FORMEGHAN+OWEN+JULES(THEREASONSIKEEPGOING)

CONTENTSIWROTETHISBOOKBECAUSEINEEDEDTOREADIT

1EVERYDAYISGROUNDHOGDAY

2BUILDABLISSSTATION

3FORGETTHENOUN,DOTHEVERB

4MAKEGIFTS

5THEORDINARY+EXTRAATTENTION=THEEXTRAORDINARY

6SLAYTHEARTMONSTERS

7YOUAREALLOWEDTOCHANGEYOURMIND

8WHENINDOUBT,TIDYUP.

9DEMONSHATEFRESHAIR

10PLANTYOURGARDEN

“IthinkIneedtokeepbeingcreative,nottoproveanythingbutbecauseitmakesmehappyjusttodoit...Ithinktryingtobecreative,keepingbusy,hasalottodowithkeepingyoualive.”

—WillieNelson

IWROTETHISBOOKBECAUSEINEEDEDTOREADIT

Afewyearsago,I’dwakeupeverymorning,checktheheadlinesonmyphone,and feel as if theworldhadgottendumberandmeanerovernight.Meanwhile,I’dbeenwritingandmakingartformorethanadecade,anditdidn’tseemtobegettinganyeasier.Isn’titsupposedtogeteasier?

EverythinggotbetterformewhenImadepeacewiththefactthatitmightnotevergeteasier.Theworldiscrazy.Creativeworkishard.Lifeisshortandartislong.

Whetheryou’reburnedout,startingout,startingover,orwildlysuccessful,thequestionisalwaysthesame:Howtokeepgoing?

This book is a list of ten things that have helpedme. Iwrote it primarily forwriters and artists, but I think the principles apply to anyone trying sustain ameaningful and productive creative life, including entrepreneurs, teachers,students, retirees, andactivists.Manyof thepoints are things I’ve stolen fromothers.Ihopeyou’llfindsomethingsworthstealing,too.

There are no rules, of course.Life is an art, not a science.Yourmileagemayvary.Takewhatyouneedandleavetherest.

Keepgoingandtakecareofyourself.

I’lldothesame.

“Noneofusknowwhatwillhappen.Don’tspendtimeworryingaboutit.Makethemostbeautifulthingyoucan.Trytodothat

everyday.That’sit.”

—LaurieAnderson

Wheneversomeonestartstalkingabout“thecreativejourney,”Irollmyeyes.

Itsoundstooloftytome.Tooheroic.

TheonlycreativejourneyIseemtogoonistheten-footcommutefromthebackdoorofmyhousetothestudioinmygarage.IsitdownatmydeskandstareatablankpieceofpaperandIthink,“Didn’tIjustdothisyesterday?”

When I’m working on my art, I don’t feel like Odysseus. I feel more likeSisyphus rolling his boulder up the hill.When I’mworking, I don’t feel likeLukeSkywalker.IfeelmorelikePhilConnorsinthemovieGroundhogDay.

For those of you who haven’t seen it or need your memory refreshed,Groundhog Day is a 1993 comedy starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, aweatherman who gets stuck in a time loop and wakes up every morning onFebruary 2nd—Groundhog Day—in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, home ofPunxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog who, depending on if he sees hisshadowornot,predictswhethertherewillbesixmoreweeksofwinter.Phil,theweatherman,hatesPunxsutawney,andthetownbecomesakindofpurgatoryfor

him.Hetrieseverythinghecanthinkof,buthecan’tmakeitoutoftown,andhecan’tgettoFebruary3rd.Winter,forPhil, isendless.Nomatterwhathedoes,hestillwakesupinthesamebedeverymorningtofacethesameday.

Inamomentofdespair,Philturnstoacoupledrunksatabowlingalleybarandasksthem,“Whatwouldyoudoifyouwerestuckinoneplace,andeverydaywasexactlythesame,andnothingthatyoudidmattered?”

It’sthequestionPhilhastoanswertoadvancetheplotofthemovie,butit’salsothequestionwehavetoanswertoadvancetheplotofourlives.

Ithinkhowyouanswerthisquestionisyourart.

Now,I’mnotthefirstpersontosuggestthatGroundhogDayisperhapsthegreatparableofourtime.HaroldRamis,themovie’sdirectorandcowriter,saidhegotendlesslettersfrompriests,rabbis,andmonks,allpraisingthemovie’sspiritualmessage and claiming it for their own religion. But I think the movie hasparticularrelevanceforpeoplewhowanttodocreativework.

The reason is this: The creative life isnot linear. It’s not a straight line frompointAtopointB.It’smorelikealoop,oraspiral,inwhichyoukeepcomingbacktoanewstartingpointaftereveryproject.Nomatterhowsuccessfulyouget, no matter what level of achievement you reach, you will never really“arrive.”Other thandeath, there isno finish lineor retirement for thecreative

person. “Even after you have achieved greatness,” writes musician IanSvenonius,“theinfinitesimalcadrewhoevennoticedwillask,‘Whatnext?’”

The truly prolific artists I know always have that question answered, becausethey have figured out a daily practice—a repeatable way of working thatinsulates them fromsuccess, failure, and the chaosof theoutsideworld.Theyhave all identifiedwhat theywant to spend their time on, and theywork at itevery day, no matter what. Whether their latest thing is universally rejected,ignored,oracclaimed,theyknowthey’llstillgetuptomorrowanddotheirwork.

Wehavesolittlecontroloverourlives.Theonlythingwecanreallycontroliswhatwespendourdayson.Whatweworkonandhowhardweworkonit.Itmightseemlikeastretch,butIreallythinkthebestthingyoucandoifyouwanttomakeartistopretendyou’restarringinyourownremakeofGroundhogDay:Yesterday’s over, tomorrowmaynever come, there’s just today andwhat youcandowithit.

“Anymancan fight thebattlesof justoneday,”beginsapassagecollected inRichmondWalker’sbookofmeditationsforrecoveringalcoholics,Twenty-FourHours aDay. “It is onlywhen you and I add the burden of those two awfuleternities,yesterdayandtomorrow,thatwebreakdown.Itisnottheexperienceof today that drivesmenmad. It is remorseor bitterness for somethingwhichhappenedyesterdayorthedreadofwhattomorrowmaybring.Letusthereforedoourbesttolivebutonedayatatime.”

The creative journey is not one inwhich you’re crowned the triumphant heroandlivehappilyeverafter.Therealcreativejourneyisoneinwhichyouwakeupeveryday,likePhil,withmoreworktodo.

“Howwespendourdaysis,ofcourse,howwespendourlives.”

—AnnieDillard

“Relyingoncraftandroutineisalotlesssexythanbeinganartisticgenius.Butitisanexcellentstrategyfornotgoing

insane.”

—ChristophNiemann

Therewill begooddays andbaddays.Dayswhenyou feel inspiredanddayswhenyouwant towalkoff a bridge. (And somedayswhenyou can’t tell thedifference.)

Adailyroutinewillgetyouthroughthedayandhelpyoumakethemostofit.“Ascheduledefendsfromchaosandwhim,”writesAnnieDillard.“Itisanetforcatchingdays.”Whenyoudon’tknowwhattodonext,yourroutinetellsyou.

Whenyoudon’thavemuch time,a routinehelpsyoumake the little timeyouhavecount.Whenyouhaveallthetimeintheworld,aroutinehelpsyoumakesureyoudon’twasteit.I’vewrittenwhileholdingdownadayjob,writtenfull-time from home, and written while caring for small children. The secret towritingunderallthoseconditionswashavingascheduleandstickingtoit.

In his book Daily Rituals, Mason Currey catalogs the daily routines of 161creativeindividuals:whentheywokeup,whentheyworked,whattheyate,whatthey drank, how they procrastinated, and more. It’s a wild collage of humanbehavior.Readingaboutthehabitsofwritersaloneislikevisitingahumanzoo.Kafkascribbledintothenightwhilehisfamilyslept.Plathwroteinthemorningbeforeherchildrenwokeup.Balzacsluggedfiftycupsofcoffeeaday.Goethesniffedrottenapples.Steinbeckhadtosharpentwelvepencilsbeforestartinghiswork.

It’sundeniablyfuntoreadabouttheroutinesandritualsofcreativepeople,butwhatbecomesclearafterawhileisthatthereisnoperfect,universalroutinefor

creative work. “One’s daily routine is a highly idiosyncratic collection ofcompromises,neuroses,andsuperstitions,”Curreywrites,“builtupthroughtrialanderrorandsubjecttoavarietyofexternalconditions.”Youcan’tjustborrowyourfavoriteartist’sdailyroutineandexpectittoworkforyou.Everyone’sdayis fullofdifferentobligations—jobs, families, social lives—andeverycreativepersonhasadifferenttemperament.

Toestablishyourownroutine,youhavetospendsometimeobservingyourdaysandyourmoods.Whereare the freespaces inyourschedule?Whatcouldyoucutoutofyourdaytomaketime?Areyouanearlyriseroranightowl?(I’vemetveryfewpeoplewholoveworkingintheafternoon.“Idetestthismongreltime,neitherdaynornight,”wroteCharlesDickens.)Are there silly ritualsorsuperstitions thatgetyou ina creativemood? (I’mwriting thesewordswithapencil,paintedtolooklikeacigarette,danglingfrommylips.)

Isupposeforsomepeopleastrictroutinesoundslikeprison.Butaren’tweall,inasense,“doingtime?”WhenrapperLilWaynewasinprison,Ifoundmyselfenvying his daily routine, which consisted of waking up at 11 a.m., drinkingcoffee,makingphonecalls,showering,readingfanmail,havinglunch,makingphone calls, reading, writing, having dinner, doing push-ups, listening to theradio,reading,andsleeping.“Man,I’llbetIcouldgetalotofwritingdoneifIwenttoprison,”Ijokedtomywife.(WhenIvisitedAlcatraz,Ithoughtitwouldmaketheperfectwriter’scolony.Whataview!)

A little imprisonment—if it’s of your ownmaking—can set you free. Ratherthan restricting your freedom, a routine gives you freedom by protecting you

fromtheupsanddownsoflifeandhelpingyoutakeadvantageofyourlimitedtime,energy,andtalent.Aroutineestablishesgoodhabitsthatcanleadtoyourbestwork.

Bestofall,Ithink,isthatwhenyourdaysprettymuchhavethesameshape,thedaysthatdon’thavethatshapebecomeevenmoreinteresting.There’snothinglike a good prison break, and playing hooky isn’t as fun if you never go toschool.

What your daily routine consists of is not that important.What’s important isthattheroutineexists.Cobbletogetheryourownroutine,sticktoitmostdays,breakfromitonceinawhileforfun,andmodifyitasnecessary.

“Myhangoversarescheduledayearinadvance.”

—JohnWaters

“Imakeliststokeepmyanxietyleveldown.IfIwritedownfifteenthingstobedone,Ilosethatvague,naggingsensethatthereareanoverwhelmingnumberofthingstobedone,allof

whichareonthebrinkofbeingforgotten.”

