzk2NDI5NSwiZXhwIjoyMDgzNTQwMjk1LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.73mB95MGoWaq6wGcbR6sKrnYHOiFGZ3wNIM-93_zIPo?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/100-things-that-made-my-year-2025 Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/redirect/ef455e3c-27b1-43db-897d-a099711bc84f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Here’s my annual list of 100 things that made my year: Walking cookies to friends on New Year’s Day. Accepting the sad fact that my nervous system can only handle one cup of coffee a day. Drinking lots of herbal tea instead. Peppermint. Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend. A cup cap accessory [ https://substack.com/redirect/78b792a2-29b0-4484-9148-8c2dc70f9110?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for my Yeti Rambler [ https://substack.com/redirect/d9a351ac-1935-418c-a7d6-4da0622562e2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that turns it into a thermos like workers take to construction sites. Having tweens! One of them now a teen! 6-7 [ https://substack.com/redirect/bf0c34be-b618-4715-9bfc-a1b508c87483?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]! Taking the boys to see the movies they love at the Village Alamo Drafthouse. Sonic The Hedgehog 3. A Minecraft Movie. FNAF 2. Pizza and a movie every Friday night [ https://substack.com/redirect/e7388a51-3e09-499f-820c-9387eda0e4af?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl. Mousehunt. Freaky Friday. The Adventures of Tintin. The Wild Robot. Flow. Harry and The Hendersons. KPop Demon Hunters. Napoleon Dynamite. (The kids still shout, “Make yourself a danged quesadilla!”) Rango. The Gold Rush. Good Burger. Young Frankenstein. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Addams Family Values. Galaxy Quest. Building fires in our fireplace. Chopping kindling. Dipping into The Book of Building Fires [ https://substack.com/redirect/d2253e75-78e0-43f9-834b-aadf8b048cce?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and experimenting with the top-down method [ https://substack.com/redirect/789c971b-5552-4d63-ab3c-0c899725ae17?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Riding bikes with Marty. Making mixtapes [ https://substack.com/redirect/fa4d8691-1d12-416a-9360-11252a021f98?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] to listen to in the studio. Sharing a mixtape, then getting a comment from a young man who said he didn’t understand what a mixtape was or how you make one [ https://substack.com/redirect/bee1d245-9b76-4648-bd4b-3ce1f5c26de5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Recording an explanatory video [ https://substack.com/redirect/5a0156fd-9de1-41f8-8632-d4f4d4249682?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for him that made me feel a million years old. Splurging on a brand-new Tascam cassette deck [ https://substack.com/redirect/8d09f41f-e7d3-4b88-81c2-287e2e0029e0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Rob Sheffield’s memoir Love is a Mix Tape [ https://substack.com/redirect/245e92ae-5fcb-4a41-843d-400adfa1b7c5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (“There are all kinds of mix tapes. There is always a reason to make one.”) Texting old photos to college pals on a Friday night. Spaghetti every Monday night. Making a “Red Sauce [ https://substack.com/redirect/dda81b56-34d5-4b4f-b09d-5fd93723a403?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” mix for Meghan to play while she’s making the meatballs. Discovering the Ultra-Lounge [ https://substack.com/redirect/dd52272f-471d-4c5f-80a3-09e2c2e92a91?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] series of compilation CDs. Mixing gin martinis with three olives. Getting through winter with soup and heat. Soup lessons. [ https://substack.com/redirect/6cd6295a-d412-49d2-be73-882c6a87dfa8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Seeing The Soup Peddler sign with an elegant edit of something I wrote: “Soup teaches us some things get better tomorrow [ https://substack.com/redirect/687598e4-32ae-4dff-9bba-d1944e14739d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Flowers on the kitchen table. The way Meg buys bouquets and deconstructs them into mini-bouquets. Keeping the calendar clear to write. (“Open the document, stay in the document [ https://substack.com/redirect/92c33e87-4148-4554-b9b8-af8bcc6d2943?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) How often the spiritual problems of a piece of writing are connected to its technical problems, and how often a fix to a technical problem also solves a spiritual problem. All the great typewriter interviews [ https://substack.com/redirect/ed7accf0-1101-4e54-920b-84aa5843366d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I published. How many neighbors we meet, how many adventures we have, and how many treasures we find just by taking a 3-mile walk every day. Our family being so clueless about football that we bought our junky Super Bowl food a week too early. (We ate it while watching Groundhog Day.) Sick days with my teenager and watching violent movies his younger brother can’t handle. Hunger Games. Temple of Doom. Commando. The Terminator. Terminator 2. The Matrix. New glasses! Buying a 50-watt Orange Crush [ https://substack.com/redirect/4f386f0f-c831-49ce-8749-08975cbfe811?