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Archives
- 06/11/2021 – When the mind’s eye is blind
- 06/04/2021 – Pluck the day
- 05/28/2021 – First we read, then we write
- 05/21/2021 – Spin art
- 05/14/2021 – Read like an artist
- 05/07/2021 – The Goldilocks theory of creativity
- 04/30/2021 – Not languishing, but dormant
- 04/23/2021 – Weakened by the weekend
- 04/16/2021 – Of portals and pansies
- 04/09/2021 – A quilt made of days
- 04/02/2021 – Books that suck you in and spin you out
- 03/26/2021 – Big mood
- 03/19/2021 – You have to be obsessed
- 03/12/2021 – A quote a day
- 03/05/2021 – How to eat a book
- 02/26/2021 – The stream I go a-fishing in
- 02/19/2021 – It ain’t Grand
- 02/12/2021 – Learn to play the fool
- 02/05/2021 – Every day is Groundhog Day
- 01/29/2021 – I’ve got an idea
- 01/22/2021 – Something that will outlast them
- 01/15/2021 – A snow day in Texas
- 01/08/2021 – Practice, practice, practice
- 01/01/2021 – 100 things that made my year
2020
- 12/25/2020 – The year in books (and notebooks)
- 12/18/2020 – The comfort of a pencil
- 12/11/2020 – Morning pages (and variations)
- 12/04/2020 – There is no finish line
- 11/27/2020 – My new audiobook is out now
- 11/20/2020 – The comedy of survival
- 11/13/2020 – The good, the bad, and the ugly
- 11/06/2020 – Keep calm and make ugly art
- 10/30/2020 – When I share, I learn
- 10/23/2020 – Newsletters I love to read
- 10/16/2020 – Art takes you where it wants to go
- 10/09/2020 – The tinkering spirit
- 10/02/2020 – Bored games
- 09/25/2020 – Autumn is here
- 09/18/2020 – But the music is exceptional
- 09/11/2020 – The days stack up
- 09/04/2020 – Recording an audiobook during a pandemic
- 08/28/2020 – I have spoken to Batman
- 08/21/2020 – Something to do
- 08/14/2020 – A secret before the world knows
- 08/07/2020 – The unschooled artists
- 07/31/2020 – The Chronovirus
- 07/24/2020 – Cosmic nonsense
- 07/17/2020 – Nice tricks to make friends
- 07/10/2020 – How I start a notebook
- 07/03/2020 – No doomscrolling
- 06/26/2020 – All good things must begin
- 06/19/2020 – The work in front of you
- 06/12/2020 – An anthropology of ourselves
- 06/05/2020 – Anger and curiosity
- 05/29/2020 – A tiny triumph
- 05/22/2020 – How to draw what is invisible
- 05/15/2020 – Missing imagination
- 05/08/2020 – Not everything will be okay (but some things will)
- 05/01/2020 – Nobody knows anything
- 04/24/2020 – To wonder rather than know
- 04/17/2020 – Make bad art
- 04/10/2020 – Can we pretend?
- 04/03/2020 – Things to do in the belly of the whale
- 03/27/2020 – The best distance learning is reading a book
- 03/20/2020 – Stay home, make zines
- 03/13/2020 – Working from home
- 03/06/2020 – What did you really want to say?
- 02/28/2020 – If you draw, the world becomes more beautiful
- 02/21/2020 – Drawing without looking down
- 02/14/2020 – Listening for another world
- 02/07/2020 – In praise of solvable problems
- 01/31/2020 – Everything aches in protest
- 01/24/2020 – One method of writing
- 01/17/2020 – Hide and seek
- 01/10/2020 – How to think about time
- 01/03/2020 – 100 things that made my year
2019
- 12/27/2019 – My favorite books of the year
- 12/20/2019 – The garden of the mind
- 12/13/2019 – It’s non-negotiable
- 12/06/2019 – Drawing has to come out of your body
- 11/27/2019 – Ask and they will tell you
- 11/22/2019 – Art is everywhere (if you say so)
- 11/15/2019 – Art is the fossil record of the artist
- 11/08/2019 – Start before you think you’re ready
- 11/01/2019 – Time, space, and materials
- 10/25/2019 – A finished diary
- 10/18/2019 – The digestive system
- 10/11/2019 – Who’s having fun?