—MaryRoach

Listsbringordertothechaoticuniverse.Ilovemakinglists.WheneverIneedtofigureoutmylife,Imakealist.Alistgetsallyourideasoutofyourheadandclearsthementalspacesoyou’reactuallyabletodosomethingaboutthem.

WhenI’moverwhelmed,Ifallbackontheold-fashionedto-dolist.Imakeabiglistofeverythingthatneedstogetdone,Ipickthemostpressingthingtodo,andIdoit.ThenIcrossitoffthelistandpickanotherthingtodo.Repeat.

Someofmy favorite artistsmake “to-draw” lists.DavidShrigleywillmake ahuge list of fifty things to draw aweek in advance.Having the listmeans hedoesn’t have towaste studio timeworrying aboutwhat tomake. “The simplething I’ve learnedover the years is just to have a starting point and once youhaveastartingpointtheworkseemstomakeitself,”hesays.

LeonardodaVincimade“to-learn”lists.He’dgetupinthemorningandwritedowneverythinghewantedtolearnthatday.

Whenthere’ssomethingIwanttodointhefuturebutdon’thavetimeforrightnow,IaddittowhatproductivityexpertDavidAllencallsa“Someday/Maybe”list. Writer Steven Johnson does this in a single document he calls a “sparkfile”—everytimehehasanidea,headdsit to thefile,andthenherevisits thelisteverycoupleofmonths.

Sometimes it’s important tomakea listofwhatyouwon’tdo.ThepunkbandWirecouldneveragreeonwhattheyallliked,buttheycouldagreeonwhattheydidn’t like.So, in1977, theysatdownandmadea listof rules:“Nosolos;no

decoration;when thewords runout, it stops;wedon’t chorusout; no rockingout;keepittothepoint;noAmericanisms.”Thelistdefinedtheirsound.

When I need to make a decision, there’s the pros-and-cons list. In 1772,BenjaminFranklinexplainedittohispalJosephPriestly:“Divideahalfasheetofpaperbyalineintotwocolumns,writingovertheonePro,andovertheotherCon.”WhenCharlesDarwinwastryingtofigureoutwhethertogetmarried?Hemadeapros-and-conslist.

When I’m stuck in themorning and I don’t knowwhat towrite about inmydiary,I’llmodifythepros-and-conslist.I’lldrawalinedownthemiddleofthepage,andinonecolumnI’lllistwhatI’mthankfulfor,andintheothercolumn,I’llwritedownwhatIneedhelpwith.It’sapaperprayer.

“Alistisacollectionwithpurpose,”writesdesignerAdamSavage.IliketolookbackattheendofeachyearandseewhereI’vebeen,soI’llmakea“Top100”listoffavoritetrips,lifeevents,books,records,movies,etc.IstolethispracticefromcartoonistJohnPorcellino,whopublishesa“Top40”–stylelistinhiszine,King-Cat. (He, too, is a big list-maker; he’ll keep long lists of stories anddrawingideasforthezinebeforeheactuallysitsdowntodrawthem.)Eachlistislikeanorganizeddiaryoftheyear.Itcomfortsmetolookoverpreviousyears,toseewhat’schangedandwhathasn’t.

WhenIneedtokeepmyselfspirituallyontrack,I’llmakeaversionofmyownTenCommandments.A list of “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots.”Come tothinkofit,thisbookisoneofthem.

“Yourlistisyourpastandyourfuture.Carryatalltimes.Prioritize:today,thisweek,andeventually.Youwillsomedaydiewithitemsstillonyourlist,butfornow,whileyoulive,yourlisthelpsprioritizewhatcanbedoneinyourlimitedtime.”

—TomSachs

“Finisheverydayandbedonewithit.Youhavedonewhatyoucould;someblundersandabsurditiesnodoubtcreptin;forgetthemassoonasyoucan.Tomorrowisanewday;youshallbeginitwellandserenely,andwithtoohighaspirittobe

cumberedwithyouroldnonsense.”

—RalphWaldoEmerson

Noteverydayisgoingtoturnoutthewaywewantitto.Allroutinesandto-dolists are aspirational. “You go diving for pearls,” said Jerry Garcia, “butsometimesyouendupwithclams.”

The important thing is to make it to the end of the day, nomatter what. Nomatter howbad it gets, see it through to the end soyou canget to tomorrow.Afterspendingthedaywithhisfive-year-oldson,NathanielHawthornewroteinhisdiary,“Wegotridofthedayaswellaswecould.”Somedaysyoujusthavetogetridofasbestasyoucan.

Whenthesungoesdownandyoulookbackontheday,goeasyonyourself.Alittle self-forgiveness goes a long way. Before you go to bed, make a list ofanythingyoudidaccomplish,andwritedownalistofwhatyouwanttogetdonetomorrow. Then forget about it. Hit the pillow with a clear mind. Let yoursubconsciousworkonstuffwhileyou’resleeping.

A day that seems likewaste nowmight turn out to have a purpose or use orbeautytoitlateron.Whenthevideo-gameartistPeterChanwasyoung,helovedtodraw,buthewouldcrumpleuphis“bad”drawingsinfitsoffrustration.Hisfatherconvincedhimthatifhelaidthe“bad”drawingsflatinsteadofcrumplingthem up, he could fitmore of them in thewastebasket. After his father died,Chanfoundafolderlabeled“Peter”inhisfather’spossessions.Whenhelookedinside, itwasfullofhisold,discardeddrawings.His fatherhadsnuck intohisroom and plucked the drawings he thought were worth saving from thewastebasket.

Everydayislikeablankpage:Whenyou’refinishedfillingit,youcansaveit,you can crumple it up, or you can slide it into the recyclingbin and let it be.Onlytimewilltellyouwhatitwasworth.

“Everydayisanewdeal.Keepworkin’andmaybesump’n’llturnup.”

—HarveyPekar

“It’shardtofindanythingtosayaboutlifewithoutimmersingyourselfintheworld,butit’salsojustaboutimpossibletofigureoutwhatitmightbe,orhowtobestsayit,without

gettingthehelloutofitagain.”

—TimKreider

Creativityisaboutconnection—youmustbeconnectedtoothersinordertobeinspiredandshareyourownwork—butitisalsoaboutdisconnection.Youmustretreat from theworld long enough to think, practiceyour art, andbring forthsomething worth sharing with others. Youmust play a little hide-and-seek inordertoproducesomethingworthbeingfound.

Silence and solitude are crucial.Ourmodernworldofpushnotifications, 24/7newscycles,andconstantcontactisalmostcompletelyinhospitabletothekindofretreatartistsmustmakeinordertofocusdeeplyontheirwork.

In The Power ofMyth, Joseph Campbell said everyone should build a “blissstation”:Youmusthavearoom,oracertainhourorsoaday,whereyoudon’tknow what was in the newspapers that morning, you don’t know who yourfriends are, you don’t know what you owe anybody, you don’t know whatanybodyowestoyou.Thisisaplacewhereyoucansimplyexperienceandbringforth what you are and what you might be. This is the place of creativeincubation.Atfirstyoumayfindthatnothinghappensthere.Butifyouhavea

sacredplaceanduseit,somethingeventuallywillhappen.

NotethatCampbellsaysyoumusthavearoomoracertainhour.Ablissstationcan be not just awhere, but also awhen.Not just a sacred space, but also asacredtime.

Thedeluxepackagewouldincludebothaspecialroomandaspecialhour thatyouenterit.ButI thinkonecanmakeupforalackoftheother.Forexample,sayyouhavea tinyapartmentyousharewithsmallchildren.There’snoroomforyourblissstation,there’sonlytime.Whenthekidsareasleeporatschoolordaycare,evenakitchentablecanbecomeablissstation.Or,sayyourscheduleis totally unpredictable and a certain time of day can’t be relied upon—that’swhenadedicatedspacethat’sreadyforyouatanytimewillcomeinhandy.

What’sclearisthatit’shealthiestifwemakeadailyappointmenttodisconnectfromtheworldso thatwecanconnectwithourselves.Kids, jobs,sleep,andathousandother thingswillget in theway,butwehave to findourownsacredspace,ourownsacredtime.

“Whereisyourblissstation?”Campbellasked.“Youhavetotrytofindit.”

“Thegreatestneedofourtimeistocleanouttheenormousmassofmentalandemotionalrubbishthatcluttersourmindsandmakesofallpoliticalandsociallifeamassillness.Withoutthishousecleaning,wecannotbegintosee.Unlesswesee,we

thishousecleaning,wecannotbegintosee.Unlesswesee,wecannotthink.”

—ThomasMerton

“Everybodygetssomuchinformationalldaylongthattheylosetheircommonsense.”

—GertrudeStein

A friend of mine said he didn’t know how long he could wake up to suchhorriblenewseveryday.Isuggestedheshouldn’twakeuptothenewsatall,andneithershouldanyoneelse.

There’salmostnothinginthenewsthatanyofusneedtoreadinthefirsthourofthe day.When you reach for your phone or your laptop uponwaking, you’reimmediatelyinvitinganxietyandchaosintoyourlife.You’realsobiddingadieutosomeofthemostpotentiallyfertilemomentsinthelifeofacreativeperson.

Manyartistshavediscoveredthattheyworkbestuponwaking,whentheirmindis fresh, and they’re still in a quasi-dream state. The director Francis FordCoppolasayshelikestoworkintheearlymorningbecause“noone’sgottenupyetorcalledmeorhurtmyfeelings.”TheeasiestwayIgetmyfeelingshurtisbyturningonmyphonefirstthinginthemorning.EvenontherareoccasionIdon’tgetmyfeelingshurt,mytimeisgoneandmybrainsarescattered.

Ofcourse, thenewshasawayofscatteringyourbrainregardlessofwhenyoucatchupon it. In1852,HenryDavidThoreaucomplained inhisdiary thathe

hadstartedreadingaweeklynewspaperandhefelt thatnowhewasn’tpayingenoughattentiontohisownlifeandwork.“Ittakesmorethanaday’sdevotiontoknowandtopossessthewealthofaday,”hewrote.“Toreadofthingsdistantandsoundingbetraysusintoslightingthesewhicharethenapparentlynearandsmall.” He decided his attention was too valuable, and gave up reading theweekly Tribune. Some 166 years after Thoreau complained about the weeklynewspaper,IfindthatreadingtheSundaypaperisahealthycompromise:prettymuchallthenewsIneedtobeaninformedcitizen.

Ifyou’reusingyourphonetowakeupandit’sruiningyourmornings,trythis:Before you go to bed, plug your phone into an outlet across the room, orsomewhereoutofarm’sreach.Whenyouwakeup,tryyourbestnottolookatit. There are somany betterways towake up:Head to your bliss station, eatbreakfast,stretch,dosomeexercises,takeawalk,run,listentoMozart,shower,readabook,playwithyourkids,orjustbesilentforabit.Evenifit’sforfifteenminutes,giveyourselfsometimeinthemorningtonotbecompletelyhorrifiedbythenews.

It’snotstickingyourheadinthesand.It’sretainingsomeofyourinnerbalanceandsanitysoyoucanbestronganddoyourwork.

