Austin Kleon – Page 438

A VICTORY SHOW

Monday, September 14, 2009

he gave us the thumbs-up / that we took as a victory show / behind her back / but she executed her will / in later years / when she executed him

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UMBRELLA

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

in the sad magic rain / you look like you could use an umbrella

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TRUCE

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

seek a truce / to reduce the gross domestic / carbon dioxide emissions / and tough speech, threats, and demands / of what we are saying in the house

Heads up: the folks at SoulPancake are having a blackout poetry challenge. I like the way they describe the poems:

…looking for rhythms and patterns and poetry using only the words printed on a single sheet of a magazine or newspaper. The rest is blacked out with a Sharpie, á la Austin Cleon [sic], whose newspaper blackout poems touch on relationships, cartwheels, nothingness—oh, and big cats.

It’s much more difficult than it looks. But your reward is the poem within: Did you just write it? Or was it there waiting for you all along?

In other news: prints will be available very, very soon. But not from us… (Hint!)

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ELVIS COSTELLO ON AUSTIN CITY LIMITS

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

elvis costello on austin city limits

I’ve been wanting to see Elvis Costello live ever since I was a teenager. Last night, we got to see him tape Austin City Limits. Talk about wish fulfillment!

Sure, he was playing bluegrass (with The Sugarcanes), but his voice sounded great, the band was top-notch, and he was witty and great with the audience. We even heard “Mystery Dance”, “Everyday I Write The Book,” and “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding.” Not too shabby.

I was going to take the evening off and devote my attention solely to the music, but I pulled out the Sharpie for a couple doodles.

I frequently get asked by people how they can get tickets to ACL. You’re best bet is to follow Leslie (@theotherleslie) and Emily (@acltv) on twitter, and subscribe to the Austin City Limits blog for giveaways.

And to see drawings I don’t post to the blog, check my twitter feed!

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See all my drawings at Austin City Limits.

SIDE PROJECTS

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

i need to take a stab at what i do not know

“We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.”—Kurt Vonnegut

One thing I’ve learned in my brief tenure as an artist: it’s the side projects that blow up.

By side projects I mean the stuff that you thought was just farting around. That’s actually the good stuff. That’s when the magic happens.

Four years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I thought I was a short story writer. I was trying to write stories. Then one day I took a Sharpie to a stack of newspapers. All the sudden I was a poet. Pretty soon a diversion—a side project—turned into my main thing (whether I wanted it to or not).

Had I been focused only on my goal of writing fiction, had I not allowed myself the room to experiment and take on a side project, I’d never be where I am now.

So the lesson is: take time for side projects. Take time to fart around.