Austin Kleon - Something to do

Hey y’all,

Here are 10 things I thought were worth sharing this week: 

1. It feels good to have something to do.
    
2. I’m only halfway through Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa, but I can’t remember being more inspired by an artist’s biography. (Still time to get stamps!)
    
3. I asked the internets for books with unusual but brilliant structures and hundreds of people responded. (I just started reading Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative.)
    
4. I made a few new zines: “Studies Have Shown” and “The Old Man’s Approach.”
    
5. Sara Hendren’s What Can A Body Do? is out this week. She got so many good blurbs mine didn’t even make the cover! Here’s a cool thread she posted about the book. (Her website is rad, too.)
    
6. The free verse of Winston Churchill.
    
7. Podcast: Zadie Smith on Call Your Girlfriend.
    
8. Ear candy: I continue to enjoy the #Perfect31 challenge on Instagram. This week I was reacquainted with Sly Stone’s Fresh and introduced to Stereolab’s Dots and Loops, which has become my new writing music. I’ve been digging a little bit more in my collection, trying not to post albums that have already been posted. This week: Loretta Lynn, The White Stripes, Gary Numan, Cate le Bon, and more, here: @austinkleon.
    
9. Eye candy: it feels like a million years since I visited John T. Unger’s studio and saw his stunning anatomical mosaics in person. He just made a book to show them off. Here’s the trailer.
    
10. I’m headed to Bookpeople for another pandemic book signing on Sept. 1, so if you’d like a signed and personalized copy of one of my books, get your order in now to minimize the ship time. They ship everywhere! (Might I suggest Keep Going for a boost in these times?)