Youcanbewokewithoutwakinguptothenews.

“Keepyoureyeonyourinnerworldandkeepawayfromadsandidiotsandmoviestars.”

—DorotheaTanning

“Thephonegivesusalotbutittakesawaythreekeyelementsofdiscovery:loneliness,uncertainty,andboredom.Those

havealwaysbeenwherecreativeideascomefrom.”

—LyndaBarry

In her ongoing project SeatAssignment, artist NinaKatchadourian uses long,disconnectedplaneridestomakeartusingonlyhercameraphone,thingsshe’spackedforhertrip,andmaterialsshediscoversontheairplane.She’lladdalittlesprinkledsalttoin-flightmagazinephotostocreatespookyimagesofspiritsandghosts.She’llfolduphersweaterintogorillafaces.She’lldressherselfintoiletpaperandseatcoversintheairplanebathroomandtakeselfiesthatrecreateoldFlemish-styleportraits.

While somany of us strugglewith smartphone addictions,Katchadourian hasfiguredouthowto turn thesmartphone intoamachineformakingart.Bestofall, nobody suspectswhat she’sup to. “Onceyoupull out a real camera,” shesays,“it screams, ‘I’mmakingart!’” Instead,people justassumeshe’sanotherbored travelerkilling time.SeatAssignmenthas takenplaceonmore than twohundred flights since 2010, and as of the time of this writing, Katchadouriansaysthatonlythreefellowpassengersovertheyearshaveaskedherwhatshe’s

upto.

EverytimeI’monanairplanenow,IthinkaboutalltheartIcouldbemaking.Mywritingteacherusedtojokethatthefirstruleofwritingisto“applyasstochair.” Because you’re forced to switch your electronic devices into airplanemodeandyou’reliterallybuckledintoachair,Ifindplanestobeaterrificplacetogetworkdone.

Butwhynotreplicatetheexperienceontheground?Youdon’tneedtobeonaplane to practice airplanemode: Pop in some cheap earplugs and switch yourphoneortablettoairplanemode,andyoucantransformanymundanecommuteorstretchofcaptivetimeintoanopportunitytoreconnectwithyourselfandyourwork.

Airplanemodeisnotjustasettingonyourphone:Itcanbeawholewayoflife.

“Almosteverythingwillworkagainifyouunplugitforafewminutes—includingyou.”

—AnneLamott

“Imustdecline,forsecretreasons.”

—E.B.White

Inordertoprotectyoursacredspaceandtime,youhavetolearnhowtodeclineallsortsofinvitationsfromtheworld.Youmustlearnhowtosay“no.”

WriterOliverSackswent so far as to tackupahuge“NO!”sign inhishousenext to thephone toremindhimtopreservehiswriting time.ThearchitectLeCorbusierspentmorningsinhisapartmentpaintingandafternoonsinhisofficepracticingarchitecture. “Paintingeverymorning iswhatallowsme tobe lucideveryafternoon,”hesaid.Hedideverythinghecouldtokeephistwoidentitiesseparate, even signing his paintings with his birth name, Charles-ÉdouardJeanneret. A journalist once knocked on his apartment door during paintinghoursandaskedtospeaktoLeCorbusier.LeCorbusierlookedhimrightintheeyeandsaid,“I’msorry,he’snotin.”

Sayingnoisitsownartform.ArtistJasperJohnsansweredinvitationswithabigcustom-made“Regrets” stamp.WriterRobertHeinlein, criticEdmundWilson,and the editors at Raw magazine all used form responses with checkboxes.Thesedays,mostofusreceiveinvitationsintheformofemail,soithelpsifyoucanhavea“nothanks”templatehandy.Inherpiece“HowtoGraciouslySayNo

to Anyone,” Alexandra Franzen suggests the following: Thank the sender forthinkingofyou,decline,and,ifyoucan,offeranotherformofsupport.

Social media has created a human phenomenon called FOMO: the Fear OfMissing Out. It’s the sense, scrolling through your feeds, that everybody outthereishavingamuchbettertimethanyouare.TheonlyantidoteisJOMO:theJoyOfMissingOut.AswriterAnilDashexplains,“Therecanbe,andshouldbe,ablissful,sereneenjoymentinknowing,andcelebrating,thattherearefolksouttherehavingthetimeoftheirlifeatsomethingthatyoumighthavelovedto,butaresimplyskipping.”

Saying“no”totheworldcanbereallyhard,butsometimesit’stheonlywaytosay“yes”toyourartandyoursanity.

“Ipaintwithmybacktotheworld.”

—AgnesMartin

“Youhavetohavedonesomethingbeforeyoucanbesaidtohavedonesomething.Thetitleofartistorarchitectormusician

needstosomehowbeearned.”

—DaveHickey

Lotsofpeoplewant tobe thenounwithoutdoing theverb.Theywant the jobtitlewithoutthework.

Letgoof the thingthatyou’re tryingtobe(thenoun),andfocusontheactualworkyouneedtobedoing(theverb).Doingtheverbwill takeyousomeplacefurtherandfarmoreinteresting.

Ifyoupickthewrongnountoaspireto,you’llbestuckwiththewrongverb,too.Whenpeopleusetheword“creative”asajobtitle,itnotonlyfalselydividestheworld into“creatives”and“non-creatives,”butalso implies that theworkofa“creative”is“beingcreative.”Butbeingcreativeisneveranend;itisameanstosomethingelse.Creativityisjustatool.Creativitycanbeusedtoorganizeyourlivingroom,paintamasterpiece,ordesignaweaponofmassdestruction.Ifyouonlyaspiretobea“creative,”youmightsimplyspendyourtimesignalingthatyou are one: wearing designer eyeglasses, typing on yourMacbook Pro, andInstagrammingphotosofyourselfinyoursun-drenchedstudio.

Job titlescanmessyouup. Job titles, if they’re taken tooseriously,willmakeyoufeellikeyouneedtoworkinawaythatbefitsthetitle,notthewaythatfitstheactualwork.Job titlescanalsorestrict thekindsofwork thatyoufeel like

youcando.Ifyouonlyconsideryourselfa“painter,”thenwhathappenswhenyouwanttotryoutwriting?Ifyouonlyconsideryourselfa“filmmaker,”whathappenswhenyouwanttotrysculpting?

If youwait for someone to give you a job title before you do thework, youmightnevergettodotheworkatall.Youcan’twaitaroundforsomeonetocallyouanartistbeforeyoumakeart.You’llnevermakeit.

If and when you finally get to be the noun—when that coveted job title isbestoweduponyoubyothers—don’tstopdoingyourverb.

Jobtitlesaren’treallyforyou,they’reforothers.Letotherpeopleworryaboutthem.Burnyourbusinesscardsifyouhaveto.

Forgetthenounsaltogether.Dotheverbs.

“Idon’tknowwhatIam.IknowthatIamnotacategory.Iamnotathing—anoun.Iseemtobeaverb,anevolutionary

process.”

—R.BuckminsterFuller

Allchildrenlearnabouttheworldthroughplay.“Child’splay”isatermweuseto denote things that are easy, but if you actually watch children play, it isanythingbuteasy.“Play is theworkof thechild,”asMariaMontessoriput it.When my children are playing, they are deeply invested in their work. Theyfocustheirgazeslikelaserbeams.Theyscrunchuptheirfacesinconcentration.Whentheycan’tgettheirmaterialstodowhattheywantthemtodo,theythrowepictantrums.

Theirbestplay,however, isactedoutwithakindof lightnessanddetachmentfromtheirresults.WhenmysonJuleswastwo,Ispentatonoftimewatchinghimdraw.Inoticedthathecarednotonebitabouttheactualfinisheddrawing(thenoun)—allhisenergywasfocusedondrawing(theverb).Whenhe’dmadethedrawing,Icoulderaseit,tossitintherecyclingbin,orhangitonthewall.Hedidn’treallycare.Hewasalsomediumagnostic:hewasjustashappywithcrayon on paper, marker on a whiteboard, chalk on the driveway, or, in amedium that put his parents’ encouragement to the test, chalk on the outdoorcouch cushions. (The drawings were so good my wife decided to embroiderthem.Again,hewascompletelyindifferent.)

Play is thework of the child and it is also thework of the artist. Iwas oncetakingawalkintheMissioninSanFranciscoandstoppedtochatwithastreetpainter.When I thanked him for his time and apologized for interrupting hiswork,hesaid,“Doesn’tfeellikeworktome.Feelsmorelikeplay.”

The great artists are able to retain this sense of playfulness throughout theircareers.Art and the artist both suffermostwhen the artist gets tooheavy, toofocusedonresults.

There are some tricks to staying light and getting back to that childlike playstate.ThewriterKurtVonnegutwrotealettertoagroupofhighschoolstudentsandassignedthemthishomework:Writeapoemanddon’tshowittoanybody.Tearitupintolittlepiecesandthrowthemintothetrashcan.“Youwillfindthatyou have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You haveexperiencedbecoming,learnedalotmoreaboutwhat’sinsideyou,andyouhavemadeyoursoulgrow.”That,saidVonnegut,wasthewholepurposeofmakingart:“Practicinganart,nomatterhowwellorbadly,isawaytomakeyoursoulgrow, for heaven’s sake.” Vonnegut repeated variations of that advicethroughout his life.Hewould suggest to his daughterNanette that she shouldmake a piece of art and burn it “as a spiritual exercise.” (There’s somethingcathartic about burning your work: Artist John Baldessari, disgusted by hispreviouswork,haditallcrematedandputinaceremonialurn.)

Ifyou’ve lostyourplayfulness,practice forpractice’ssake.Youdon’thave togotosuchdramaticlengthsascombustion.Musicianscanjamwithoutmakingarecording.Writers and artists can type or drawout a page and throw it away.Photographerscantakephotosandimmediatelydeletethem.

Nothingmakesplaymorefunthansomenewtoys.Seekoutunfamiliartoolsandmaterials.Findsomethingnewtofiddlewith.

Another trick:When nothing’s fun anymore, try tomake theworst thing you

can. The ugliest drawing. The crummiest poem. The most obnoxious song.Makingintentionallybadartisatonoffun.

Finally, try hanging out with young kids. Play a game of hide-and-go-seek.Finger paint. Build a tower out of blocks and knock it down. Steal whateverworks for you. When the writer Lawrence Weschler needs to figure out astructure for one of his pieces, he’ll playwith his own set ofwooden blocks.“My daughter is not allowed to play with these blocks,” he says. “They aremine.”

Don’tgetboggeddown.Staylight.Play.

“Youmustpracticebeingstupid,dumb,unthinking,empty.ThenyouwillbeabletoDO...TrytodosomeBADwork—theworstyoucanthinkofandseewhathappensbutmainlyrelaxandleteverythinggotohell—youarenotresponsiblefortheworld—youareonlyresponsibleforyourwork—soDOIT.”

—SolLeWitttoEvaHesse

“Godwalksoutoftheroomwhenyou’rethinkingaboutmoney.”