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] bass amp. Learning Paul McCartney and James Jamerson lines on my little short scale Squier Jaguar Bass. Talking to Matt T. and Jamie on the phone. How good the newsletter gets when I’m using it as a way to procrastinate on writing a book. A Laity Lodge [ https://substack.com/redirect/fca5e6f9-f7ff-49e3-9f31-d5cc1dbb54d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] retreat. Checking my phone one last time before I drove into the canyon and lost cell signal and finding an email from my editor that she loved my book [ https://substack.com/redirect/a9d3d104-4019-4b01-b8e6-ba6c78c00b27?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A block printing workshop with Dana Tanamachi [ https://substack.com/redirect/2eaee121-cc0b-4149-9e4a-ff24d1a05ee1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A long hike by myself up to the bluff. Drinking bourbon with Alan and Steven. How when I arrived on Friday it was still winter, but by the time I left on Sunday, it felt like spring had sprung. Driving south to get a haircut at Avenue Barbershop and record shopping at End of an Ear afterwards. Buying used CDs and 99 cent cassettes to tape over for mixtapes. Throwing a crawfish party! Making a mix with a bunch of New Orleans funk and soul [ https://substack.com/redirect/c2505256-2268-4e1f-8cf6-c95726a91c4a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], most of it built around some wonderful Soul Jazz [ https://substack.com/redirect/e68af39d-ad7c-4dee-9211-591f1b64968b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] compilations like Saturday Night Fish Fry [ https://substack.com/redirect/600e42c3-dd43-4fd9-8927-84170489c73c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Living somewhere that people visit. Hanging out with Drew and Detria during SXSW. Burgers and beer with Craig at Billy’s. Beers with Oliver in Hyde Park before his gig at the Commodore Perry. A beer with Kelli before her event at First Light Books. A gig in New Orleans. How I always assumed I was too uptight for the city, and how I wound up really loving it [ https://substack.com/redirect/27bfea6b-571c-46fa-ba6b-f117ad09684c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Walking from the French Quarter to Bacchanal and having dinner [ https://substack.com/redirect/4da63d48-6c9c-4dba-9738-c7a77308405a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the bar with Rob, Clayton, and Katie. (Thinking of Dave Hickey in The Perfect Wave [ https://substack.com/redirect/1ef195e6-3a92-4b45-a3f0-40f371713e9f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “When something that is not your thing blows you away, that’s one of the best things that can happen. It means you are something other than you thought you were.”) Stepping into cathedrals when traveling and saying a little prayer. Coming home from the trip and Owen had taught Meghan the piano chords to Destroyer’s “Looter’s Follies [ https://substack.com/redirect/58e01a05-10dc-4172-acd0-22d66cdf85d4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” How Owen can just learn any melody by ear on his keyboard while watching TV. How you’ll be watching a ball game and he’ll start playing the organ music. Trying to replace my dread with curiosity. Being a long-term pessimist, short-term optimist. Believing in the wild possibilities of a single day. (C.S. Lewis: “It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for.”) Keeping my expectations low. (“Are the lights on? Is the water running? Is there food in the fridge?”) The title of the movie Do Not Expect Too Much from The End of the World. The Zen Master’s refrain: “We’ll see [ https://substack.com/redirect/00134f00-15e9-48dc-8bda-d199db3afb14?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Feasting on corned beef, soda bread, and extra stout Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day. T-Loc’s fish tacos during Lent. BBQ for Easter. The new apron [ https://substack.com/redirect/fbc5a46d-b9b1-4426-bc91-aecc1f514312?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Meg bought me for the studio. Listening to dub reggae [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-101843885 ] and making block prints [ https://substack.com/redirect/509e71a5-e08f-4b72-bf00-502745c8cf6a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Stringing twine and clothespins across the studio so I can hang prints to dry. Scrabble. Uno. Checkers. Plant sales and art supply shopping. Judging a book just by its epigraphs [ https://substack.com/redirect/ae0293da-6589-4786-b1a5-47ff90ba0cc4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Staple-gunning hand-printed flyers to telephone polls all over our neighborhood to try to save our son’s middle school. Finding out six months later they got to at least one of the people they were supposed to get to. Thinking I should write a book about something and then just making a zine instead [ https://substack.com/redirect/bbcf93bc-8e44-43d4-ae9b-b767a5147ca0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Burgers at Crown and Anchor with the boys before seeing Kraftwerk at Bass Concert Hall. Eno [ https://substack.com/redirect/4ce9ef7c-a721-46af-849f-25532f265d1f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at Austin Film Society with Owen. Turning old oversized shirts into sleep shirts for the 10-year-old. Giving the kids sticky notes and then collecting all the funny ones they leave for us and themselves around the house. Having a word for “Maycember [ https://substack.com/redirect/729b7dcb-e584-4e2a-b026-711170179cce?