Literary Birthday – 16 June – Austin Kleon
Happy Birthday, Austin Kleon, born on 16 June 1983.
Austin Kleon Quotes
- I like to write and draw in the morning at my desk. (I aspire to John Waters’ routine: make stuff up in the morning, and sell it in the afternoon.) I have an ‘analog’ desk where nothing digital is allowed — and then, when I’m finished, I’ll go over to my ‘digital’ desk and fiddle with whatever I’ve made. Sometimes I go back and forth between the two.
- Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started. The way you figure yourself out is by making things.
- Write the book you want to read. Don’t screw around writing work to please your teachers or agents or literary journals. Think about the books you love, and mash them up into something of your own. Think about the writers you love, and pick up the torch from them.
- Do good work and put it where people can see it. That’s the only real secret. The internet is the major medium of our time, so don’t ignore it, embrace it.
- Be boring. It’s the only way to get work done. Get a day job, find a regular hour or two a day to write, take care of yourself, and be a good friend.
Read our post on Austin: ‘How To Steal Like An Artist’ – Writing Advice From Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon is a New York Times bestselling American author of a series of illustrated books about creativity in the digital age. He describes himself as a writer who draws. The books are: Steal Like an Artist; Show Your Work!; Keep Going; The Steal Like An Artist Journal; Newspaper Blackout; and Don’t Call It Art. His books have sold over two million copies and have been translated into over 30 languages. In previous lives, he worked as a librarian, a web designer, and an advertising copywriter. Follow him on Instagram.
Source for photograph: Author’s Website, Photo credit: Clayton Cubitt
Source for quotes: Advice To Writers
by Amanda Patterson
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