—QuincyJones

Here’sacontemporaryculturalphenomenonthatdrivesmecrazy.

Youhaveafriendwhoknitsbeautifulscarves.Knittingiswhathedoestoclearhismindandpassthetimeonhislongtraincommute.

Youhaveanother friendwholoves tobakecakes.Baking iswhatshedoesonnightsandweekendstounwindafterworkingatherstressfulcorporatejob.

All threeofyouattendabirthdayparty.Yourknitter friendgives thebirthdaygirlthescarfherecentlyfinished.It’sabsolutelybeautiful.

What’sthestandardreactionthesedays?

“YoucouldsellthisonEtsy!”

After the birthday girl opens her gifts, your baker friend serves her cake.Everyoneismoaningindelight.

Whatdotheyallsay?

“Youcouldstartabakery!”

We’re now trained to heap praise on our loved ones by using market

terminology. The minute anybody shows any talent for anything, we suggestthey turn it into a profession. This is our best compliment: telling somebodythey’resogoodatwhattheylovetodotheycouldmakemoneyatit.

Weusedtohavehobbies;nowwehave“sidehustles.”Asthingscontinuetogetworse in America, as the safety net gets torn up, and as steady jobs keepdisappearing, thefree-timeactivities thatused tosootheusand takeourmindsoff work and add meaning to our lives are now presented to us as potentialincomestreams,orwaysoutofhavingatraditionaljob.

I’msoinsanelyluckyrightnow.Ilivethedream,inasense,becauseIgetpaidtodowhatIwouldprobablydoanywayforfree.Butthingscangetvery,verytrickywhenyouturnthethingyouloveintothethingthatkeepsyouandyourfamily clothed and fed. Everyone who’s turned their passion into theirbreadwinningknowsthisisdangerousterritory.Oneoftheeasiestwaystohatesomethingyou love is to turn it intoyour job: taking the thing thatkeepsyoualivespirituallyandturningitintothethingthatkeepsyoualiveliterally.

Youmustbemindfulofwhatpotential impactmonetizingyourpassionscouldhaveonyourlife.Youmightfindthatyou’rebetteroffwithadayjob.

When you start making a living from your work, resist the urge to monetizeeverysinglebitofyourcreativepractice.Besure there’sat leasta tinypartofyou that’s off-limits to the marketplace. Some little piece that you keep foryourself.

Times are always tough economically for artists and freelancers, sodefine thesort of lifestyle youwant to live, budget for your expenses, anddraw the linebetweenwhatyouwillandwon’tdoformoney.

Andremember:Ifyouwantmaximumartisticfreedom,keepyouroverheadlow.Afreecreativelifeisnotaboutlivingwithinyourmeans,it’saboutlivingbelowyourmeans.

“Dowhat you love!” cry themotivational speakers.But I think anybodywhotells people to dowhat they love nomatterwhat should also have to teach amoneymanagementcourse.

“Dowhatyoulove”+lowoverhead=agoodlife.

“Dowhatyoulove”+“Ideservenicethings”=atimebomb.

“It’salwaysgoodtohaveahobbywherethere’snowaytomonetizeit...Sofollowyourdreams,butrightuptothepoint

wheretheybecomeyourjob,andthenrunintheotherdirection.”

—DavidRees

“Noteverythingthatcanbecountedcounts,andnoteverythingthatcountscanbecounted.”

—WilliamBruceCameron

Money is not the only measurement that can corrupt your creative practice.Digitizingyourworkandsharingitonlinemeansthatitissubjecttotheworldofonlinemetrics:websitevisits,likes,favorites,shares,reblogs,retweets,followercounts,andmore.

It’s easy to become as obsessedwith onlinemetrics asmoney. It can then betemptingtousethosemetricstodecidewhattoworkonnext,withouttakingintoaccounthowshallowthosemetricsreallyare.AnAmazonrankdoesn’ttellyouwhethersomeonereadyourbooktwiceandloveditsomuchshepasseditontoafriend.Instagramlikesdon’t tellyouwhetheran imageyoumadestuckwithsomeone for a month. A stream count doesn’t equal an actual human beingshowinguptoyourliveshowanddancing.

Whatdoclicksreallymeaninthegrandschemeofthings?Allclickshavemeantin the short term is that everything online is now clickbait, optimized for theshortattentionspan.Thequickhit.

I noticed a long time ago that there’s actually very little correlation betweenwhatIlovetomakeandshareandthenumbersoflikes,favorites,andretweetsitgets.I’lloftenpostsomethingIlovedmakingthattookmeforeverandcricketschirp.I’llpostsomethingelseIthinkissortoflamethattookmenoeffortanditwill goviral. If I let thosemetrics runmypersonal practice, I don’t thinkmyheartcouldtakeitverylong.

If you share work online, try to ignore the numbers at least every once in awhile. Increase the time between your sharing and receiving feedback. Postsomethinganddon’t check the response foraweek.Turnoff theanalytics foryourblogandwriteaboutwhateveryouwant.Downloadabrowserplug-inthatmakesthenumbersdisappearfromsocialmedia.

When you ignore quantitative measurements for a bit, you can get back toqualitativemeasurements.Isitgood?Reallygood?Doyoulikeit?Youcanalsofocusmoreonwhattheworkdoesthatcan’tbemeasured.Whatitdoestoyoursoul.

“Noartistcanworksimplyforresults;hemustalsoliketheworkofgettingthem.”

—RobertFarrarCapon

“Don’tmakestuffbecauseyouwanttomakemoney—itwillnevermakeyouenoughmoney.Anddon’tmakestuffbecauseyouwanttogetfamous—becauseyouwillneverfeelfamous

enough.Makegiftsforpeople—andworkhardonmakingthosegiftsinthehopethatthosepeoplewillnoticeandlikethe

gifts.”

—JohnGreen

Youknowwhatsuccessis,oratleastyouhaveyourowndefinitionofit.(Mine:whenmydayslookhowIwantthemtolook.)

“Suckcess,” on the other hand, is success on somebody else’s terms. Orundeservedsuccess.Orwhensomethingyouthinksucksbecomessuccessful.Orwhensuccessorchasingafteritjustplainstartstosuck.

“Suckcess”iswhatpoetJeanCocteauwasreferringtowhenhesaid,“Thereisakindofsuccessworsethanfailure.”

InhisbookTheGift,LewisHydearguesthatartexistsinbothgiftandmarketeconomies,but “where there isnogift, there isnoart.”Whenour art is takenover by market considerations—what’s getting clicks, what’s selling—it canquicklylosethegiftelementthatmakesitart.

Weallgothroughcyclesofdisenchantmentandre-enchantmentwithourwork.Whenyoufeelasthoughyou’velostoryou’relosingyourgift,thequickestwaytorecoveristostepoutsidethemarketplaceandmakegifts.

There’snothingaspureasmakingsomethingspecificallyforsomeonespecial.When my son Owen was five, he was obsessed with robots, so whenever Istartedhatingmyselfandmywork, I’dknockoff forhalfanhourandmakearobotcollageoutoftapeandmagazines.WhenIgavehimtherobot,he’doftenturnrightaroundandmakearobotforme.Wetradedbackandforthlikethatfora brief while until, as kids do, he dropped robots and became obsessed withsomethingelse.ThoserobotsarestillsomeofmyfavoritethingsI’veevermade.

Try it: Ifyou’rebummedoutandhatingyourwork,pick somebodyspecial inyourlifeandmakesomethingforthem.Ifyouhaveabigaudience,makethemsomethingspecialandgiveitaway.Ormaybeevenbetter:Volunteeryourtimeandteachsomeoneelsehowtomakewhatyoumakeanddowhatyoudo.Seehowitfeels.Seewhetheritputsyouinabetterplace.

Youneverknowwhenagiftmadeforasinglepersonwillturnintoagiftforthewholeworld.Considerhowmanybestsellingstoriesbegantheirlifeasbedtimestoriesforspecificchildren.A.A.MilnemadeupWinnie-the-Poohforhisson,ChristopherRobinMilne.AstridLindgren’sbedriddendaughterKarinaskedhertotellastoryaboutsomegirlnamedPippiLongstocking.C.S.LewisconvincedJ. R. R. Tolkien to turn the fantastical stories he told his children into TheHobbit.Thelistgoesonandon.

Makinggiftsputsusintouchwithourgifts.

“WhatI’mreallyconcernedaboutisreachingoneperson.”

—JorgeLuisBorges

“It’sastruetodayasiteverwas:Hewhoseeksbeautywillfindit.”

—BillCunningham

Oneofmyartheroeswasanun.

In the1960s,SisterMaryCoritaKentwas an art teacher at ImmaculateHeartCollegeinLosAngeles.InspiredbyashowofAndyWarhol’swork,shestartedscreenprinting.Shewouldtakepicturesofadvertisementsandsignsalloverthecity—thestuffweusually thinkofas junk,clutter,andeyepollution—andshewouldtransformthosethingsbytakingthemoutoftheircontext,addingthemtohandwrittenlyricsfrompopsongsandBibleverses,andprintingthemasiftheywere religious messages. She turned a bag of Wonder Bread into a messageabouttakingcommunion.ShestoletheGeneralMillsslogan,“TheBigGStandsForGoodness,” andmade the “G” from the logo seem like itwas referring toGod. She cut the Safeway logo into two separatewords and it became a signshowingthepathofsalvation.FindingGodinallthingsisoneofthetasksofthebeliever, and Kent found God in advertising, of all things. Kent took the

manmadelandscapeofLosAngeles—notnecessarilythefirstplaceyou’dlookforbeauty—andshefoundthebeautyinit.

Kent said shemade common things “uncommon.” (She thought “uncommon”wasabettertermthan“art.”)“Idon’tthinkofitasart,”shesaid,“IjustmakethingsIlikebigger.”Shehadaparticularwayoflookingattheordinaryworld,andshetaughtthiswayoflookingtoherstudents.Inoneofherassignments,shehadstudentscreatewhatshecalleda“finder”—apieceofpaperwitharectanglecut out of it to simulate a camera viewfinder. Shewould lead her students onfieldtrips,teachingthemtocroptheworld,to“seeforthesakeofseeing,”anddiscoverallthethingsthatthey’dneverbotheredtonotice.

Reallygreatartistsareabletofindmagicinthemundane.Mostofmyfavoriteartists made extraordinary art out of ordinary circumstances and materials.Harvey Pekar spent themajority of hisworking life as a file clerk at theVAhospital in Cleveland, collecting stories and scribbling them into stick-figurescripts thatwouldeventuallybecome thecomics inhismasterpiece,AmericanSplendor.EmilyDickinsonstayedinherroomandwroteherenduringpoemsonthe backs of leftover envelope scraps. TheDada artistHannahHöch used thesewing patterns from her day job in her collages. SallyMann took gorgeousphotosofher threechildrenplayingon their farm inVirginia. (Her friend, thepainterCyTwombly,used tositoutside theWalmart inLexingtonandpeoplewatchforinspiration.)