- 10/04/2019 – Discovering the masterpiece right in front of you
- 09/27/2019 – Catching up to genius
- 09/20/2019 – Cut up and play
- 09/13/2019 – Rules of the Studio
- 09/06/2019 – Thoreau’s laundry
- 08/30/2019 – Back in Texas
- 08/23/2019 – The school supplies aisle
- 08/16/2019 – Dog day summer reads
- 08/09/2019 – Checking in with death
- 08/02/2019 – In and Out of The Whale
- 07/26/2019 – Grumpy on the moon
- 07/19/2019 – A negative approach
- 07/12/2019 – Know your exits
- 07/05/2019 – Taking it easy
- 06/28/2019 – Everybody just got here
- 06/21/2019 – Finding something new to say
- 06/14/2019 – Curious is a good thing to be
- 06/07/2019 – Getting over creative block
- 05/31/2019 – The end of the tour
- 05/24/2019 – Wrestling with flowers
- 05/17/2019 – Working with time
- 05/10/2019 – The trouble with being lazy
- 05/03/2019 – Phones smash, notebooks bend
- 04/26/2019 – A portable routine
- 04/19/2019 – Put it on a t-shirt
- 04/12/2019 – How disconnection boosts creativity
- 04/05/2019 – Search or be found
- 03/29/2019 – Time to hit the road
- 03/22/2019 – How to read more
- 03/15/2019 – You’ve got to be kind
- 03/08/2019 – South by southwest
- 03/01/2019 – How to get a free piece of wall art
- 02/22/2019 – What to say when there’s nothing to say
- 02/15/2019 – Don’t give up!
- 02/08/2019 – Connect Four
- 02/01/2019 – A slow start
- 01/25/2019 – I might regret this
- 01/18/2019 – You do not have to be good
- 01/11/2019 – Winter spirit
- 01/04/2019 – 100 things that made my year
2018
- 12/28/2018 – 20 good books I read this year
- 12/21/2018 – Stay alive, get weird
- 12/14/2018 – Wintry mix
- 12/07/2018 – Road trip
- 11/30/2018 – The residue of creativity
- 11/23/2018 – The 2018 Kleon Holiday Gift Guide
- 11/16/2018 – We’re not nouns. We’re verbs.
- 11/09/2018 – Listening to your materials
- 11/02/2018 – To be or not to be
- 10/26/2018 – A lot to digest
- 10/19/2018 – Shoot your arrows, then draw the bullseye
- 10/12/2018 – There’s no time for despair
- 10/05/2018 – Hang it on the refrigerator
- 09/28/2018 – What to do with jealousy
- 09/21/2018 – Why it takes longer than you think
- 09/14/2018 – Open every day of the week
- 09/07/2018 – Do the work you want to see done
- 08/31/2018 – A very simple rule
- 08/24/2018 – Creative is not a noun
- 08/17/2018 – The Summer Muse
- 08/03/2018 – It’s not a vacation, it’s a trip
- 07/27/2018 – Favorite music and movies of 2018 (so far)
- 07/20/2018 – Favorite books of 2018 (so far)
- 07/13/2018 – I could do that
- 07/06/2018 – You don’t have to live in public
- 06/29/2018 – Knitting at the end of the world
- 06/22/2018 – Notebook vs. washing machine
- 06/15/2018 – There is art left to be made in this world
- 06/08/2018 – How this works
- 06/01/2018 – Summer brains
- 05/25/2018 – Keep going
- 05/18/2018 – Made to order
- 05/11/2018 – On drawing
- 05/04/2018 – First drafts
- 04/27/2018 – The reader is the musician of the book
- 04/20/2018 – Picture of my brain
- 04/13/2018 – The creative process (illustrated by a 3-year-old)
- 04/06/2018 – The means of resistance
- 03/30/2018 – How To Keep Going
- 03/23/2018 – Help me be worthy of my life
- 03/16/2018 – Students take matters into their own hands
- 03/09/2018 – A late rebellion
- 03/02/2018 – The creative learning spiral
- 02/23/2018 – Why and how I keep a diary
- 02/16/2018 – Obituaries for thieves
- 02/09/2018 – Copying is how we learn