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Getting inspired by Erik Winkowski’s “Zinemail No. 1 [ https://substack.com/redirect/5dab2ab5-eb96-484c-a8bf-319107a6eb16?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” dispatch — probably the most interesting use of Substack I’ve ever seen — and immediately trying to steal from him by making a moving block print [ https://substack.com/redirect/71b4d120-645a-4478-b3f2-79e41e6054c1?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and one of my collages with an animated frame [ https://substack.com/redirect/25d98eb9-55e5-466b-b97f-f23d5156670b?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Impromptu retail dates. The magic of rearranging the furniture in a small house. June in Austin, Texas. School is finally over, so it’s quiet and empty. Warm enough to swim, but not too hot yet. Tolstoy summer! Reading War and Peace on a raft in the pool. Going ahead and reading Anna Karenina, too. How weird “the classics” are [ https://substack.com/redirect/6ac12c56-dc16-4538-9cbd-00265def39d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] when you actually bother to sit down and read them. (For example, within 50 pages of War and Peace, a bunch of drunks have tied a policeman to a bear and thrown them in a river.) A Wimberley day trip with my mom to the Leaning Pear, the Devil’s Backbone, and the Arnosky flower farm. Watching The Simpsons and Seinfeld and X-Files and 90s movies with the boys. Saving funny Instagram reels to bribe the boys with so they’ll get into bed. Surviving a surf lesson on Oahu. Standing on a cliff in Kaua’i 200 feet above sea level with hundreds of strangers, admiring a rainbow over the Pacific, and waiting for the tsunami to roll in. (It never did.) How our short California layovers were more fun than our long Hawaiian vacation [ https://substack.com/redirect/a4d0f1cd-370e-4356-b244-7c822d6010d9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The zoo and room service cheeseburgers in San Diego. The Presidio and art museums with Ted in San Francisco. The Akai MPK Mini Play MK3 [ https://substack.com/redirect/421d2e27-16a4-4d7e-8633-3b2eaf7586ed?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I bought so we would have a portable keyboard and MIDI controller we could use for making music while we were away from home. Not worrying about what’s streaming and just paying for a damned movie when you really want to watch it. Leaving books lying around like traps for the tweens. My 10-year-old cartoonist ensnared by Tom Gauld’s Physics for Cats [ https://substack.com/redirect/b97ed7ca-1b65-4686-b994-c278f59b3b79?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud’s The Cartoonist’s Club [ https://substack.com/redirect/fe136e6f-7f06-49e3-b58c-e603333f8132?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. A new development: the boys picking up books I didn’t set out for them! The 10-year-old being into Guy Deslile’s Muybridge [ https://substack.com/redirect/35be78bd-53c2-4eaa-bbd5-c22947a84212?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half [ https://substack.com/redirect/01c0eb7d-8ae4-4e7a-9f35-c23aa2bdf2fa?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. My 13-year-old coder spotting Cory Doctorow’s Enshittification [ https://substack.com/redirect/3c905be5-f49a-4a24-b5e9-c3b6b0fc2cdc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on our coffee table and getting a big grin on his face. Me saying, “You can read it if you want!” and him proceeding to do so. (Cory sending him a nice card thanking him for his review in the newsletter [ https://substack.com/redirect/7e447dab-7767-47f4-8a3a-695e31914c62?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) Drawing succulents [ https://substack.com/redirect/be8fcd07-2266-4e07-8a58-b1e51f788fc4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on old sheet music with Caran d’Ache Classic Neocolor II Water-Soluble Pastels [ https://substack.com/redirect/cc1eaabd-20c5-47f4-a813-d7b38c9a99ce?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. How drawing them got me thinking a lot about light — how often in Texas you can’t feel the seasons coming, but you can see them. Exploring color. Getting inspired by Tara Booth’s Processing: 100 Comics That Got Me Through It [ https://substack.com/redirect/ebdec662-a527-4d11-968a-9eb88a5f2795?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thinking I understood color theory, but learning from Betty Edwards’ Color [ https://substack.com/redirect/7f669930-b844-4d0a-8db4-e0997b855dfe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that it’s “complementary [ https://substack.com/redirect/685d9c5c-d639-441d-aab4-a5b358966b07?