Episode Details

Buckle up!

Today we are flying down to hot, hot Austin, Texas where we're going to grab three chairs on the grackle-filled patio of Mi Madre's restaurant and order ourselves some enchiladas and #0 breakfast tacos before having lunch with the wise and wonderful Austin Kleon.

Austin in Austin — a treat! Austin Kleon is "a writer who draws" and the author of a number of my favorite books including Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work, and Keep Going. His books are kalaidoscopic collage-patchwork delights, focus on themes of creativity, are massive bestsellers and have sold over a million copies.

Austin has a wonderful well of wisdom at AustinKleon.com which is home to his new great Substack community and his endlessly arresting Friday Newsletter. (One of the few newsletters I open and read religiously every week!)

We are going to talk about: writer and reader energies, the Japanese word tsundoku, violence in America, dumb questions, the power of doodling, nature as a metaphor, car problems, Austin Kleon's 3 most formative books and much, much more.

Order yourself a taco, grab a margarita, put on a tank top and some shades, and come hang out with us down on the teal metal-grid table on the patio of Mi Madre's Mexican Restaurant in east Austin, Texas.

Let's flip the page into Chapter 111 now…

What You'll learn:

• Why should you order a #0 Taco at Mi Madre?
• How do writer and reader energies complement each other?
• Why should unread piles not stress you out?
• What is the intersection of reading and travel?
• Why is an awakening to misinformation crucial to growing up?
• Why is violence so prominent in the US?
• What is 'home'?
• Why should we all have 'a room of one's own'?
• What is the difference between lies and bullshit?
• What is real freedom?
• What's wrong with the car?
• Why are dumb questions the best?
• How do we manage giving our kids freedom?
• How does mentorship shape you?
• Why should you use your hands when you create art?
• Why is teaching like a quilt?
• What is the power of doodling and why should we all draw?
• How does keeping a diary promote writing?
• What is the true power of a walk?
• How can social media be used … productively?
• Why is nature the best metaphor?
• What is the optimal tension for creativity and life?
• Why should we all take public transit on a regular basis?

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/111

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3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 22-year-long quest to uncover and discuss the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter discusses the 3 most formative books of an inspiring person. Sample guests include: Brené Brown, David Sedaris, Malcolm Gladwell, George Saunders, Angie Thomas, Daniels, Cheryl Strayed, Rich Roll, Soyoung the Variety Store Owner, Derek the Hype Man, Kevin the Bookseller, Vishwas t