Day 90 - Ch 10 & Why - Keep Going

Kleon opens his last chapter with “creativity has seasons.”  Just as one can see the seasons of life with a tree, our lives also go through seasons.  He suggests to become aware of the season one is experiencing as it is not the same for others, nor is one’s season recognizable by others.  In other words, knowing where one is on their path of life, giving attention to how these influence one’s direction.  Every day is a seed for new potential.  The author shares to do the best to keep going...

For me, why I like this book is Kleon’s reminder of keeping life simple as it’s a method for reducing stress in one’s life.  He offers these 10 simple things to remember about one’s creative path.  Every day is a repeat, some days one gets to contribute some direction and others maybe not.  Adjusting one’s attitude to be okay with what ever shows up contributes to one’s peace of mind.  Taking action of creating, the doing of playing no matter whether one determines the output good or bad, contributes to one’s growth.  There will be those in the world who in making their art believe they are the gift in the world.  Kleon calls these art monsters.  No matter when they show up in one’s life, know they are the teacher for some to return attention to the practice of art for life, and not the other way around.  And while we might become distracted by the multitudes of news, politics, or just life, to keep doing our work, what every this may be.  

I encourage you to buy a copy of Keep Going for a better understanding of your own creative process.  Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book.

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