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” colors not “complimentary” colors. (I obviously didn’t go to art school.) Hiring Dean to make me the “Walk-ins Welcome” sign [ https://substack.com/redirect/856702ab-415c-483b-9248-2254cb75029f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I’ve always wanted. Finally tracking down a good place online to buy the cigarette pencils I like to “smoke” in the studio, and buying a couple canisters of them [ https://substack.com/redirect/7cb3773f-7751-4ed4-9cbe-da61d373458a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] so I can give them to people who visit the studio. A gig in Baltimore. Walking to the top of Federal Hill. Finding the one outdoor balcony at the Austin airport. (Hint: it’s upstairs at the end of the Delta terminal.) Finding myself on an airplane in a window seat, Hiroshi Yoshimura’s “Green Shower [ https://substack.com/redirect/ebf7d8be-e0a5-4872-9b23-a1b811ac88bf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” playing on a loop in my headphones, the clouds flying past my window while I read Tolstoy. Bliss. Kate Bingaman-Burt’s story about texting and befriending a roof cleaner and sign painter [ https://substack.com/redirect/fbff45c8-5471-4dfe-88f6-7415ec686797?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Practicing being a disappointment [ https://substack.com/redirect/b063ac42-f0ba-488b-b669-bc3dd3041ab9?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Calling my parents on Saturday instead of Sunday. Being bowled over when my dad told me he was enjoying sitting around and reading a novel [ https://substack.com/redirect/330208d2-12e2-4812-9d43-3c10a98dc27e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Listening to Walter Martin Radio Hour [ https://substack.com/redirect/47cb933a-2d7b-45a3-8b27-a1cb836e9a8e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] while cleaning the pool and doing the dishes. Thinking about how stoked my 19-year-old self would be to learn I was doing a live chat with a member of The Walkmen. [ https://substack.com/redirect/2e6d6d41-0e6c-4dd2-b381-a6e3ba770be0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Figuring out the ending of my book while listening to his song “The Soldier [ https://substack.com/redirect/660795ea-700e-4714-a9d1-fde45e9eeb30?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Getting the top score on the quiz at the end of the organ episode [ https://substack.com/redirect/b9d2429b-ba6a-45d7-afd5-c7e6c8322263?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Keeping up with bird cams [ https://substack.com/redirect/77911e1c-956f-4b83-910c-6f423f1b3b4c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] instead of the news [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-91288491 ]. Selling over 2 million books [ https://substack.com/redirect/d3498d89-0ad3-4ef4-968e-9937f1a38c42?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. The 20th anniversary of my blog [ https://substack.com/redirect/73b3eb3e-6b4f-4912-b78f-4755ca5c63f3?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. My newsletter having over 300,000 readers. (!!!) How the one-hour studio [ https://substack.com/redirect/ace81410-64ad-49bc-9d7c-0f8aa38de288?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] always works. Teachers emailing me for “clean” versions of posters [ https://substack.com/redirect/92c33e87-4148-4554-b9b8-af8bcc6d2943?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and zines [ https://substack.com/redirect/1bd28b9c-6696-4cb3-8089-b4a42e5da6a7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. When my son’s fifth grade teacher emails me his weekly segment on the school’s morning news, Chillin’ With Jules. Worrying less about making new friends, and worrying about keeping the friends I have [ https://substack.com/redirect/6e3f4aff-218a-4e2a-8ec9-1cb343236d08?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Texting Matt B. to ask if he was going to see One Battle After Another [ https://substack.com/redirect/b4aecaff-63f3-4fb5-a9ae-a213fac2ae55?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and him texting back that he had an extra ticket to see it in IMAX. So much fun. Embracing my love of boomer music [ https://substack.com/redirect/8cb67e21-4db0-4ca6-9112-5931bee27ffd?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Inflatable hot tub! Watching a ton of baseball in October. A. Bartlett Giamatti’s baseball writings, A Great and Glorious Game [ https://substack.com/redirect/5ca4db84-3594-4835-a7c9-7c0f56e18edc?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Especially “The Green Fields of the Mind [ https://substack.com/redirect/247127dc-d796-4564-8449-52dbe12b877c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) Carving pumpkins. Sending the 13-year-old off into the Halloween night to trick or treat with his friends from school. Drinking cognac at Hank’s. Discovering a screech owl in the box [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-189566811 ] I gave him for his birthday last year. Taking the boys to see cartoonist Nathan Hale’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/0e9f17d1-0a05-43ca-8f44-4bdcf462285e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] well-honed draw-and-talk about Lewis and Clark [ https://substack.com/redirect/464a595d-766b-4ef5-ad4a-9891bd1bc7d5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] at the Texas Book Festival. Homemade crunchwraps! The three Thanksgiving pies Meghan made, but especially her apple galette. Geese at Stubb’s. Getting Killed [ https://substack.com/redirect/5579db84-2ef4-4639-81c5-e2a9b750d47d?