Austin Kleon - One page diary
Hey y’all, One of the big questions of my book Show Your Work! is: How can you take bits and pieces of your process and serve them up to your audience in a way that’s interesting and/or useful? Your process is always evolving, as are methods of sharing it, so it can be a challenge to get them to line up just right. Worse yet, the social media platforms keep changing their algorithms, which usually amounts to a tiny fraction of the people who are following you actually seeing your posts. This weekend I experimented with a bunch of Instagram Reels. I despise the idea of creating “content” (blech!) for the algorithm, but I’m interested in the algorithm as a kind of creative constraint. (Note: I’m embedding video from TikTok because, well, Instagram are dopes about letting you embed stuff. To watch a video, click on the image.) How do you make short form video content that the algorithm rewards without too much effort or without changing your process too much? Honestly, you probably don’t. When we know we’re being watched, it changes the way we operate. For me, there’s a little compromise: shoot time-lapse video while I’m working and try to forget the camera is running. After the footage is shot, add some music, and annotate it with captions explaining what I’m doing. (I find it impossible to talk about making art while I’m making art. It was a revelation to me when I learned that Bob Ross always had a finished painting offscreen that he copied while he was filming.) These are videos of an exercise I call “One Page Diary.” It’s a mix of Lynda Barry’s brush diaries (see: Syllabus and her other books) and Nicholson Baker’s idea of “cheerful retrospection”:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Austin Kleon to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. A subscription gets you:
|
Older messages
Embrace bewilderment
Friday, June 10, 2022
10 things worth sharing: Rumi, bicycles, brains, an Instagram tip, the paintings of Rego, and more...
The simplest cut
Tuesday, June 7, 2022
An easy form of collage: 1 + 1 = 3
Let me eat and not be eaten
Saturday, June 4, 2022
10 things worth sharing: bicycles and creativity, Kate Bush, a message for graduates, and more...
A ticket to the freak show
Friday, May 27, 2022
10 things worth sharing: a dozen books worth reading, two great Georges, ear candy, advice from a poet, and more...
The map is not the territory
Friday, May 20, 2022
10 things worth sharing: more maps, drawing without visualizing, books I'm reading, ear and eye candy, and more...
You Might Also Like
Drop it like it's hot
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
But first: this classic skincare brand is finally available on Amazon — Check out what we Skimm'd for you today May 1, 2024 Subscribe Read in browser But first: this classic skincare brand is
"Spiral" by Hari Alluri
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
What seeps in me from weeks of rain Facebook Twitter Instagram Support Poem-a-Day May 1, 2024 Spiral Hari Alluri What seeps in me from weeks of rain making me forget the life-give part in water. The
#46: Considering My Crushes – No. 02
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Sirius Black and Kingsley Shacklebolt from Harry Potter; Harvey, Romeo and Asher D from So Solid Crew ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
A Mish-Mash Of End-Of-Month Readings:
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
"End Stage Poverty", Working Past Retirement & How White Folks Benefit From Racism ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Nourishment is a Devotion
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
What does nourishment mean to you? Is it something that you do with intention? What would the world look like if we all chose to devote ourselves just a little bit more to real nourishment? Food is a
Kim K's Bold New Hair Color Borrows Kylie Jenner's Signature Look
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
We're seeing double.
The Best Thing: April 30, 2024
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
The Best Thing is our weekly discussion thread where we share the one thing that we read, listened to, watched, did, or otherwise enjoyed recent… ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
This Wrinkle-Smoothing Retinol Serum Is A Celebrity Favorite
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
And perfect for sensitive skin.
Use the '365 Less Things' Method to Declutter Your Home
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Why Your Kitchen Still Needs a Toaster. A year seems like a long time from now, but it's really not. Start working today to have the home you want then. Not displaying correctly? View this
Zendaya's Bejeweled Minidress Is Her Most Shocking 'Challengers' Look Yet
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Plus, Millie Bobby Brown's bikini collection is a total mood, Taylor Swift's most ruthless lyrics, & more.