A slow start

In this week's newsletter: why you should tackle your resolutions in February, the importance of imagination, and more...

In this week's newsletter: why you should tackle your resolutions in February, the importance of imagination, and more...  View this email in your browser Hey y'all, Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week:  January felt like a month with a thousand days that would not die, but now it's time for some February resolutions!    I tore through Elizabeth McCracken's novel Bowlaway. Read her "By The Book" interview and see if she's coming to your city on tour.    If you're interested in songwriting, parenting, or the creative process, I recommend Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy's memoir, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back). I listened to him read it on audiobook, which is rare for me. (I don't have a commute, I like reading with a pencil, I use words all day so I can't listen to them, and I usually like taking my walks without headphones in.)   The importance of imagination, or, the ability to make images in your head.   I already have my winter guardian, but if I didn't, I'd make it explore Peter Freuchen. (Here's a terrifying story about him from Rebecca Solnit's The Faraway Nearby.)   The more successful you are, the more you need Eyerollers to keep you in check.   A fun story about what's art and why you should take directions from poets.   Ear candy: I've been blasting pop anthems by Lizzo ("Juice" and "Good As Hell") and Robyn ("Missing You" and "Dancing On My Own.") I've also been playing Wire's Play Pop and Jonathan Richman's I, Jonathan on repeat.   Ideas are the fishes of thought.   Reminder: tomorrow is Groundhog Day, and everyone — but especially artists! — should watch the movie at least once. (The first chapter of Keep Going is titled, "Every day is Groundhog Day.") Okay, y'all. Thanks for reading. Hang in there this week! Do not link to the line steppers.  If you like this newsletter and want to support it, forward it to someone who'd like it or, even better, buy them a book! If you're seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can subscribe here. xoxo,  Austin PS. Here I am at the first signing for Keep Going! Cannot wait for April to get here so y'all can read it. The reviews so far are pretty danged good. (Readers totally getting what you were trying to do... what could be better?) Austin Kleon is the author of Steal Like An Artist and other books. Subscribe to this newsletter   Copyright © 2019 Austin Kleon, All rights reserved. My mailing address is: Austin Kleon 19885 Detroit Road Box #222 Rocky River, OH 44116 You're getting this email because you signed up for it at austinkleon.com. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. Amazon Affiliate links offset the cost of sending these missives. (And pay for diapers.) Support your local bookstore whenever you can.