Welcome back to ajcreads! I’ve been gone for a while because I can’t seem to finish any book that I start.

However, I recently finished Austin Kleon’s Keep Going and I have good things to say. I’ve been a fan of Austin Kleon since when I read his first book, Steal Like an Artist, shortly after I graduated high school in 2013. I remember being enthralled by his message that we have to stay creative even when we’re feeling uninspired and like nothing we make is original. (Side note: there’s no such thing as an original work these days. Every thing has been done, just do your best version of it!)

Keep Going did not disappoint. While so many terrible things are happening in the world right now, it’s crazy important for us to keep going as creatives. I know a lot of you might be doing Camp NanoWriMo next month, and maybe you should give this a read before you set off on your next challenge.

It’s a brief read, and there are illustrations throughout the book. Winter is a challenging time for me, so I needed the pick me up of something inspiring. Kleon touches on how we can stay creative by doing things like staying off of social media and maybe turning your phone on airplane mode, developing and maintaining a practice practice of your craft, and even having a special spot to do what you do.

This is a great read for creatives that are crawling out of the Winter Sad and need a pick me up to start doing what we as artists need to do most: make things.

You can buy Keep Going here. Or, you can use this unseasonably warm weather (72 degrees in Februrary here in Kansas) as an opportunity to go to the library and pick up a copy.

I want to hear your thoughts on how you stay inspired and motivated to keep going in those down periods. Like, comment, subscribe, and let’s start a conversation!

Till next time!

Alicia