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Cameron Winter’s Heavy Metal [ https://substack.com/redirect/0487ddfa-5149-4452-9e76-0561f714a919?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. How I said to Meg, “They should cover the New Radicals!” and then they did [ https://substack.com/redirect/5227157a-a5f7-4062-9ca4-04a29a518dba?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Trying to get “waymo” to take off as an insult for when you meet someone and nobody appears to be behind the wheel, so to speak. (As in, “Look at this waymo over here.”) But also: really wanting to hate Waymos and then riding in one and reluctantly admitting it was pretty cool. How AI slop is making us really think about what it means to be human [ https://substack.com/redirect/dfdc3c3c-f601-45d2-9c7f-ee8f3d853f16?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and make art. Dates at the Paramount! Hrishikesh Hirway [ https://substack.com/@hrishikesh ] interviewing Samin Nosrat [ https://substack.com/redirect/8a7429f4-665d-44c0-8bb5-2413b1d2e07c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Running into Thor and having drinks at the Driskill before the Jeff Tweedy [ https://substack.com/redirect/f4eb0bf9-0c7d-412f-af7c-d6bcb6991abf?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] show. Reading five books worth of Sherlock Holmes [ https://substack.com/redirect/8ea253a4-2b71-4925-927b-e32974d62019?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] stories. Michael Dirda’s On Conan Doyle [ https://substack.com/redirect/4e6acbe7-27f4-42e0-80bc-7b6e720366de?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Thinking about how Holmes and Watson are related to Quixote and Panza [ https://substack.com/redirect/b1b9b379-785a-48cf-b721-39b3523464d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Introducing the kids to Bob Ross [ https://substack.com/redirect/0aaef3ee-7937-4987-b783-97678bfa11d8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and them being totally incensed when I started goofing on him. The youngest shouting, “Let the man work!” The oldest shouting, “I’d like to see you do better!” How my oldest laughed at me when he discovered I use Google Docs to draft my books. “I thought you, like, used something professional.” My oldest asking my youngest, “Do you have any feedback for my novel?” My youngest replying, “Make more things happen [ https://substack.com/redirect/35a21255-0300-44bc-909c-76126c75f288?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Napping with noise-canceling headphones on. The British term “lie in [ https://substack.com/redirect/7dd0a845-2927-4530-95ab-0b381a0b4aa7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”  The moments of synchronicity that I live for, like the one afternoon, after reacquainting myself with the rapper Juvenile’s performance of “Back That Azz Up” [ https://substack.com/redirect/bd84c662-984e-42e6-900d-20115975cb81?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]on NPR’s Tiny Desk, I came across an unexpected footnote in the book Space Odyssey [ https://substack.com/redirect/45cc415b-181f-4b3d-9715-7881e16738e2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that included the definition of the word “callipygian [ https://substack.com/redirect/c6003aeb-315d-460e-9484-60a50da06d97?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].” Feeling absolutely miserable, and then going for a bike ride with Marty and stopping at Top Notch for a cheeseburger and strawberry milkshake. Suddenly, life was perfect. Playing until the ninth inning. Having a great live chat with filmmaker Penny Lane [ https://substack.com/redirect/3e1d617a-1390-4304-ad23-0e97162c004f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on Christmas week. Stardew Valley [ https://substack.com/redirect/92717c78-1ef7-42cb-9cea-0cc2f6fd86c5?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] on the Switch. (I’m obsessed.) Looking up the answer to the question, “How did this even get made?” (Usually, the answer is: “Well, it wasn’t made like anything else was made.”) Keeping old diaries and logbooks [ https://substack.com/redirect/fabb1071-8ff6-4386-a0f5-fd755694a581?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] in 5-year increments by my spot at the kitchen table, and if I have nothing to write about, dipping into them [ https://substack.com/redirect/e37e9a85-784f-4af9-bbd8-385581c9a55c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and doing a little time travel. Taking creative advice from the Bhagavad Gita [ https://substack.com/redirect/87b6595d-e5f5-4cd9-a45b-4cc97f3c2fcb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “It is better to do your own duty / badly than to perfectly do / another’s….” Just showing up [ https://substack.com/redirect/27d38e08-6a19-4999-9eda-147cb62f4b15?