Great post from Austin Kleon about why he writes. The whole thing is worth reading, but I’m going to pull out one section:
Karl Lagerfield died this week, and he said: “Books are a hard-bound drug with no danger of an overdose. I am the happy victim of books.” If books are drugs, then maybe my books are just gateway drugs that lead to better ones. I’m more than okay with that!
But again, what’s the point, here? Why do I even write books in the first place?
It’s just to join that world that I love. To be a little link in a chain, no matter how puny.
There’s obviously value here in Kleon’s work - his commercial success makes that obvious. But I love how he has a higher raison d’etre; he just looks at other authors and wants to be in that conversation.
How many people work in a job that really doesn’t contribute any value to the world at large? There’s value and honor to be able to find a higher purpose in what you do (which I’m fortunate to have myself).
Overall, I think it was a great reminder to be working consciously in a way that find highly refreshing. Well worth the read.