Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
- mayleencadiz
- Nov 14, 2019
- 10 min read
The only self-help book so far that I've read that is not too vague and pretentious. It also helped me realize what I really want to do in my life and how to achieve my goals.
I chose this book as my husband bargained with me after I picked up Sherlock Holmes. I wanted to get a collection of Horror Stories by Mary Shelly to go along with Sherlock Holmes, but my husband suggested that I also get a motivational book that could help me become productive. He wanted to me write again. I also wanted to write again, but I lost the will to do so.
So I walked around the bookstore while pouting my way between the aisles. I even snapped at a group of teenagers who just kept shouting and laughing inside the bookstore. Yes. I'm that grumpy woman that you meet at the bookstore who thinks that bookstores are also libraries.
I really wanted to get that Mary Shelly book, but of course, I realized I needed a book to help me write. So I chose the thinnest book I could find. I found this book tucked away in a corner of other self-help books with the other authors' faces plastered on the cover - looking so happy that I wanted to slap them hard. I flipped through the pages of this book and found that it was an easy read so I bought it together with the Sherlock Holmes book.
I finished reading the book in one seating because aside from it being an easy read, it was well-written and not full of pretentious and cheesy crap that made me want to vomit or hurl anything within my reach out the window.
The advice about creativity was practical and it even acknowledged that the creative process doesn't have to always be inspired. The book drilled in my head that no matter how crappy my writing is at the beginning, I just need to keep on writing and I will suck less overtime. I suddenly recalled all the blog pages I created and deleted because I really hated the way I wrote. There is really nothing I can do now, except to start over again and stick to writing no matter how crappy I'll be in the beginning. How long I will stay crappy is still a wild guess.
The book also highlighted the importance of making a list of my goals and the tasks I need to do so my goals will not just hover my head like a huge dark cloud of depression and anxiety. I had a long bout of depression that lasted for about 3 to 4 months. During that time, I didn't write on my blog, gave up on the draft on the novel I was trying to write, and did absolutely nothing creative. I tried to take care of plants and hoped to have my own herb garden and the herbs eventually died, so I gave up on that idea also which made me more depressed and angry.
I attempted to start writing on my blog again so I could establish a new routine. But every time I open my laptop, I ended up staring at the screen then found myself shopping for stuff online. It was a disaster. Although online shopping is fun, I don't want to end up compulsively shopping for things I don't need which I will regret that will make me more depressed
I Sort of Built my Own Bliss Station
Austin Kleon suggested that every artist should have his/her own bliss station. A bliss station is where you can work on your creative stuff without interruption or distraction.
For an introvert like me, this is a brilliant and useful idea. So I decided to do my reading and writing on our living/dining room area so I wouldn't be tempted to lie down on my bed and scroll through my phone for the whole day. I also write my blog when my husband is at work because I prefer to work alone. When I read or write, I don't want to be bothered by anyone. When someone tries to talk to me when I'm engrossed in writing or reading, I shoot that person with my dagger stares and that's enough for him/her to cower in the corner. And unfortunately, my husband is often the receiver of those dagger stares.
The book also emphasized the importance of designating a time to do my craft. If I want to build a career as a writer, I must find time to read and write. I actually have to find ways so it will be easy for me to read, formulate my thoughts, then write. I finally honed a system where I would write my initial drafts in a notebook. Those drafts help me compose a more cohesive piece on my laptop because my drafts serve as an outline. It really works wonders for me.
Routines, Routines, Routines
Having my own bliss station made me establish my own routines. With the help of my mood-stabilizing meds, I was able to establish routines that help me in my daily productivity.
So here are my usual routines. They sort of vary day by day but I always make sure that I do something creative - like reading and writing drafts
1. Feed the dog and the cat.
2. Make breakfast.
3. Eat with my husband or alone.
4. Drink my morning mood-stabilizing pills and heart and medications.
5. Wash dishes.
6. Do my quick morning facial routine.
7. Listen to Coldplay.
8. Read a book while taking down notes.
9. Jot down notes about my mental health blog.
10. Prepare lunch and/or dinner.
11. Have lunch.
12. Wash dishes.
13. Continue writing or reading.
14. Take a break by scrolling through my phone.
15. Finish reading or writing.
16. Have dinner.
17. Wash dishes.
18. Feed the dog and cat again.
19. Walk the dog.
20. Take a long shower.
21. Hang out with my husband as we get ready for sleep.
22. Do my quick evening facial routine.
23. Drink my evening my mood-stabilizing pills.
24. Listen to a podcast (mostly about true crime and serial killers) until I fall asleep.
Yes. The list is quite long. I find it daunting and exhausting by just looking at it, but once I do the first step in my long list, the remaining tasks become more doable. I make sure that I take breaks so I wouldn't get mentally exhausted.
Of Staying Informed, Saying NO, and FOMO
It is very easy to get information today. Since everyone has a smartphone, the information is literally right at our fingertips. Amidst the billions of articles, news, blogs, photos, videos, vlogs, and other forms of information/entertainment out there, they should not get in the way of our productivity. Staying informed of the events going on around us is important, but it should not get in the way of our mental health and creativity. It's so easy to say that we should minimize our phone usage, but it is near impossible to stay away from it. To minimize my phone use, I read books again and try to finish at least 100 pages a day. I also try my best to stick to my routines.
Saying "No" to invitations to go out is very easy for me because I'm an introvert. I prefer to stay at home - it is quiet and I love the feeling that I would be able to do something creative. I rarely go out. My husband sometimes would have to beg me to go out with him. Eventually, he learned that as long as he would promise me that our social events would involve good food, nice wine, and cheese with friends, I would definitely get dressed immediately.