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] over and over again. Robert Fripp’s definition of discipline: “our capacity to make a commitment in time.” Finishing a book [ https://substack.com/redirect/a9d3d104-4019-4b01-b8e6-ba6c78c00b27?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]I’ve been trying to write for 10 years. Thanks for reading. This is the twelfth year in a row [ https://substack.com/redirect/5a46ddbf-ecd6-4caf-8f40-566cb06837f7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] I’ve made one of these lists. I’ve heard from many of you that you’ve started making your own, which makes me very happy. If you feel like it, tell me the best thing about your 2025 in the comments: Hope your 2026 is off to a good start. I’ll be back to the normal list of 10 next Friday. xoxo [ https://substack.com/redirect/3f2a3a5d-176a-4da1-a8d9-2e34ecf8d36e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRNekUzTmpRMU5pd2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTNNelU1TlRRNUxDSmxlSEFpT2pFM09UZzRPVFUxTkRrc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAuMGFyYUFLVGJEX3VySjhFLW1PRUk2LUVzX2l3SV82aWlfTWFlTW1BWmVjQSIsInAiOjE4MzE3NjQ1NiwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2NzM1OTU0OSwiZXhwIjoyMDgyOTM1NTQ5LCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ._Ff4s5_pFag6gmASdS5_Z2mMNIQ8W1pYX3oKqF_lat8?

View this post on the web at https://austinkleon.substack.com/p/holiday-whac-a-mole Hey y’all [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-188051151? ], First, a fun heads up: I’m having a live chat with filmmaker Penny Lane [ https://substack.com/redirect/b54c1d06-4a42-4656-b1c1-2bae069da1ba?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] this Monday, Dec. 22 at 1PM central. We’re going to talk about her movies and how she gets them made. Join us!! [ https://open.substack.com/live-stream/90451 ] Today is the penultimate Friday of 2025. Not sure if my gift guide [ https://substack.com/redirect/cb7200a0-72b9-4817-993d-09bd6bee9885?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] will be any help to you at this point, but it’s there if you need it. Paid subscriptions to this newsletter are still 20% off! Print off a zine [ https://substack.com/redirect/c7444e31-4aa8-4145-9fbf-8abd24a4bbc0?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], click the button below, and cross that last creative weirdo (it might be you!) off your list: Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: “If you’re reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong…” That’s the beginning of Stardew Valley [ https://substack.com/redirect/c532dfa6-1b1a-4bda-b702-37aa709ad857?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], a cozy 2017 farming video game that I’ve become completely addicted to. It really feels like art to me — probably because it was, unbelievably, made by a single person [ https://substack.com/redirect/2c68b80b-5359-45a7-a387-c5ffa3ffca23?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (And played by over 41 million people! [ https://substack.com/redirect/805d21c0-b05c-461b-89d1-e35d563a902e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]) “One afternoon I called Parker over to show her how much you can make on a good haul of melons and corn. ‘See?’ I said. ‘Look at that. That’s one day’s work.’ And she scoffed. ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘but who loves you?’” I loved this essay by Jason Sheehan about playing [ https://substack.com/redirect/47531d5b-a898-4905-8aef-20fe69c35f32?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Stardew Valley [ https://substack.com/redirect/47531d5b-a898-4905-8aef-20fe69c35f32?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] with his daughter [ https://substack.com/redirect/47531d5b-a898-4905-8aef-20fe69c35f32?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (Sheehan wrote more essays on video games for NPR’s [ https://substack.com/redirect/84d58436-f576-4798-9541-f04d95bde932?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]Reading The Game [ https://substack.com/redirect/84d58436-f576-4798-9541-f04d95bde932?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] series [ https://substack.com/redirect/84d58436-f576-4798-9541-f04d95bde932?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].) In case you were wondering: Yes, I’m still reading Sherlock Holmes stories [ https://substack.com/redirect/171a8a45-b45c-4d02-9579-df15cc1622b7?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and I plan to keep going until I run out. (To quote the WRB [ https://substack.com/redirect/433e3f29-00f9-4331-ac21-ec39c4c447d2?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]: “If you’re happy, [sad Christmas music] brings out the cheer by comparison, and if you’re sad, it lets you embrace it. There’s a similar dynamic to the Christmas crime novel. If you’re enjoying your family and friends, it reinforces that; if you’re not, it allows you to share in murderous rage.”) “We talk about ’having’ an idea—but maybe what we really want is for the idea to have us?” Mason Currey on the usefulness of believing that ideas are “out there.” [ https://substack.com/redirect/265269fb-0345-4b84-a0be-1084fc834a25?