Itiseasytoassumethatifonlyyoucouldtradeyourordinarylifeforanewone,allyourcreativeproblemswouldbesolved.Ifonlyyoucouldquityourdayjob,move to a hip city, rent the perfect studio, and fall in with the right gang ofbrilliantmisfits!Thenyou’dreallyhaveitmade.

Allthisis,ofcourse,wishfulthinking.Youdonotneedtohaveanextraordinarylifetomakeextraordinarywork.Everythingyouneedtomakeextraordinaryartcanbefoundinyoureverydaylife.

RenéMagrittesaidhisgoalwithhisartwas“tobreathenewlifeintothewaywelookat theordinary thingsaroundus.”This is exactlywhat anartistdoes:Bypayingextraattentiontotheirworld,theyteachustopaymoreattentiontoours.

The first step toward transforming your life into art is to start paying moreattentiontoit.

“It’salwaysbeenmyphilosophytotrytomakeartoutoftheeverydayandordinary...itneveroccurredtometoleave

hometomakeart.”

—SallyMann

“Let’sslowdown,notinpaceorwordagebutinnerves.”

—JohnSteinbeck

It’s impossible topayproper attention toyour life ifyouarehurtlingalongatlightningspeed.Whenyourjobistoseethingsotherpeopledon’t,youhavetoslowdownenoughthatyoucanactuallylook.

Inanageobsessedwithspeed,slowingdownrequiresspecialtraining.AfterartcriticPeterClothierdiscoveredmeditation,herealizedhowlittlehewasactuallylooking at art: “Iwould often catchmyself spendingmore timewith thewalllabel in a museum than with the painting I was supposed to be looking at!”Inspiredbytheslowfoodandslowcookingmovements,hestartedleading“OneHour/One Painting” sessions in galleries and museums, in which he invitedparticipants togazeat a singleartwork forone fullhour.Slow lookingcaughton,andnowseveralmuseumsacrossthecountryholdslowlookingevents.TheethosissummedupontheSlowArtDaywebsite:“Whenpeoplelookslowly...theymakediscoveries.”

Slowlookingisgreat,butIalwaysneedtobedoingsomethingwithmyhands,

sodrawingismyfavoritetoolforforcingmyselftoslowdownandreallylookatlife.Humans have drawn for thousands of years—it’s an ancient practice thatcan be donewith cheap tools available to everyone.You don’t have to be anartisttodraw.Youjustneedaneyeortwo.

“Drawingissimplyanotherwayofseeing,whichwedon’treallydoasadults,”sayscartoonistChrisWare.We’reallgoingaroundina“cloudofremembranceandanxiety,”hesays,and theactofdrawinghelpsus live in themomentandconcentrateonwhat’sreallyinfrontofus.

Because drawing is really an exercise in seeing, you can suck at drawing andstillgetatonoutofit.Inablogpostaboutpickingupthehabitofsketchinglaterinhis life, filmcriticRogerEbertwrote,“Bysittingsomewhereandsketchingsomething,Iwasforcedtoreallylookatit.”Hesaidhisdrawingswere“ameansofexperiencingaplaceoramomentmoredeeply.”

Drawing doesn’t just help you see better, it makes you feel better. “An artistusing a sketchbook always looks like a happy person,” Ebert observed. “It’ssublime,” said author Maurice Sendak. “It’s magic time, where all yourweaknesses of character, the blemishes of your personality, whatever elsetormentsyou,fadesaway,justdoesn’tmatter.”

Thecameraphoneisawonderfultoolforcapturingthingswhenwe’reoutintheworld,butdrawingstilloffersussomethingunique.Inthe1960s,photographerHenriCartier-Bresson,legendaryforcapturinglifeonfilminwhathecalled“theDecisiveMoment,” went back to his first love: drawing. He wrote about thedifferencesbetweenhistwolovesinhisbookTheMind’sEye:“Photographyisan immediate reaction,drawing is ameditation.” In2018, theBritishMuseumstarted offering pencils and paper to visitors after they noticed an uptick inpeopleinterestedinsketchingtheart.Oneofthecuratorsremarked,“Ifeellikeyoudwellonanobjectalotmoreifyouhaveapaperandpencilbeforeyou.”

Toslowdownandpayattentiontoyourworld,pickupapencilandapieceofpaperandstartdrawingwhatyousee.(Thepencil’sbestfeatureisthatithasnoway of interrupting you with texts or notifications.) You might find that thishelpsyoudiscoverthebeautyyou’vemissed.

“If you draw,” said the cartoonist E. O. Plauen, “the world becomes morebeautiful,farmorebeautiful.”

“DrawingisthedisciplinebywhichIconstantlyrediscovertheworld.IhavelearnedthatwhatIhavenotdrawn,Ihaveneverreallyseen,andthatwhenIstartdrawinganordinarything,I

realizehowextraordinaryitis,sheermiracle.”

—FrederickFranck

“Foranyonetryingtodiscernwhattodowiththeirlife:PAYATTENTIONTOWHATYOUPAYATTENTIONTO.That’spretty

muchalltheinfoyouneed.”

—AmyKrouseRosenthal

Your attention is one of the most valuable things you possess, which is whyeveryonewantstostealitfromyou.Firstyoumustprotectit,andthenyoumustpointitintherightdirection.

Astheysayinthemovies,“Carefulwhereyoupointthatthing!”

Whatyouchoosetopayattentiontoisthestuffyourlifeandworkwillbemadeof. “My experience iswhat I agree to attend to,” psychologistWilliam Jameswrotein1890.“OnlythoseitemswhichInoticeshapemymind.”

We pay attention to the things we really care about, but sometimes what wereallycareaboutishiddenfromus.Ikeepadailydiaryformanyreasons,butthemain one is that it helps me pay attention to my life. By sitting down everymorningandwritingaboutmylife,Ipayattentiontoit,andovertime,IhavearecordofwhatI’vepaidattentionto.Manydiaristsdon’tbotherrereadingtheirdiaries,butI’vefoundthatrereadingdoublesthepowerofadiarybecauseI’mthen able to discovermy own patterns, identifywhat I really care about, andknowmyselfbetter.

“Topayattention,thisisourendlessandproperwork.”

—MaryOliver

If art begins with where we point our attention, a life is made out of payingattention towhatwepayattention to.Setupa regular time topayattention towhat you’ve paid attention to. Reread your diary. Flip back through yoursketchbook. (The cartoonistKateBeaton once said if shewrote a book aboutdrawing she’d call it Pay Attention to Your Drawings.) Scroll through yourcamera roll.Rewatch footageyou’ve filmed.Listen tomusicyou’ve recorded.(The musician Arthur Russell used to take long walks around Manhattan,listeningtohisowntapesonhisWalkman.)Whenyouhaveasystemforgoingback throughyourwork, you canbetter see thebiggerpictureofwhatyou’vebeenupto,andwhatyoushoulddonext.

If youwant to change your life, changewhat you pay attention to. “We givethings meaning by paying attention to them,” Jessa Crispin writes, “and somoving your attention from one thing to another can absolutely change yourfuture.”

“Attention is themostbasicformof love,”wroteJohnTarrant.Whenyoupayattentiontoyour life, itnotonlyprovidesyouwith thematerialforyourart, italsohelpsyoufallinlovewithyourlife.

“TellmetowhatyoupayattentionandIwilltellyouwhoyouare.”

—JoséOrtegayGassett

“Howevergloriousthehistoryofart,thehistoryofartistsisquiteanothermatter.”

—BenShahn

Mynomineeforoneofthedumbestsentenceseverspokenaboutartgoesto60Minutes commentator Andy Rooney, who said of Nirvana front man KurtCobainafterhissuicide,“Noone’sartisbetterthanthepersonwhocreatesit.”

Takeaquickdipintoanyoneofthethousandsofyearsofarthistoryandyou’llfind that, no, actually, plentyofgreat artwasmadeby jerks, creeps, assholes,vampires,perverts,andworse,allofwhomleftatrailofvictimsintheirwake.TostealatermfromJennyOffill’sDept.ofSpeculation,thesepeoplearewhatwecall“ArtMonsters.”

Itcanbehardanddownrightpainfultograpplewiththeideathatpeoplewefindreprehensible in their personal livesmight also be capable of producingworkthat is beautiful, moving, or useful to us. How we handle and process thatinformationandhowwechoosetomoveforwardispartofourwork.

Now,weallhaveourownlittleArtMonstersinsideus.We’reallcomplicated.Weallhavepersonalshortcomings.We’reallalittlecreepy,toacertaindegree.Ifwedidn’tbelievethatwecouldbealittlebetterinourartthanweareinourlives,thenwhat,really,wouldbethepointofart?

Whatishearteningrightnow,Ithink,isthatourcultureishavingitsmomentofreckoningwithArtMonsters.The terriblemyth that being an absent parent, acheater,anabuser,anaddict,issomehowaprerequisitetoorsomehowexcused

bygreatworkisslowlybeingtorndown.IfmakinggreatartevergaveanyoneaGetOutofJailFreecardfortheirmonstrousfailuresasahumanbeing,Ithinkthose days are going away.And good riddance to them.ArtMonsters are notnecessaryorglamorousandtheyarenottobecondoned,pardoned,oremulated.

Great artists help people look at their lives with fresh eyes and a sense ofpossibility. “The purpose of being a serious writer is to keep people fromdespair,” writes Sarah Manguso. “If people read your work and, as a result,chooselife,thenyouaredoingyourjob.”

Quitesimply:Artissupposedtomakeourlivesbetter.

Thisisastrueforthemakingoftheartasitisfortheartitself.Ifmakingyourartisruininganyone’slife,includingyourown,itisnotworthmaking.

“There’salwaysgoingtobeatemptationforpeoplewhoaresufferingtobelievethattobecomeanartistwouldbethesolutionwhen,infact,itmaybemoreoftheproblem,”sayswriterandpsychologistAdamPhillips.“Thereareanumberofpeoplewhomyoumightthinkofascasualtiesofthemythoftheartist.Theyreallyshouldhavedonesomethingelse.”

Youmightnotbemeanttobeanartist.“YoumightbemeanttoteachkidsmathorraisemoneyforafoodbankorstartacompanythatmakesRubik’sCubesforbabies,”writescomedianMikeBirbiglia.“Don’truleoutquitting.Thereisgoingto be an insane amount of work ahead, and your time might be spent betterelsewhere.”

If making your art is adding net misery to the world, walk away and dosomethingelse.Findsomethingelsetodowithyourtime,somethingthatmakesyouandthepeoplearoundyoufeelmorealive.

The world doesn’t necessarily need more great artists. It needs more decenthumanbeings.

Artisforlife,nottheotherwayaround.

“Iamforanartthathelpsoldladiesacrossthestreet.”

—ClaesOldenburg

“Thetestofafirst-rateintelligenceistheabilitytoholdtwoopposedideasinthemindatthesametime,andstillretaintheabilitytofunction.Oneshould,forexample,beabletoseethat

thingsarehopelessandyetbedeterminedtomakethemotherwise.”

