When I was in Kansas City, the folks at TEDxKC had me give a 10-minute version of my Steal talk at the Nelson Atkins Museum after the TEDxChange simulcast. Watch below.
Can’t see the video? Watch it here?
Chalk talk and plain talk on the TV
Last week I had the new-to-me-and-slightly-surreal experience of being on three local TV shows — in Phoenix, they did something out of the ordinary: they asked me to draw! The producer found a room with a wall-sized chalkboard, and I talked about Steal Like An Artist while drawing some of the concepts in the book in chalk, and the team later edited the clip and sped up the tape to show me drawing. The effect is really cool:
Tour Sketchbook
I’ve spent the past three weeks on the Steal Across America tour — other than my iPhone, my sketchbook is the most important thing I carry. I use a large Moleskine sketchbook because it has heavy bristol-like pages that don’t tear, it’s big enough to stick a boarding pass in the pages, and it has an envelope flap in the back for travel receipts.
I’m on the move a lot, so I don’t have a lot of time to sketch while I’m walking around, but I do have time to collage when I’m back in the hotel room, so I’ve started carrying transparent tape, Japanese Washi tape that my wife gave me, and a pair of safety scissors (TSA says under 4 inches is okay).
Here are a few pages from over the past three weeks:
Steal Across America Tour Diary #3: Lexington, Chapel Hill, Atlanta, and Savannah
I’m on book tour promoting Steal Like An Artist. See all upcoming dates?
Lexington, KY: grabbed some great Cajun on paper plates at Bourbon n’ Toulouse, stopped by Morris Book Shop and signed some books, then gave a talk at the University of Kentucky.
Chapel Hill, NC: upon my arrival I demanded a pulled pork sandwich, admired the beautiful trees, visited the NC Museum of Art, met my internet friend @ayse in person, and had a really great audience at the marvelous Flyleaf Books.
Atlanta, GA: had breakfast at the OK Cafe, toured the High Museum’s Picasso to Warhol exhibit, hung out with the Mailchimp gang at their offices, had an amazing burger at Bocado, talked to a class of students at SCAD’s Ivy Hall writing center, drank an old fashioned at Leon’s in Decatur, met my online brother from another mother @mlarson, then talked to a full room at the Decatur Library and sold completely out of books!
Savannah, GA: spent most of the day just walking around looking at the trees (the great thing about touring in spring) and the architecture and the cemeteries, had a civilized lunch at the Pink House, bought a marker in the awesome Primary art store, broke down and wept in the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (tired/homesick/overcome), walked to the SCAD art museum, checked out the Candy Chang “Before I Die” installation, hung out with a group of grad students who showed up to the Ex Libris bookstore signing, checked out a Louis Menand lecture on Andy Warhol, then got dinner at Local with the writer Rob Walker and his wife Ellen Susan, then walked home through Forsyth Park at night. Beautiful city.
And here’s a couple bonus photos from when I got home to Texas:
I feel lucky that I’m three weeks deep into tour and I’m still healthy and (somewhat) sane. This week I’m taking a much-needed break, but then it’s off to Portland, Tempe, and San Francsico. See the dates?
You can see more from my tour diary or follow along as it happens on Twitter: @austinkleon
Steal Across America Tour Diary #2: Columbus and Kansas City
I’m on book tour promoting Steal Like An Artist. See all upcoming dates?
After a flight cancellation and some major delays, Columbus, OH was a whirlwind, but the event at the Ohio State Barnes & Noble was a kind of homecoming — I grew up just 20 miles south in Circleville, so I got to see my parents, my best friend, my college roomate, aunts, uncles, cousins, my 7th grade English teacher, and even my kindergarten art teacher! Signed a lot of books. Got some Max & Erma’s room service. Columbus is a much more vibrant and happening place than I remember it from my childhood.
I had a nice couple of days in Kansas City — a TEDx talk at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, a fun radio interview at KCUR, eating BBQ and visiting the cool arts district with my new pal Dick Brown (that’s him in the freight elevator), more eating in repurposed gas stations, and hanging out at First Friday.
Next week: Lexington, Chapel Hill, Atlanta, and Savannah! See the dates?
You can see more from my tour diary or follow along as it happens on Twitter: @austinkleon