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (See also: my post, “It’s not inside you trying to get out, it’s outside you trying to get in [ https://substack.com/redirect/e655ad0e-298c-41e2-a029-545d16c991fe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ].”) “I always find out what I really wanted to say once the break starts as I learn what it feels like to be a thinker and not just a harried, hunted animal.” I double-checked with Alan to make sure he gave this student [ https://substack.com/redirect/c478ba0c-a242-4ba9-8c67-23b075970b38?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] an A. For a special kind of nerd: Meg and I enjoyed The New Yorker at 100 [ https://substack.com/redirect/25bf8bbd-2148-4165-8463-49402624cc04?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] documentary on Netflix [ https://substack.com/redirect/4be5dbf0-3492-4261-b2d1-2220133dc68a?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. My friend Brian Braiker just made his first appearance in the magazine’s “Shouts & Murmurs” section with “So You Want To Come To My New Vinyl-Listening Bar. [ https://substack.com/redirect/8e208afa-e2a0-4d3d-972b-4300b9cf66a8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]” I also liked the recent cartoons issue, especially the “Takes [ https://substack.com/redirect/f42b9ad0-9e04-4419-a047-c26efa7e7931?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ],” which featured Roz Chast on Gahan Wilson [ https://substack.com/redirect/cbe472c0-a06e-4935-8126-3d79669ae8eb?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], Emma Allen on Otto Soglow [ https://substack.com/redirect/2ad7323b-31f8-415e-bb36-2c512d72d8db?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and Liana Finck on William Steig [ https://substack.com/redirect/7efd8fe4-d239-497f-8f02-f39c70ae8372?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (You read Liana’s wonderful typewriter interview [ https://substack.com/redirect/953312d0-44a3-4544-8743-617f2c72a34f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], right?) If you need more good laughs — and who doesn’t? — I recommend The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards [ https://substack.com/redirect/56ec74e7-7e1a-4c80-ac91-56ee3b462811?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] (especially this photo [ https://substack.com/redirect/5886f0fe-1e7c-4228-9303-114c861baeec?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]), a Little Free Library [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-188309448? ] I saw on my morning walk, and Tom Hardy and his dad, telling dad jokes [ https://substack.com/redirect/f4b859c7-681c-4214-9cc7-5c3d6a7478fe?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (I believe the proper Christmas vibe is the comedy of survival [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-188447463? ].) RIP Rob Reiner [ https://substack.com/redirect/d781d16c-78ba-40eb-8899-3e9b3a904020?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and Michele Singer Reiner [ https://substack.com/redirect/f9ba54a0-a4b2-4fb9-9778-26d7d552f8a8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. Rob Reiner made at least three of my favorite movies, and all of them would make for excellent holiday viewing: This Is Spinal Tap [ https://substack.com/redirect/740ec0f4-2e19-466a-a1c1-ed97dac6de58?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], The Princess Bride [ https://substack.com/redirect/0130dbeb-5bbf-44df-9cc6-0b986dcc680e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ], and When Harry Met Sally… [ https://substack.com/redirect/54916ffc-5089-4e2d-86db-7da3e788119f?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] Christmas Adventurers! My favorite movie of the year — Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another [ https://substack.com/redirect/0cbe5f33-fb13-4fe3-abf7-012514b12ee8?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] — starts streaming on HBO Max tonight [ https://substack.com/redirect/5631a1fc-f9e0-43d4-a853-643552c6bba4?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. (“Courage, Bob!”) I made a Christmas mixtape [ https://substack.com/redirect/9abfec93-8883-42ce-9d40-e38f0a6c336e?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] for you full of music, books, and movies I like. Thanks of reading. Have a safe and happy holiday. Remember our friend Beth Pickens’ advice [ https://substack.com/redirect/38a46bd8-1cd4-41a8-8489-35d57b5a3986?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] that artists are people who suffer when they don’t make art! If you fit that description, be sure to carve out some time and space for your holiday practice [ https://substack.com/redirect/7ac0d1c8-7c1b-4eac-b0f4-512b9c91be86?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. If you need something to stick around for, next Friday is my year-end wrap-up [ https://substack.com/redirect/03dc8521-a2cb-4dc9-81e3-dae869426c14?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] and the first Friday of 2026 will be my annual list of 100 things that made my year [ https://substack.com/redirect/ad2dcd7c-754a-42ba-a70e-697fcead6214?