—F.ScottFitzgerald

I was reading a newspaper article about climate change and a former skepticsaid,“Ifyou’veneverchangedyourmindaboutsomething,pinchyourself;youmaybedead.”

Whenwasthelasttimeyouchangedyourmindaboutsomething?We’reafraidofchangingourmindsbecausewe’reafraidoftheconsequencesofchangingourminds.Whatwillpeoplethink?

In this country, you’re supposed to have your ideas and stick with them anddefend them with your life. Take our politics, for example. If a politicianchangestheirmindpublicly,it’sasignofweakness.Asignofdefeat.Andyoudon’twant tochangeyourmind toomuch,heavenforbid,because thenyou’rewishy-washy.

Socialmediahasturnedusallintopoliticians.Andbrands.Everyone’ssupposedtobeabrandnow,andtheworstthingintheworldistobeoff-brand.

Buttobeonbrandistobe100percentcertainofwhoyouareandwhatyoudo,and certainty, in art and in life, is not only completely overrated, it is also aroadblocktodiscovery.

Uncertainty is thevery thing that art thrives on.ThewriterDonaldBarthelmesaid that the artist’s natural state is one of not-knowing. John Cage said thatwhen he was not working he thought he knew something, but when he wasworking,itwasclearthathedidn’tknowanything.“Thishasbeenmyjobinaway,” says screenwriterCharlieKaufman. “I sit atmydesk and I don’t knowwhattodo.”

“I’mmakingexplorations.Idon’tknowwherethey’regoingto

“I’mmakingexplorations.Idon’tknowwherethey’regoingtotakeme.”

—MarshallMcLuhan

You start eachworknot knowing exactlywhere you’re goingorwhere you’llendup.“Artisthehighestformofhope,”saidpainterGerhardRichter.Buthopeisnotaboutknowinghowthingswillturnout—itismovingforwardinthefaceofuncertainty.It’sawayofdealingwithuncertainty.“Hopeisanembraceoftheunknownandtheunknowable,”writesRebeccaSolnit.Tohavehope,youmustacknowledgethatyoudon’tknoweverythingandyoudon’tknowwhat’sgoingtohappen.That’stheonlywaytokeepgoingandtheonlywaytokeepmakingart:tobeopentopossibilityandallowyourselftobechanged.

Ofcourse,tochangeyourmindistodosomerealthinking.Thinkingrequiresanenvironment inwhichyou can try out all sorts of ideas andnot be judged forthem.Tochangeyourmind,youneedagoodplacetohavesomebadideas.

The internet, unfortunately, is no longer a safe place to do any kind ofexperimental thinking,particularlyforsomebodywithanaudienceoranykindof “brand.” (That awful word! As if we’re all cattle with our owner’s markburnedintoourflesh.)

No, ifyou’regoingtochangeyourmind,youmighthave togooff-brand,andoffline is the place to be off-brand. Your bliss station, your studio, a paperjournal,aprivatechatroom,alivingroomfulloftrustedlovedones:Thesearetheplacestoreallythink.

“Theworldneedsyouatthepartystartingrealconversations,saying,‘Idon’tknow,’andbeingkind.”

—CharlieKaufman

“Thinkforyourself!”goesthecliché.Butthetruthis:Wecan’t.Weneedotherpeopletohelpusthink.

“To think independently of other human beings is impossible,” writes AlanJacobs in his book How to Think. “Thinking is necessarily, thoroughly, andwonderfullysocial.Everythingyouthinkisaresponsetowhatsomeoneelsehasthoughtandsaid.”

Thetroubleisthatwe’reincreasinglybecomingaculturethatisclusteringintolike-mindedcommunitiesandnetworks.Offline,thisplaysoutinwherepeoplelive,whether by choice or necessity.Online, it plays out inwhatwebsiteswevisit,whowechoosetofollow,andhowthealgorithmsofonlinenetworksarefine-tunedtoshowuswhattheythinkwewanttosee.

Interactingwithpeoplewhodon’tshareourperspectiveforcesustorethinkourideas,strengthenourideas,ortradeourideasforbetterones.Whenyou’reonlyinteractingwithlike-mindedpeopleallthetime,there’slessandlessopportunitytobechanged.Everybodyknowsthatfeelingyougetwhenyou’rehangingoutwithpeoplewholovethesameart,listentothesamemusic,andwatchthesamemovies: It’s comforting at first, but it can also become incredibly boring andultimatelystifling.

Jacobsrecommendsthatifyoureallywanttoexploreideas,youshouldconsiderhangingoutwithpeoplewhoaren’tsomuchlike-mindedaslike-hearted.Thesearepeoplewhoare“temperamentallydisposed toopennessandhavehabitsoflistening.”Peoplewhoaregenerous,kind,caring,and thoughtful.Peoplewho,whenyousaysomething,“thinkaboutit,ratherthanjustsimplyreact.”Peopleyoufeelgoodaround.

Areaderoncesentmeanoteremarkingthatwhilehedidn’tsharemypolitics,he felthewasable to really listen towhat Ihad to say, rather than tuningoutwhathedidn’twant tohear.Hesuspected ithad todowith thecreativespirit,that connection you feelwith another person you know is trying their best tobringnew,beautifulthingsintotheworld.

Try your best to seek out the like-hearted people with whom you feel thisconnection.

“Everyagehasitsownoutlook.Itisspeciallygoodatseeingcertaintruthsandspeciallyliabletomakecertainmistakes.Weall,therefore,needthebooksthatwillcorrectthecharacteristicmistakesofourownperiod.Andthatmeanstheoldbooks...Tobesure,thebooksofthefuturewouldbejustasgoodacorrectiveasthebooksofthepast,butunfortunatelywe

cannotgetatthem.”

—C.S.Lewis

Mosteverybodyalive issoobsessedwithwhat’snewthat theyall thinkaboutthesamethings.Ifyou’rehavingtroublefindingpeopletothinkwith,seekoutthedead.Theyhavealottosayandtheyareexcellentlisteners.

Readold books.Humanbeings havebeen around for a long time, and almosteveryproblemyouhavehasprobablybeenwrittenaboutbysomeotherhumanlivinghundredsifnotthousandsofyearsbeforeyou.TheRomanstatesmanandphilosopherSenecasaidthatifyoureadoldbooks,yougettoaddalltheyearstheauthorlivedontoyourownlife.“Weareexcludedfromnoage,butwehave

accesstothemall,”hesaid.“Whynotturnfromthisbriefandtransientspelloftimeandgiveourselveswholeheartedlytothepast,whichislimitlessandeternalandcanbesharedwithbettermenthanwe?”(Hewrotethatalmosttwothousandyearsago!)

It’s amazing how little human life changes. When I read Lao Tzu’s Tao TeChing,Imarvelathoweveryancientpoemisbasicallyawitheringcommentaryon our contemporary politicians. A dip into Henry David Thoreau’s journalspaints a portrait of a plant-loving man who is overeducated, underemployed,upsetaboutpolitics,andlivingwithhisparents—hesoundsexactlylikeoneofmyfellowmillennials!

Wehavesuchshortmemories.Youdon’thavetogothatfarbackintothepasttodiscover things we’ve already forgotten about. Cracking a book that’s only aquarterofacenturyoldcanbelikeopeningachestofburiedtreasure.

Ifyouwantaquickwaytoescapethenoiseofcontemporarylife,breakoutof

yourlike-mindedbubble,anddosomegoodthinking,justvisitthepastforabit.It’sinexhaustible:Everyday,we’remakingmoreandmoreofit.

“Thedisorderofthedesk,thefloor;theyellowPost-itnoteseverywhere;thewhiteboardscoveredwithscrawl:allthisistheoutwardmanifestationofthemessinessofhumanthought.”

—EllenUllman

Thisisabadtimetobeapackrat.ThepropagandaagainstclutterandthemaniafortidyinghasbeenwhippedupbyTVshowslikeHoardersandStorageWarsand countless blogs that fetishize orderly studios and perfectworkspaceswith“thingsorganizedneatly,”culminatinginMarieKondo’sgiganticbestseller,TheLife-ChangingMagicofTidyingUp.WhileKondo’stipscanworkwondersonyour sock drawer or your kitchen pantry, I have serious doubts about theirusefulnesstoartists.

Mystudio,likemymind,isalwaysabitofamess.Booksandnewspapersarepiledeverywhere,picturesaretornoutandstuckonthewall,cut-upscrapslitterthe floor.But it’s not an accident thatmy studio is amess. I lovemymess. Iintentionallycultivatemymess.

Creativity is about connections, and connections are not made by siloingeverything off into its own space. New ideas are formed by interestingjuxtapositions, and interesting juxtapositions happen when things are out of

place.

Youmaythinkthatifyourstudioistidy,itwillfreeyouuptobemoreefficient,andtherefore,youwillproducemore.Maybethatwillhelpyouintheexecutionstageofyourworkifyou’re,say,aprintmakerpullingprints,butitwon’thelpyoucomeupwithaninterestingdesignforthenextprint.It’salwaysamistaketo equate productivity and creativity. They are not the same. In fact, they’refrequentlyatoddswitheachother:You’reoftenmostcreativewhenyou’retheleastproductive.

There is, of course, such a thing as toomuch clutter. It’s hard towork if youcan’t find the things you need when you need them. French chefs practicesomethingcalledmiseenplace,whichmeans“setinplace.”It’saboutplanningand preparation:making sure all the ingredients and tools you need are readybeforeyouset towork.“Miseenplace is the religionofallgood linecooks,”Anthony Bourdain wrote in Kitchen Confidential. “Your station, and itscondition,itsstateofreadiness,isanextensionofyournervoussystem.”

That’s thekeywordwecanstealfromchefs:readiness.Mostofusdon’thavehungrydiners or health inspectors toworry about.Wedon’t have to keepourspacesperfectlycleanand tidy.Wejusthave tokeep themreadyforwhenwewant to work. Cartoonist Kevin Huizenga makes the point that having yourstudio organized does not mean it needs to look organized. “If paperseverywhereon the floormakesworkingeasier rightnow,becauseyouneed toconstantlyrefertothem,thentheyshouldstaythere.”

There’sabalance inaworkspacebetweenchaosandorder.MyfriendJohnT.Ungerhastheperfectrule:Keepyourtoolsorganizedandyourmaterialsmessy.“Keep your tools very organized so you can find them,” he says. “Let thematerials cross-pollinate in a mess. Some pieces of art I made were utterhappenstance,whereacouple itemscame together inapileand thepiecewasmostlydone.Butifyoucan’tlayyourhandsrightonthetoolyouneed,youcanblowaday(oryourenthusiasmandinspiration)seekingit.”

“IcanneverfindwhatIwant,butthebenefitisthatIalwaysfindsomethingelse.”

—IrvineWelsh

IkeeponeofBrianEnoandPeterSchmidt’s“ObliqueStrategies”onabigsignabovemydesk:

WHENINDOUBT,TIDYUP.

Note that it says “when in doubt,” not “always.” Tidying up is forwhen I’mstalled out or stuck. Tidying up a studio is—sorry, Ms. Kondo—not life-changing ormagical. It’s just a form of productive procrastination. (Avoidingworkbydoingotherwork.)

