“What would it mean to be done for the day?” <-- one of the best questions ever. I spent every morning this week asking myself that question at breakfast and it's transformed my studio practice, how my days flow, and the time we spend together as a family in the evening. So much goodness came out of that sentence. Thank you for sharing it.
Austin, would you ever consider sharing one of your book proposals from a former book? Proposals are SO HARD! They are also essential yet the one kind of writing that it's not easy to get examples of.
That's not a bad idea. In the meantime, my agent has a nice webpage that has a book proposal template and other resource: https://www.twliterary.com/submissions/
Love the reminder to use simple tools! I'm finding that I'm feeling distanced and more disconnected when I write on my laptop. I need to get back to my journals and index cards! What do you do to manage the work of moving from hand or analog composition to making it digital and shareable?
Hmm I don't know, I sort of consider the scanning or digitizing of work to be a crucial part of the process, a chance to sort of "proof" the thing, or set it in stone or something. It's a good idea to just budget time for the digitizing and sharing like you do for the making
Last week I made my yearly pilgrimage to the (online) Levenger store. I bought paper, lovely thick paper that I’ve finally given myself permission to use. I bought gel pens and refills from Amazon. My husband always asks why I need more pens. Especially if I buy refills. They just seem to go walk-about. My note-taking and making system is complete. I also been known to grab slips of paper and yes, the occasional napkin and borrowed pen, because you just never know when someone will say something and all your shopping is not where you are.
Retail is not my preferred therapy, but I just saw that there is a book about weaving at Black Mountain College. I've been obsessed with Anni Albers for years and just read a biography of Ruth Asawa. This is an exciting find.
Austin, I so hope you have either read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek now, or will have the chance to soon. I read your posts with notebook-pencil-index card-banker box envy, but on finding you saying you had not yet read Annie Dillard's masterpiece, I found myself flummoxed. How could it be? You may need a new banker's box just for the reading of Pilgrim. Lots of note-worthy words in that book. Enjoy!
yeah, I still do at least 3 pages in the morning, but they're not restricted to the way Julia Cameron says to do them. sometimes they're diary-like, sometimes they're me planning the day, sometimes they're just all over the place, or maps or drawings. but I fill at least 3 pages in the morning over breakfast
Loved that article on being done for the day. I’ve been working at deciding enough’s enough and closing the loops so my brain doesn’t keep spinning. Just a little more to chew on there.
Oh it changes day to day depending on what I need to do in the studio.
On Monday and Thursday, as long as I leave with a newsletter filed, the day can be done.
The other days are wild cards, just depending on the to-do list.
One thing I’ve been doing in my diary every morning is writing about what I want to do with the day, so I’ll build a little to-do list in my pocket notebook as I’m going. I think this is a very underrated thing to do with your diary: planning rather than retrospection. (I always have a “what happened” record that I keep in my logbook, so that frees me up to do whatever I want in the diary)
Ah, I work in my diary in the evenings, so they take on a retrospective tint by default. What happened during the day, where did my mind go. Time to consider incorporating planning and looking ahead!
Raul the Third drew the beautiful Lowrider's in Space series with Bic ball point pens on paper grocery bags. That has always amazed me and driven home the point that you don't always need fancy supplies.
I love Colle. I receive their newsletter, and it's always great to discover new collage artists. I became interested in collage after reading about Janice McDonald. She has been famous for creating daily collages for the past few years. Additionally, she makes flip-through videos that I find very soothing to watch.
I purchase soap erasers from Dick Blick 1”x2”x1/2”. They come in boxes of 12. I carve them for stamping on my art work. If you several together on a piece of plexiglass you have a larger stamp! I use ink pads, fiber paints and dyes.
And don't forget the noble pencil. Both Hemingway and Steinbeck wrote with pencils. I have some friends who do paper restoration, and they say pencils are much better to use than the ball point pen.
Yeah this is a big secret with pencil: the graphite actually holds up over time and doesn’t fade — even if you put a notebook through the wash, pencil will often hold.
You are absolutely right. I have a friend who was attempting to restore a Nobel laureate's science notes. He was also a physician so made notes with a ball point pen and then folded the paper several times to fit in is lab coat pocket. She kept saying, "I wished he had used a pencil."
How brilliant an idea to carve school erasers into stamps!!!! Love that it came from her limits. Her comments on ADHD resonate—I’m coming to admit that I am such myself. I’ve mostly felt it is a gift. I am going to buy a cutting mat, erasers, and an Xacto knife for when I’d like a different kind of play.
“What would it mean to be done for the day?” <-- one of the best questions ever. I spent every morning this week asking myself that question at breakfast and it's transformed my studio practice, how my days flow, and the time we spend together as a family in the evening. So much goodness came out of that sentence. Thank you for sharing it.
Austin, would you ever consider sharing one of your book proposals from a former book? Proposals are SO HARD! They are also essential yet the one kind of writing that it's not easy to get examples of.
That's not a bad idea. In the meantime, my agent has a nice webpage that has a book proposal template and other resource: https://www.twliterary.com/submissions/
And I think Anne Trubek occasionally runs a book proposal course — her newsletter is worth reading for everybody who wants something to do with the publishing industry... https://notesfromasmallpress.substack.com/p/book-proposal-course
Thank you!
Love the reminder to use simple tools! I'm finding that I'm feeling distanced and more disconnected when I write on my laptop. I need to get back to my journals and index cards! What do you do to manage the work of moving from hand or analog composition to making it digital and shareable?