- 02/02/2018 – Why all artists should watch Groundhog Day
- 01/26/2018 – A scissors and paste man
- 01/19/2018 – Who I want to be
- 01/12/2018 – Remember your heroes
- 01/05/2018 – 100 things that made my year
2017
- 12/29/2017 – How to be happy
- 12/22/2017 – 15 great books I read in 2017
- 12/15/2017 – Everybody’s got something
- 12/08/2017 – This year needs to be over already
- 12/01/2017 – How much of the year is left
- 11/24/2017 – Perpetual Thanksgiving
- 11/17/2017 – Log off, mute all, carry on
- 11/10/2017 – You are allowed to change your mind
- 11/03/2017 – 30-day challenge
- 10/27/2017 – Intelligence in your fingers
- 10/20/2017 – Wake up like Leonardo
- 10/13/2017 – How to take a nap
- 10/06/2017 – The sky is a map
- 09/29/2017 – I will not argue with strangers on the internet
- 09/22/2017 – Nothing in common
- 09/15/2017 – Orchestrated drawings
- 09/08/2017 – The answer is the question upside down
- 09/01/2017 – Perspective
- 08/18/2017 – Why I love my paper dictionary
- 08/11/2017 – None of us know what will happen
- 08/04/2017 – Never pay for wi-fi
- 07/28/2017 – You can be woke without waking up to the news
- 07/21/2017 – The value of nonsense
- 07/14/2017 – Without hope and without despair
- 06/30/2017 – Hold thy tongue (and loosen thy pen)
- 06/23/2017 – What is not machine-like
- 06/16/2017 – All nerves
- 06/09/2017 – Every day is created from scratch
- 06/02/2017 – Part of a cure
- 05/26/2017 – More advice for the graduate
- 05/19/2017 – Egosystems vs. Ecosystems
- 05/12/2017 – The connection between play and art
- 05/05/2017 – Don’t ask how it’s done
- 04/28/2017 – The Rolodex Project
- 04/21/2017 – Don’t mess with my fantasy
- 04/14/2017 – A handful of people
- 04/07/2017 – Notes from Italy
- 03/31/2017 – You do not need permission
- 03/24/2017 – Something that will outlast them
- 03/17/2017 – Everything’s fine
- 03/10/2017 – Pay attention to what you pay attention to
- 03/03/2017 – Got a lot of writing done this week
- 02/24/2017 – My notebooks
- 02/17/2017 – Get out now
- 02/10/2017 – A checklist for every day
- 02/03/2017 – Guardian spirits
- 01/27/2017 – Glue one thing to another
- 01/20/2017 – A good place to have bad ideas
- 01/13/2017 – The books you want to read (and write)
- 01/06/2017 – 100 things that made my year
2016
- 12/30/2016 – 10 great books I read in 2016
- 12/23/2016 – A detailed glimpse into the void
- 12/16/2016 – Fly me to another galaxy
- 12/09/2016 – Bibliophilia
- 12/02/2016 – Get yourself a calendar
- 11/25/2016 – This year’s killing us
- 11/18/2016 – Low-hanging fruit
- 11/11/2016 – A scrap of meaning
- 11/04/2016 – What we want is to not want
- 10/28/2016 – The Pram in the Hall
- 10/21/2016 – It wasn’t for me
- 10/14/2016 – The worst first thought
- 10/07/2016 – What is right
- 09/30/2016 – Head, heart, hands, and hustle
- 09/23/2016 – Steal old stuff
- 09/16/2016 – Talking to strangers
- 09/09/2016 – Hold open the door
- 09/02/2016 – You know something we don’t know
- 08/26/2016 – Sometimes we earn the day
- 08/19/2016 – A bigger cage
- 08/12/2016 – Creative work has seasons
- 08/05/2016 – Find a new city
- 07/29/2016 – Wrong about everything
- 07/22/2016 – The Bliss Station
- 07/15/2016 – The year is too young to be this long
- 07/08/2016 – Learning to unknow the known
- 07/01/2016 – Just don’t lose the magic
- 06/24/2016 – Guess work
- 06/17/2016 – What did you make today?