Even at the age of 39, I must admit that I still experience FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) especially when I see my friends post their fabulous vacations on social media. I'm of course happy for them, but I always tell myself that someday, I'll be standing in the middle of Hagia Sophia admiring the secular museum that stood the harsh and bloody test of time and history for hundreds of years. For now, I must continue to write - it really doesn't matter if I would have a lot of followers or not. I must write because I know now that it's what I must do to make me happy.
Noun vs. Verb and Being Perfect and Making Mistakes
I want to be a writer or blogger. Those are just nouns - concepts that seem unreal and unreachable. For me to be a writer, I must write. I must do the verb that requires me to be the noun that I want to be.
In line with my goal, I know I will not be as a great writer like Neil Gaiman. Oh, hell no. I know I will never be, but I can only be my own kind of writer that until now I'm discovering. I used to be an uptight perfectionist. I don't want to make mistakes in my school work especially on the school papers I have to write. But out in the real world, being a writer is not as easy as writing school essays. I will make mistakes, and I'm still trying to accept the fact that my work will not be perfect right away.
Even great artists like Coldplay made a huge mistake by collaborating with The Chainsmokers for the song "Something Just Like This." The band who wrote Yellow, Strawberry Swing, Viva La Vida, and my all-time song favorite Daylight collaborated with the hated EDM group. I thought I was hallucinating when I read the news. When I heard the song, it strangely sounds good but there is something inherently wrong with it. Coldplay and The Chainsmokers are two band names that should not be seen in the same sentence - ever. If Coldplay can make that artistic mistake, sure as hell I will.
For me to become the writer that I want to be, I must continue to read and write. It doesn't matter if I earn or not. I'm glad that I have a husband who supports me. I don't have any idea how long it will take before I become a paid writer, but I'm crossing all my fingers and toes that I will get there.
Arguing on the Internet vs. Advocacy
There is a thin line between writing for your advocacy and arguing with a complete stranger on the internet. Once you start posting an opposing point of view on a stranger's post on the internet, it's a slippery slope from there and you'll find yourself in the rabbit hole of never-ending arguments.
I used to be conservative with my beliefs; I don't believe that the LGBTQ community should be given the right to get married, I used to oppose divorce, and other controversial topics. When I went out to the real world and met people who were discriminated against because of their gender, and those who were stuck in abusive marriages, I realized that I was too narrow-minded. I realized that I've lived in my own bubble, quite blind and clueless to the plight of others. As long as we are alive, we must open our minds to other people's opinions and change our minds. We should not get stuck to the old points of view because the world moves forward.
I'm also an advocate of Mental Health Issues, and I've had heated debates with strangers that mental illness is not a mental issue but a spiritual one. Some people still believe that mental illness is because of a lack of faith. That somehow, people who suffer from this difficult medical condition is being judged because of their perceived lack of faith. No one, I mean no one among us has the right to question someone's relationship with the Lord or with the Divine because only God knows someone's heart. Not you, me, priest, pastor, priestess, or any other religious leader.
I still argue with strangers on the internet from time to time, because I'm stubborn as hell. Slowly, I realize that I could spread my beliefs by writing on my blog and sharing it with others on the FB page I manage called Mental Health Philippines. Here is the link by the way:
I created this page to serve as a forum for people with mental health struggles so they are free to share their stories. Although I personally don't provide diagnoses since I'm not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, I assist members in locating the nearest mental health facilities they can easily go to. I also share my experiences and my journey so I could inspire others to seek help in the form of attending regular sessions and taking medicine for mental illness if needed. My goal on that page is to de-mystify and remove the stigma against therapy and taking psyche meds.
The Sum it all Up, I Still Have Time
Life is cyclical, as the great comedian George Carlin once said. Seasons repeat themselves - as well as crops, the cycle of the moon, the positions of stars in the sky, and the seasons.
Although years fly away and changes are made along with time, we should also acknowledge that some things in this world remain the same and true, and that is art is a process - a long and sometimes painful one. We should learn how to ask ourselves hard questions like "Am I getting better or worse? Am I getting complacent? Am I happy with my work? Am I at peace?" I must admit that I'm too coward to ask myself those questions, and I'm still learning how to face my greatest critic - myself.
We want things to come easy for us - it's just human nature. We love to hear stories of "overnight success". We applaud people who have achieved a lot at such a young age. It had become recently common that young people are in a hurry to success right away, not that there is something wrong with that. Let's just remember that people bloom at their own pace.
You can become a CEO but maybe not at 25 years old, but it doesn't mean you failed when you didn't reach your target goal within the timeframe you set. Studies even show that CEO's in their 40's make sounder decisions because they've been in the grind and learned lessons along the way as they became a successful CEO or founder. I may not become an author at the age of 40, even at 50, but I'll enjoy the journey. In the meantime, I'll write just for the sake of it.
This book also taught me that just when you thought everything has been said, done, written, vlogged, and everything in between, there is still more room for beauty and art. May it is in a form of commentary, poetry, book review, or photos of withering plants, people need to see the beauty of life to be inspired to create their own art.
What we need to show the world is not what we've accumulated empty material things, but the lessons we've learned as we continue to live. We can show people that there is beauty in our lives. In my case, the art I can contribute is my thoughts on the books I've read and my journey to my mental health recovery. Maybe that is my purpose.
Thank you Austin Kleon for writing this non-bullshit book. The practicality of your advice is just exactly what I needed during those times that I was confused about what to do with my life.
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