Thebestthingabouttidyingisthatitbusiesmyhandsandloosensupmymindso that Ieithera)getunstuckorsolveanewprobleminmyhead,orb)comeacross something in the mess that leads to new work. For example, I’ll starttidyingandunearthanunfinishedpoemthat’sbeenburiedinastackofpapers,or an unfinished drawing that was blown across the garage by the airconditioner.

Thebeststudiotidyingisakindofexploring.IrediscoverthingsasIworkmy

waythroughtheclutter.ThereasonItidyisnotreallytoclean,buttocomeintocontactwithsomethingI’veforgottenwhichIcannowuse.

Thisisaslow,dreamy,ruminativeformoftidying.WhenIcomeacrossalong-lostbook,forexample,Ifliptorandompagesandseeiftheyhaveanythingtotellme. Sometimes scraps of paper fall out of the book like a secretmessagefromtheuniverse.

IoftenstoptidyingbecauseIgetsweptupinreading.Thisistheexactoppositeof what Marie Kondo prescribes.When going through your books, she says,“Makesureyoudon’tstartreadingit.Readingcloudsyourjudgment.”Heavenforbid!

Tidyinginthehopeofobtainingperfectorderisstressfulwork.Tidyingwithoutworryingtoomuchabouttheresultscanbeasoothingformofplay.

Whenindoubt,tidyup.

“Napsareessentialtomyprocess.Notdreams,butthatstateadjacenttosleep,themindonwaking.”

—WilliamGibson

Scientists andphilosophers have longwondered about sleep andwhat it’s for.They’re slowly catching up towhat artists have known all along: Sleep is anexcellent tool for tidying up your brain.When you sleep, your body literallyflushes out the junk in your head. Neuroscientists have explained thatcerebrospinal fluid in your brain starts flowingmore rapidlywhen you sleep,clearingoutthetoxinsandbadproteinsthatbuildupinyourbraincells.

Naps are the secret weapon of many artists. “It’s mostly napping,” saysfilmmakerEthanCoenofhisandhisbrotherJoel’screativeprocess.Iconsidernaps to be another formofmagical tidying that seems unproductive but oftenleadstonewideas.

Not all naps are created equal.There are lots ofways to take a nap.SalvadorDalí likedtonapwhileholdingaspoon.Ashedozedoff,he’ddropthespoonand wake up, but still be in the dreamlike state he needed for his surrealpaintings.WriterPhilipRothsaidhelearnedhisnaptechniquefromhisfather:Takeyour clothesoff andpull a blanket over you, andyou sleepbetter. “Thebestpartofitisthatwhenyouwakeup,forthefirstfifteenseconds,youhavenoideawhereyouare,”Rothsaid.“You’rejustalive.That’sallyouknow.Andit’sbliss,it’sabsolutebliss.”

Me,Ilikethe“caffeinenap”:Drinkacupofcoffeeortea,liedownforfifteenminutes,andgetbacktoworkwhenthecaffeinehaskickedin.

“Whatapityonecannotsleepwriteontheceilingwithone’sfingerorliftedtoe.”

—DentonWelch

“Thisisanageofdivorce.Thingsthatbelongtogetherhavebeentakenapart.Andyoucan’tputitallbacktogetheragain.Whatyoucandoistheonlythingthatyoucando.Youtake

twothingsthatoughttobetogetherandyouputthemtogether.”

—WendellBerry

Thegreatest formofmagical tidying thatyoucando isoutsideyour studioorworkspace:thetidyingupofyourwiderworld.

The writer David Sedaris is a born tidier. He tells childhood stories aboutvacuuming and cleaningup after his siblings.Whenhe sold his first book, hewascleaninghousesinManhattan.Nowhe’sarichbestsellingauthorandlivesinavillagewestofLondon.Youknowhowhespendsmostofhisday?Pickinguptrashonthesideoftheroad.

That’s right:One of ourmost popular living authors estimates that he spendsthree to eight hours a day in the service of waste management. Sedaris haspickedupsomuchtrashthatthelocalsliterallynamedagarbagetruckafterhim:“PigPenSedaris.”He’sbestknowntohisneighborsasalitterpicker.WhentheWestSussexCountyTimeswroteabouthim,theydidn’tevenmentionhewasawriter.

What’s funny is that Sedaris’s litter picking totally fits into hiswritingwork.Sedaris,likemanyartists,isascavenger.Hecollectsthediscardeddebrisfromthechaosoflife—overheardbitsofdialogueandoverlookedexperiences—andrecyclesthemintoessays.(HiscollectionofdiariesisappropriatelytitledTheftbyFinding.)Someofhisdiaries,whichheprintsoutandbindsintobookseveryseason,containpiecesofthetrashhecomesacrossonhiswalks.

Artisnotonlymadefromthingsthat“sparkjoy.”Artisalsomadeoutofwhatisugly or repulsive to us. Part of the artist’s job is to help tidy up the place, tomakeorderoutofchaos,toturntrashintotreasure,toshowusbeautywherewecan’tseeit.

I find it instructive, sometimes, to thinkabout someof the slogansweuse forcreativework.

MAKEYOURMARK.

PUTADENTINTHEUNIVERSE.

MOVEFASTANDBREAKTHINGS.

These slogans presuppose that the world is in need of marking or denting orbreakingandthatthecosmicpurposeofhumanbeingsisvandalism.

Things are already a mess out there.We’ve made enough of a mark on thisplanet.Whatweneedarefewervandalsandmorecleanupcrews.Weneedartthattidies.Artthatmends.Artthatrepairs.

Let’sfindsomebetterslogans.Maybewecouldlooktomedicine:

FIRST,DONOHARM.

Ormaybewecouldliftthelanguagefromsignsyouseeinparks:

LEAVETHINGSBETTERTHANYOUFOUNDTHEM.

It’dbeastart.

“Iwalkedmyselfintomybestthoughts.”

—SørenKierkegaard

Almosteverymorning,rainorshine,mywifeandIloadourtwosonsintoareddouble stroller and we take a three-mile walk around our neighborhood. It’soften painful, sometimes sublime, but it’s absolutely essential to our day.Wetalk.Wemakeplans.Werantaboutpolitics.Westoptochatwithneighborsoradmirethesuburbanwildlife.

Ourmorningwalkiswhereideasarebornandbooksareedited.It’ssocrucialthatwego forourwalk thatwe’veadopted theunofficialUnitedStatesPostalServicemottoasourown:“Neithersnownorrainnorheatnorgloom.. .staysthesecouriers fromtheswiftcompletionof theirappointedrounds.”Wewon’tset morning appointments or meetings before we take a walk. Whenever wemeetaneighbor,theconversationoftenstartswith,“Areyouthecouplewiththebigredstroller?”

Walkingreallyisamagiccureforpeoplewhowanttothinkstraight.“Solviturambulando,” said Diogenes the Cynic two millennia ago. “It is solved bywalking.”

The list of famous artists, poets, and scientists who took strolls, hikes, andramblesaroundthecityandcountrysideispracticallyendless.WallaceStevenscomposedpoemsonhiswalkbackandforthfromthe insuranceagencywhereheworked. FriedrichNietzschewrotemany of his bookswhile hiking aroundlakes.“IfIcouldn’twalkfarandfast,”CharlesDickenswroteofhistwenty-milemarathonsaroundLondon,“Ishouldjustexplodeandperish.”BothLudwigvanBeethoven and Bob Dylan got picked up by the police while wandering thesuburbs—Beethoven in nineteenth-century Vienna, Dylan in twenty-first-centuryNewJersey.HenryDavidThoreau,whousedtospendfourhoursadaywalkingaroundthewoodsoutsideConcord,wrote,“Methinksthatthemomentmylegsbegintomove,mythoughtsbegintoflow.”

“Isetouttodispeldailydepression.EveryafternoonIgetlow-spirited,andonedayIdiscoveredthewalk...Isetmyselfa

destination,andthenthingshappeninthestreet.”

—VivianGornick

Walkingisgoodforphysical,spiritual,andmentalhealth.“Nomatterwhattimeyougetoutofbed,goforawalk,”saiddirectorIngmarBermantohisdaughter,LinnUllmann.“Thedemonshateitwhenyougetoutofbed.Demonshatefreshair.”

What I’ve learned on our morning walks is that, yes, walking is great forreleasing inner demons, butmaybe evenmore important, walking is great forbattlingourouterdemons.

The people who want to control us through fear and misinformation—thecorporations,marketers,politicians—wantus tobeplugged intoourphonesorwatchingTV,because then theycansellus theirvisionof theworld. Ifwedonotgetoutside,ifwedonottakeawalkoutinthefreshair,wedonotseeoureverydayworld forwhat it really is, andwe have no vision of our ownwithwhichtocombatdisinformation.

Artrequiresthefulluseofoursenses.Itsjobistoawakenustooursenses.Our

screens,on theotherhand,havemadeus loseour sensesandour sense.Theiroveralleffecthasbeenakindofspiritualnumbing.“Tobesensual,Ithink,istorespectandrejoiceintheforceoflife,oflifeitself,andtobepresentinallthatone does,” wrote James Baldwin in his essay “The Fire Next Time.” Hecontinued, “Something very sinister happens to the people of a countrywhentheybegintodistrusttheirownreactionsasdeeplyastheydohere,andbecomeas joylessas theyhavebecome.”Baldwinworried thatweno longer reliedonour sensory experiences: “Thepersonwhodistrusts himself hasno touchstoneforreality.”

Whenwe’re glued to our screens, theworld looks unreal.Terrible.Notworthsaving or even spending timewith. Everyone on earth seems like a troll or amaniac orworse.But you get outside and you startwalking and you come toyoursenses.Yeah,thereareafewmaniacsandsomeugliness,buttherearealsopeoplesmiling,birdschirping,cloudsflyingoverhead...allthatstuff.There’spossibility.Walkingisawaytofindpossibilityinyourlifewhentheredoesn’tseemtobeanyleft.

Sogetoutsideeveryday.Takelongwalksbyyourself.Takewalkswithafriendor a loved one or a dog.Walkwith a coworker on your lunch break.Grab aplasticbagandastickandtakealitter-pickingwalklikeDavidSedaris.Alwayskeepanotebookorcamerainyourpocketforwhenyouwanttostoptocaptureathoughtoranimage.

Exploretheworldonfoot.Seeyourneighborhood.Meetyourneighbors.Talktostrangers.

Thedemonshatefreshair.

“Gooutandwalk.Thatisthegloryoflife.”

—MairaKalman

AfterbeinganuninLosAngelesforthirtyyears,CoritaKentmovedacrossthecountrytoBostonsoshecouldlivequietlyandmakeherart.Herapartmenthada big bay window and a maple tree out front, and she liked to sit there andobservethetreechangingthroughouttheseasons.(SomethingmuchhardertodoinLosAngeles,orhereinAustin,Texas,wherewehavetwoseasons:hotandhotter.)