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ]. This hand-rolled publication is made possible thanks to the kind support of readers like you. To support my work and keep Friday free for everybody, take advantage of the 20% off sale and become a paid subscriber [ https://substack.com/redirect/77a154a6-dc69-47cb-9658-6050e109768c?j=eyJ1IjoiNzF4cDQwIn0.VLQsNiiAawz-DS2VtWTrcrG2IFeLIxnWNFcK9akSjpY ] today! xoxo [ https://substack.com/@austinkleon/note/c-189046246? ], Austin Unsubscribe https://substack.com/redirect/2/eyJlIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hdXN0aW5rbGVvbi5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20vYWN0aW9uL2Rpc2FibGVfZW1haWw_dG9rZW49ZXlKMWMyVnlYMmxrSWpvME1qWTFNVFV3TkRBc0luQnZjM1JmYVdRaU9qRTRNakF4TXpBek1Td2lhV0YwSWpveE56WTJNVFE1TnpjekxDSmxlSEFpT2pFM09UYzJPRFUzTnpNc0ltbHpjeUk2SW5CMVlpMHpNRFExTkRNaUxDSnpkV0lpT2lKa2FYTmhZbXhsWDJWdFlXbHNJbjAub0J5YTFxWkhVa1FUT1FxTDlRQ2pDNklJRjdnMGVCV2tCTkhIUlpQLXhHVSIsInAiOjE4MjAxMzAzMSwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJ1Ijo0MjY1MTUwNDAsImlhdCI6MTc2NjE0OTc3MywiZXhwIjoyMDgxNzI1NzczLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImxpbmstcmVkaXJlY3QifQ.lViXSO8Otmd2_tmk7DYaNa4guo5QKNhkCIe66ox1UgI?

[https://eotrx.substackcdn.com/open?token=eyJtIjoiPDIwMjUxMjE4MDM1OTExLjMuMjA0OTdhYTZhZWRiNmVjZC50M2NjZmVhZ0BtZy1kMC5zdWJzdGFjay5jb20-IiwidSI6NDI2NTE1MDQwLCJyIjoiYkBlbWFpbC5nb21vZHVsci5jb20iLCJkIjoibWctZDAuc3Vic3RhY2suY29tIiwicCI6bnVsbCwidCI6bnVsbCwiYSI6bnVsbCwicyI6MzA0NTQzLCJjIjoidW5maW5pc2hlZC1zdWJzY3JpcHRpb24iLCJmIjp0cnVlLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InRvcCIsImlhdCI6MTc2NjAzMDM1MSwiZXhwIjoxNzY4NjIyMzUxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMCIsInN1YiI6ImVvIn0.I6b72HgLIbS8wgGU5tS9b6YGlSFPfojQtxoC2UGKtf4] Thanks for signing up! ͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­͏     ­ Austin Kleon [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qc3Z!,w_80,h_80,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcb017f5d-b405-48db-83f7-b8cced42d460_200x200.png] [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-1P!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8d8fd491-54ac-42b4-b899-467d6ed6f7fb_800x800.jpeg]https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx0kk2unDAQhE9jdkb-xyxYjJ7EOjdAbbthnAFMsP2Sl9NHMIqUTXYldbvqU7k9FFzS-TXUfY57zE8MNFeX_RmPEtPehMFImHVocOCdMUwyqXmDG8R1WnDHEwqGCco_087o5jn0ynDNApfOCAsKe-yl6awFMyvTcdXEQTChueCWSd1z3spWMNV3AAYwOIM-tEV6PyMsRLFtoYG1F1sB_2p92pqYp_nEm2UoZ8VmHZ6lHJnIBxEjEePfbR_26wERY9xgQSLGGYt_3ksqT0TwTPk3IjgRH_MEtSQiPn68hXwsKYVrsE7HmZYTc46fSOQjF8SDiPGdKfSVqi9LLUZX_QsL4kmRaee8VdQBSKpkh7TX3FIITgqHXddb1WbZwga_0w4_85tUi_Gobo3-ljd2vqUNdg6q51Qr8FQJp6izfU-V6YLBYOZudpNl7JdlrP1-4NIc1U0-bVvdY_macAe3YngX9o6A66enGAbJlFayOQdHFLt7bZe0pVDX8y48VxfSBnEfoOYS99eKaW_Kf4-nZjwvXyWM5pop1nwO4k8AAAD__yr2yQQ Thanks for signing up! You will start receiving the free Friday email right here in your inbox. You can also read the archives [https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx0kLuuqzAURL8Gd0HbT0Lh4jb5DeTHBqxgG_kRKX9_RU6TU5x6NDNLy5mGWy5v3dMaUqg7-lvttroSzhZyIl4rblbpCWo6KQUcuKQEownHsmHCYhr6xbSvdFKS7BokzszfJzVP3jKg67xOQCfhwPLZqZkEzYBJyugduJwpHfnIQMyTMcqgtwqdHxt3bkWzDQLidvMwXmzNuOfociShLmvBD4tupSM59N7aWQf-b2CPgT1Mry2k54E5_WpeUXF7eCE5u11cjrGn0N4LJmMP9D9rZ7dHcObSsASvOQgpOCnaDgI-p-OWY_b9KB-a2q3P0YSkv25J-9Nsr1iuXcGUpBIEkJdm_wMAAP__oieGEA]. If you’re new to my work, I encourage you to check out my blog [https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx0kDuu4zAMAE9jdc-gvk4KFdvkGgYl0Y4QSzL0WSC3XzjbpHk1MZwhPXbaS33bkbeYY3tS-GnDNV_j2WPJLFgjcdOBkeWLMSBBas4oYTzWnTJV7BRW7F_TxWj2tD6AEYaW-w3IOOE9GlCcNs6JI5obi1aA0FzwG0h953yWswB1XxANUnCGfJi79H4j3CcFaf8JMF9tHf1r9iWx2Nat0qfF9jqIHfbZ-9km-WcSj0k8cLQe8-ugki9gEg92Drf6ktLIsb9XyugOCv_pc7gjerzOXmOwEpRWklXrJgUfybyXVMI46sfehgslYcz2S8P6r58cjeq1VwmjuQYF7K8V_wIAAP__w9iARA] and my books [https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx0kLuupDAMQL-GdBflzVCk2IbfQE5smGggQXmsNH-_YraZ5taWzzl2gEZ7Lm_X0xZTrE_Cn9p9DSVeLebE0FkFm0FGTkzWcsWVEYxOiMe6U6ICjXCF9jWdrGFPJ4A0AN8CzlxKPfGHlXbbNKEPj1kii05yaYQUD67MLMSoRsn1PAFYIPSWAo5NhbAR7IPm5_6DfLzbGoTXGPLJYl23Qp8W10ondrhna1cd1J9BLoNcoNcW0-ugnO6FQS4-51cd5MKu7teQz7On2N4rJfAH4X_K1f0RA9znrxGd4tpoxYrzg-Yf2bjnM2M_yqeido_5hJjcl461Xz_aK5Wbq6U1wnDN2V8n_wUAAP__-L6DNg]. (I also spend too much time on Twitter [https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx00D1uwzAMBeDTWFsM_SceNHTJNQxKoh0htmRIVIvcvnC6ZOlM4uPjC0C4lvpyPS8pp_bAeGndt1DTQalkFp1VsJjI0ImrtVxxZQTDHdI2r5ixAmGcgT6mV2vYw8UbD5OfvA6R3xaBKAWC9WiMV8EGZMlJLo2Q4saVmYQY1Si5nq4AFjB6iyGOpEJYENZB8329RD6e2QjCcwxlZ6nNS8V3Fke1I9vcg-hog_oa5H2Qd_pJRFjP5UHeoTdK-blhyezofg5l33tO9Joxg98w_iFH91sKcH4_p-gU10YrVp0fNH_fGteyl9i3t8ta97HskLL79OnfQnvDerpaWiMM15x9O_kbAAD__3uLhCA] and Instagram [https://email.mg-d0.substack.com/c/eJx0kLuuqzAQRb8Gd0HjJ6RwcZv8BhrsgVjBNvLjSvn7I3KaNKee0dprb4eN9lzetqctpFCf5G-1r9WVcLaQE_PWSNy0Z2T5ZAxIkJozihiOZadEBRv5BdvXdTKaPS1sRnIuZ6Vhno1x8x0mTk57pWeuZs6CFSA0F3wGqe-cj3IUoO4TokHyqyHnxyad2wj3QUHcbx7Gy62he40uRxbqshX6uNhWOrHDPls76yD_DeIxiEdIteFeMF7vg3hgry2k10E5sbOvi8sx9hTae6GE60H-F3P29QgOr_5L8FaC0kqyYtdBwSdt3HPMvh_lo1H76nPEkOw3v_05aa9ULq4SRnMNCth_K34CAAD__wlEgqE].) xoxo, Austin PS. 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