Hmm I don't know, I sort of consider the scanning or digitizing of work to be a crucial part of the process, a chance to sort of "proof" the thing, or set it in stone or something. It's a good idea to just budget time for the digitizing and sharing like you do for the making
Last week I made my yearly pilgrimage to the (online) Levenger store. I bought paper, lovely thick paper that I’ve finally given myself permission to use. I bought gel pens and refills from Amazon. My husband always asks why I need more pens. Especially if I buy refills. They just seem to go walk-about. My note-taking and making system is complete. I also been known to grab slips of paper and yes, the occasional napkin and borrowed pen, because you just never know when someone will say something and all your shopping is not where you are.
Hush, hubby! 😂
Retail is not my preferred therapy, but I just saw that there is a book about weaving at Black Mountain College. I've been obsessed with Anni Albers for years and just read a biography of Ruth Asawa. This is an exciting find.
Oh cool. Looks like a catalog of this show? https://www.blackmountaincollege.org/weaving/
There was an Anni Albers show at the Blanton recently that was small but awesome.
There's a marvelous book I own called LEAP BEFORE YOU LOOK that's a catalog of a BMC show I saw way back at the Wexner center in Columbus.
I’ll keep an eye out for it. Thanks!
Austin, I so hope you have either read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek now, or will have the chance to soon. I read your posts with notebook-pencil-index card-banker box envy, but on finding you saying you had not yet read Annie Dillard's masterpiece, I found myself flummoxed. How could it be? You may need a new banker's box just for the reading of Pilgrim. Lots of note-worthy words in that book. Enjoy!
Thank you for #5: you (always!) and Oliver Burkeman are my teachers today. Sharpening my pencil and opening my new notebook!
go, go, go!
Austin-- do you still do morning pages? I see you mentioned using a Safari pen for morning pages. You haven't mentioned them in a long time.
I use a Bee 6x9 notebook for my Commonplace Book, a steno pad for daily log, and a flat rolodex for addresses and passwords.
yeah, I still do at least 3 pages in the morning, but they're not restricted to the way Julia Cameron says to do them. sometimes they're diary-like, sometimes they're me planning the day, sometimes they're just all over the place, or maps or drawings. but I fill at least 3 pages in the morning over breakfast
4 notebooks right now:
- big diary
- logbook
- pocket notebook for day-to-day notes
- commonplace diary
I have four too:
--typed rambling morning pages (very un-Julia)--huge document with photos
--steno pad daily log, kind of Kanban--to do, doing, done
--steno pad for scribbles during the day
--art notebook, scrapbook, commonplace book
Plus my Writer's Block-- a word and image memoir tall stack of pages in sections
Loved that article on being done for the day. I’ve been working at deciding enough’s enough and closing the loops so my brain doesn’t keep spinning. Just a little more to chew on there.
Hey Austin, what have your answers looked like to the question “What would it mean to be done for the day?”
Oh it changes day to day depending on what I need to do in the studio.
On Monday and Thursday, as long as I leave with a newsletter filed, the day can be done.
The other days are wild cards, just depending on the to-do list.
One thing I’ve been doing in my diary every morning is writing about what I want to do with the day, so I’ll build a little to-do list in my pocket notebook as I’m going. I think this is a very underrated thing to do with your diary: planning rather than retrospection. (I always have a “what happened” record that I keep in my logbook, so that frees me up to do whatever I want in the diary)
Ah, I work in my diary in the evenings, so they take on a retrospective tint by default. What happened during the day, where did my mind go. Time to consider incorporating planning and looking ahead!
Raul the Third drew the beautiful Lowrider's in Space series with Bic ball point pens on paper grocery bags. That has always amazed me and driven home the point that you don't always need fancy supplies.
He’s great. Also check out Emil Ferris’s MY FAVORITE THING IS MONSTERS
I love Colle. I receive their newsletter, and it's always great to discover new collage artists. I became interested in collage after reading about Janice McDonald. She has been famous for creating daily collages for the past few years. Additionally, she makes flip-through videos that I find very soothing to watch.
If you want look her up: https://www.janicemcdonald.com/blog/about-my-collage-diary-a-social-media-phenomenon
Thanks for introducing me to Janice! Love it.
I purchase soap erasers from Dick Blick 1”x2”x1/2”. They come in boxes of 12. I carve them for stamping on my art work. If you several together on a piece of plexiglass you have a larger stamp! I use ink pads, fiber paints and dyes.
Oh that’s a fun idea, putting them together
Anne Lammot also writes on index cards.
She does! Can't believe I forgot to include: https://austinkleon.com/2018/02/17/a-fresh-pack-of-cards/
And don't forget the noble pencil. Both Hemingway and Steinbeck wrote with pencils. I have some friends who do paper restoration, and they say pencils are much better to use than the ball point pen.
Yeah this is a big secret with pencil: the graphite actually holds up over time and doesn’t fade — even if you put a notebook through the wash, pencil will often hold.
You are absolutely right. I have a friend who was attempting to restore a Nobel laureate's science notes. He was also a physician so made notes with a ball point pen and then folded the paper several times to fit in is lab coat pocket. She kept saying, "I wished he had used a pencil."
How brilliant an idea to carve school erasers into stamps!!!! Love that it came from her limits. Her comments on ADHD resonate—I’m coming to admit that I am such myself. I’ve mostly felt it is a gift. I am going to buy a cutting mat, erasers, and an Xacto knife for when I’d like a different kind of play.
so many of our differences when put in the right context end up a gift or a superpower.
see what the Walzs recently said about their son Gus: https://people.com/gus-walz-learning-disorder-secret-power-exclusive-8691793
Ooh! I like Tim Walz even more now.