- 06/10/2016 – Unschooling
- 06/03/2016 – If you can’t come up with your own ideas
- 05/27/2016 – Advice for the graduate
- 05/20/2016 – Put out fires (or set them)
- 05/13/2016 – When this day is over
- 05/06/2016 – Security patterns
- 04/29/2016 – But I still really want to be an artist
- 04/22/2016 – Fitting it together
- 04/15/2016 – A winning strategy
- 04/08/2016 – Eyes to hear, ears to see
- 04/01/2016 – Just keep going
- 03/25/2016 – Sprang
- 03/18/2016 – A Quiet Nod
- 03/11/2016 – God cannot be me
- 03/04/2016 – How to read more (and more)
- 02/26/2016 – Toddler Color Theory
- 02/19/2016 – Tiny parts of other people
- 02/12/2016 – What are you really working on?
- 02/05/2016 – A page a day
- 01/29/2016 – Greetings from a coffee shop
- 01/22/2016 – Lower your standards (for what counts as progress)
- 01/15/2016 – Breakfast of champions
- 01/08/2016 – 100 things that made my year
- 01/01/2016 – 20 good books I read in 2015
2015
- 12/18/2015 – The Benefits of Boredom
- 12/11/2015 – How to find your voice
- 12/04/2015 – What to leave out and what to leave in
- 11/27/2015 – How to give thanks
- 11/20/2015 – You probably don’t deserve it
- 11/13/2015 – Problems of output are problems of input
- 11/06/2015 – Cards to get you unstuck
- 10/30/2015 – A good place to have bad ideas
- 10/23/2015 – Back to the Future
- 10/16/2015 – Journalizing
- 10/09/2015 – Journals and t-shirts on sale now
- 10/02/2015 – On Tour
- 09/25/2015 – Head, heart, hands, paper, and pen
- 09/18/2015 – And the pen to write with!
- 09/11/2015 – Keep telling yourself it’s art
- 09/04/2015 – The search for ideas
- 08/28/2015 – On the verge of being happy
- 08/21/2015 – An old dream
- 08/14/2015 – A longtime fan of you
- 08/07/2015 – School Supplies
- 07/31/2015 – Beach Reads
- 07/24/2015 – To be the noun, do the verb
- 07/17/2015 – Our job is to know where to look
- 07/10/2015 – Sorry, we’re tired
- 07/02/2015 – Favorite books of the year (so far)
- 06/26/2015 – Looking Back
- 06/19/2015 – To be a teacher and remain a student
- 06/12/2015 – What you are looking for
- 06/05/2015 – Tell me it’s going to be okay
- 05/29/2015 – Good Things
- 05/22/2015 – An open mind (but not an empty head)
- 05/15/2015 – Dear Universe
- 05/08/2015 – Art is 99 percent robbery
- 05/01/2015 – Make the journal you want to use
- 04/24/2015 – Clear History
- 04/17/2015 – Did we survive the day?