“Thattreewasthegreatteacherofthelasttwodecadesofherlife,”herformerstudentMickeyMyerssaid.“Shelearnedfromthattree.Thebeautyitproducedin spring was only because of what it went through during the winter, andsometimestheharshestwintersyieldedthemostglorioussprings.”

A journalist came to visit her and asked what she’d been up to. “Well . . .watching that maple tree grow outside. I’ve never had time to watch a treebefore,”shesaid.

She talked about how shemoved into the apartment inOctoberwhen the treewasinfullleaf,andhowshewatcheditloseitsleavesfortherestofthefall.Inthewinter, the treewascovered insnow.In thespring, little flowerscameoutand the tree didn’t look like a maple tree at all. Finally, the leaves becamerecognizable,andthetreewasitselfagain.

“That, inaway, isverymuchhowIfeelaboutmylife,”shesaid.“Whether itwilleverberecognizablebyanyoneelseIdon’tknow,butIfeelthatgreatnewthings are happening very quietly insideme.And I know these things have away,likethemapletree,offinallyburstingoutinsomeform.”

ForKent, thetreecametorepresentcreativityitself.Likeatree,creativework

has seasons. Part of the work is to know which season you’re in, and actaccordingly.Inwinter,“thetreelooksdead,butweknowitisbeginningaverydeepprocess,outofwhichwillcomespringandsummer.”

ThecomedianGeorgeCarlinlamentedhowobsessedweallarewiththenotionofforward,visibleprogress.“It’stheAmericanviewthateverythinghastokeepclimbing: productivity, profits, even comedy.” He felt we made no time forreflection.“Notimetocontractbeforeanotherexpansion.Notimetogrowup,”he said. “No time to learn from your mistakes. But that notion goes againstnature,whichiscyclical.”

Youhavetopayattentiontotherhythmsandcyclesofyourcreativeoutputandlearntobepatientintheoff-seasons.Youhavetogiveyourselftimetochangeandobserveyourownpatterns.“Liveineachseasonasitpasses,”wroteHenryDavidThoreau,“andresignyourselftotheinfluencesofeach.”

OnewaytogetintouchwithyourownseasonsistofollowKentandThoreau’sleads andobserve the seasons innature.Draw the same tree everyweek for ayear.Takeupcasualastronomy.Watchthesunriseandsetforaweek.Observethemooneverynightforafewcycles.Trytogetafeelfornonmechanicaltime,andseeifitrecalibratesyouandchangeshowyoufeelaboutyourprogress.

“Imitatethetrees.Learntoloseinordertorecover,andrememberthatnothingstaysthesameforlong.”

—MaySarton

Ourlives,too,havedifferentseasons.Someofusblossomatayoungage;othersdon’tblossomuntiloldage.Ourculturemostlycelebratesearly successes, thepeoplewhobloomfast.Butthosepeopleoftenwitherasquicklyastheybloom.It’s for this reason that I ignore every “35 under 35” list published. I’m notinterestedinannuals.I’minterestedinperennials.Ionlywanttoreadthe“8over80”lists.

Idon’twant toknowhowathirty-year-oldbecamerichandfamous;Iwant tohear how an eighty-year-old spent her life in obscurity, kept making art, andlivedahappylife.IwanttoknowhowBillCunninghamjumpedonhisbicycleevery day and rode aroundNewYork taking photos in his eighties. Iwant toknowhow JoanRiverswas able to tell jokes up until the very end. Iwant toknowhowinhisnineties,PabloCasalsstillgotupeverymorningandpracticedhiscello.

Theseare thepeopleI look tofor inspiration.Thepeoplewhofound the thingthatmadethemfeelaliveandwhokeptthemselvesalivebydoingit.Thepeoplewhoplantedtheirseeds,tendedtothemselves,andgrewintosomethinglasting.

Iwanttobeoneofthem.IwanttomakeoctogenarianpainterDavidHockney’swordsmypersonalmotto:“I’llgoonuntilIfallover.”

“Thereisnomeasuringwithtime,noyearmatters,andtenyearsarenothing.Beinganartistmeans,notreckoningand

counting,butripeninglikethetreewhichdoesnotforceitssapandstandsconfidentinthestormsofspringwithoutthefearthatafterthemmaycomenosummer.Itdoescome.Butit

comesonlytothepatient,whoarethereasthougheternitylaybeforethem,sounconcernedlystillandwide.Ilearnitdaily,

learnitwithpaintowhichIamgrateful:patienceiseverything!”

—RainerMariaRilke

“ItissaidanEasternmonarchoncechargedhiswisementoinventhimasentence,tobeeverinview,andwhichshouldbetrueandappropriateinalltimesandsituations.Theypresentedhimthewords:‘Andthis,too,shallpassaway.’Howmuchit

expresses!Howchasteninginthehourofpride!—howconsolinginthedepthsofaffliction!‘Andthis,too,shallpass

away.’”

—AbrahamLincoln

TheouterdemonsImentionedinthelastchapter—themenwhoarehell-bentonwreckingthisplanet,carvingitupforprofit likecartoonLexLuthors—they’renotgoing to last forever.Theyaregoing to leave thisplace just likeus.Theymighttakeuswiththem,forsure.Butwe’reallheadedtowardthesameend.Nomatterwhat,this,too,shallpass,andtheyshallpass,too.Itakecomfortinthat.

The house I live in is more than forty years old. Not that old, really, in thescheme of things, but my kids climb trees that were alive during the Nixonadministration.I’velearnedfromtheolderneighborsIchatwithonourmorningwalkthatthewifeofthecouplewhobuiltourhouselovedtogarden.Mywifehas takenupgardeningaswell:Shemakesbouquetsoutofflowers theformerladyofthehouseplanted.

Ourbathroomwindowlooksoutontoourbackyardgarden.Whennaturecalls,I’lltakeabreakfromwritingandI’lllookoutthewindowatmywifedigginginthe dirt, showingmy sons the various plants, offering them the edible ones totaste.IlookoutonthatsceneandevenondesperatedaysI’mfilledwithhope.

Because gardening requires somuch patience and attention, gardeners have auniquesenseoftimeandperspective.

ThemonthsleadinguptoWorldWarIIweresomeofthemostterriblemonthsin the lifeofLeonardandVirginiaWoolf, as they“helplesslyandhopelessly”watched events unfold. Leonard said one of the most horrible things waslistening to Hitler’s rants on the radio—“the savage and insane ravings of avindictiveunderdogwhosuddenlysawhimselftobeall-powerful.”

Oneafternoon,hewasplantingpurpleirisesintheorchardunderanappletree.“SuddenlyIheardVirginia’svoicecallingtomefromthesittingroomwindow.”

Hitlerwasmakinganotherspeech.

ButLeonardhadhadenough.

“Ishan’tcome!”heshoutedbacktoVirginia.“I’mplantingirisandtheywillbefloweringlongafterheisdead.’”

Hewasright.Inhismemoir,DownhillAlltheWay,LeonardWoolfnotedthattwenty-one years afterHitler committed suicide in the bunker, a few of thosepurpleflowersstillbloomedintheorchardundertheappletree.

Idon’tknowforsurewhatkindsofflowersI’mplantingwithmydaysonthisplanet,butIintendtofindout,andsoshouldyou.

Everydayisapotentialseedthatwecangrowintosomethingbeautiful.There’sno time for despair. “The thing to rejoice in is the fact that one had the goodfortunetobeborn,”saidthepoetMarkStrand.“Theoddsagainstbeingbornareastronomical.”Noneofusknowhowmanydayswe’llhave,soit’dbeashametowastetheonesweget.

“Thisispreciselythetimewhenartistsgotowork.Thereisnotimefordespair,noplaceforself-pity,noneedforsilence,noroomforfear.Wespeak,wewrite,wedolanguage.Thatishowcivilizationsheal.Iknowtheworldisbruisedandbleeding,andthoughitisimportantnottoignoreitspain,itisalsocriticalto

refusetosuccumbtoitsmalevolence.Likefailure,chaoscontainsinformationthatcanleadtoknowledge—even

wisdom.Likeart.”

—ToniMorrison

Wheneverlifegetsoverwhelming,gobacktochapteroneofthisbookandthinkaboutyourdays.Tryyourbesttofilltheminwaysthatgetyoualittleclosertowhereyouwanttobe.Goeasyonyourselfandtakeyourtime.Worrylessaboutgetting things done.Worrymore about things worth doing.Worry less aboutbeingagreatartist.Worrymoreaboutbeingagoodhumanbeingwhomakesart.Worry lessaboutmakingamark.Worrymoreabout leaving thingsbetter thanyoufoundthem.

Keep working. Keep playing. Keep drawing. Keep looking. Keep listening.Keep thinking. Keep dreaming. Keep singing. Keep dancing. Keep painting.Keepsculpting.Keepdesigning.Keepcomposing.Keepacting.Keepcooking.Keepsearching.Keepwalking.Keepexploring.Keepgiving.Keepliving.Keeppayingattention.

Keepdoingyourverbs,whatevertheymaybe.

Keepgoing.

Thankyouto:mywife,Meghan,myfirstreader,firsteverything.Myagent,TedWeinstein. My editor, Bruce Tracy, and all the fine folks at WorkmanPublishing, including: Dan Reynolds, Suzie Bolotin, Page Edmunds, RebeccaCarlisle,AmandaHong,GalenSmith,TerriRuffino,DianaGriffin, andmanymore.AndyMcMillanandtheteamatBackerkitBond,forinvitingmetogivethetalkthatinspiredthisbook,andPaulSearleandhisteamforfilmingit.Myfriends, colleagues, and mentors-from-afar, including: Alan Jacobs, WendyMacNaughton,MattThomas,KioStark, JohnT.Unger,FrankChimero,KelliAnderson,ClaytonCubitt,AnnFriedman(especiallyforherpiece,“NotEveryHobby Is a Side Hustle”), Steven Tomlinson, Steven Bauer (“apply ass tochair!”),OliviaLaing(especiallyfortheLeonardWoolfstory),BrianEno,BrianBeattieandValerieFowler(that’stheir“KeepGoing”signinchapter10!),RyanHoliday,Maria Popova, SethGodin, JasonKottke, Edward Tufte, Levi Stahl,LauraDassowWalls (forher excellentThoreaubiography),DebChachra (sheintroducedmetoUrsulaFranklin),andLyndaBarry.Allmywonderfulreadersand smart, helpful newsletter subscribers. Finally, my sons, Owen and Jules,whoaremyfavoriteartistsintheworldandinspiremeeveryday.

ALSOBYAUSTINKLEON

Thisbookwillteachyouhowtobuildamorecreativelifeinthedigitalage.

Thisbookwillteachyouhowtoshareyourcreativityandgetdiscovered.

Usethisnotebooktostimulateyourcreativityandkeeptrackofexplorations.

Copyright©2019byAustinKleonAllrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybereproduced—mechanically,electronically,orbyanyothermeans,includingphotocopying—withoutwrittenpermissionofthepublisher.PublishedsimultaneouslyinCanadabyThomasAllen&SonLimited.

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