A Creative Lifeline: The Book I Didn’t Know I Needed
Keep Going: A Guide to Staying Creative Through Life’s Highs and Lows
Creativity isn’t about waiting for inspiration to strike—it’s about showing up, doing the work, and learning to love the process. In Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad, Austin Kleon offers a reassuring and insightful guide for artists, writers, and anyone navigating the ups and downs of creative life. It’s a book that acknowledges how difficult it can be to sustain creativity, especially in a world that often feels chaotic, overwhelming, or discouraging. But more importantly, it’s a reminder that persistence, play, and curiosity are at the heart of a meaningful creative practice.
Kleon’s message is simple yet profound: creativity isn’t a destination, it’s a way of life. Unlike his previous books (Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!), which focus on generating ideas and sharing them with the world, Keep Going is about endurance—how to continue making art even when motivation fades, doubt creeps in, or external pressures become too loud. He offers ten practical and heartfelt lessons on sustaining creativity, emphasizing that the best way forward isn’t to chase success, but to embrace the daily ritual of making something, anything, without worrying about the outcome.
Some of the book’s most valuable insights include:
Forget the noun, do the verb. Don’t stress about whether you’re a “real artist” or a “successful writer”—just focus on creating.
Make a bliss station. Carve out time and space where you can disconnect from the noise of the world and focus on your work.
Build a routine. Treat creativity like a practice, not a performance. Keep showing up, even when inspiration is nowhere to be found.
Turn work into play. If creating feels like a burden, find ways to bring joy and spontaneity back into it.
Step away from the chaos. The internet and social media can be both inspiring and exhausting. Sometimes, the best thing for creativity is a long walk, a good book, or simply staring out the window.
At its core, Keep Going is a love letter to creative resilience. It’s a reminder that making art isn’t just about talent or inspiration—it’s about commitment, curiosity, and the courage to continue, even when it feels like no one is watching. Kleon doesn’t offer a magic formula to creative success, but he does offer something even more valuable: permission to slow down, enjoy the process, and remember why making art matters in the first place.
For anyone who has ever felt stuck, discouraged, or burnt out, Keep Going is a comforting companion—a voice reminding us that the act of creating is always worth it, no matter the outcome. Because at the end of the day, creativity isn’t about reaching a finish line. It’s about finding joy in the doing, again and again.