- 04/10/2015 – Under the magnifying glass
- 04/03/2015 – Potential Reactions
- 03/27/2015 – Not knowing is the first step
- 03/20/2015 – Every person on the planet
- 03/13/2015 – 10 Things I Learned While Writing My Last Book
- 03/06/2015 – The So What? Test
- 02/27/2015 – How to support an artist you love
- 02/20/2015 – Repeat after me
- 02/13/2015 – The work goes on
- 02/06/2015 – Borrow a kid
- 01/30/2015 – How to stay alive
- 01/23/2015 – People you follow
- 01/16/2015 – Read a book instead (revisited)
- 01/09/2015 – Better than I deserved
- 01/02/2015 – 20 great books I read in 2014 (and how you can read more this year)
2014
- 12/19/2014 – No life
- 12/13/2014 – We were good enough this year
- 12/05/2014 – Most questions can be boiled down
- 11/28/2014 – Thank you for having me
- 11/21/2014 – Office Hours
- 11/14/2014 – The Dark Knight of the Soul
- 11/07/2014 – Back from Belgium
- 10/31/2014 – How to do everything
- 10/24/2014 – How to tell if you’re an a-hole
- 10/17/2014 – A Reader’s Manifesto
- 10/11/2014 – Me and Stephin
- 10/03/2014 – No Poet
- 09/26/2014 – Via Chicago
- 09/19/2014 – What’s with the clipboards?
- 09/14/2014 – More or less
- 09/05/2014 – Notes To Self
- 08/29/2014 – No Angel
- 08/22/2014 – Cut in half
- 08/15/2014 – Rough week
- 08/08/2014 – Four epitaphs
- 08/01/2014 – Making a mark
- 07/25/2014 – Read a book instead
- 07/18/2014 – A vacation from vacation
- 07/11/2014 – The days have a shape
- 07/04/2014 – Is the year half empty or half full?
- 06/27/2014 – The Muse is ready to surprise me
- 06/20/2014 – The need to not know yourself
- 06/12/2014 – Big Twinkie
- 06/06/2014 – It’s 5 o’ clock somewhere (but not here)
- 05/28/2014 – Holding hands
- 05/19/2014 – Newsletter: Thinkin’ about crawfish
- 05/11/2014 – Homecoming
- 05/03/2014 – If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is
- 04/25/2014 – the New York Times does blackout poetry
- 04/19/2014 – Watch my SXSW keynote
- 04/11/2014 – Greetings from Los Angeles
- 04/06/2014 – What should we talk about?
- 04/01/2014 – wondering what the heck I’m doing, links, and new poems
- 03/23/2014 – Newspaper Blackout ebook, tour diary, links, and new poems
- 03/15/2014 – My book tour starts next week
- 03/02/2014 – Holy crap it’s March!
- 02/21/2014 – My new book is out early
- 02/16/2014 – No guilty pleasures!
- 02/09/2014 – The risks worth taking for your work
- 02/02/2014 – New prints!
- 01/26/2014 – Greetings from Brazil!
- 01/19/2014 – A good spaceship for time travel
- 01/12/2014 – New studio (and new prints coming soon!)
- 01/05/2014 – My favorite books of 2013
2013
- 12/29/2013 – Something small, every day
- 12/22/2013 – You want a social life with friends
- 12/15/2013 – I don’t make book trailers
- 12/08/2013 – How much of the year is left
- 12/01/2013 – My holiday gift guide, 75 books I like, new poems, and links
- 11/24/2013 – Galleys, a book signing, links, and new poems
- 11/08/2013 – 10 interesting links + putting the finishing touches on Show Your Work!
- 10/31/2013 – 13 cool links and a ghost story
- 10/04/2013 – 10 links to go with your morning coffee
- 09/13/2013 – Seattle taping and 10 links worth checking out
- 08/11/2013 – Steal Like An Artist on sale for $1.99
- 07/26/2013 – What to pack for vacation (5 great things I read this week)
- 05/13/2013 – Watch my Creative Mornings talk
- 03/27/2013 – Shut up and write the book!