I Am the Author Austin Cleon and I Am a Parent

Austin Cleon doesn’t sugarcoat the creative work. It’s complicated. (Hence “work.”) But the bestselling author has found ways to stay on track in the face of burnout, self-doubt and, yes, even parenting. He shares his wisdom in his new book, Keep Going , due out tomorrow. Today he tells us about his parents.

Name: Austin Cleon Location: Austin, TX Job: Author Family: Megan, Owen (6) and Jules (4)

Tell us a little about your family and your career. Was life mostly according to plan or were there any surprises?

My writing career took off when we decided to have kids. I quit my job to go on the Steal Like An Artist book tour when Meg was pregnant with our first son, Owen. I’ve written a lot of Show Your Work! putting him to take a nap. (Terrible way to write. I don’t recommend it!) By the time I wrote Keep Walking , Owen was hanging out with me from time to time in the studio, giving me his opinions, and reading and writing his own books. Both boys were so good at drawing that I arranged their drawings in different chapters. So, for the last seven years or so, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make this strange career while being at home with the kids. (That was a lot!)

What equipment do you rely on?

We are very strict in our household routines, otherwise it will be too chaotic for all of us at home, so the boys sleep with sound devices and these little owls that light up when it’s time to get up. (Owen ignores him and gets up too early to read and tinker in the morning, but he knows not to pick us up until his watch shows 7 a.m.) We travel quite a lot, so both of these things will come in handy on the road, as well as limited volume headphones and Speck iGuy iPad cases . We’re big walkers, so if I had to pick one piece of parenting gear it would be our City Mini twin stroller, which I reckon has traveled at least 3,000 miles.

What about apps?

Dropbox is a really simple yet underrated app that we use a lot: we used to record ourselves reading their favorite books and then put the recording in a shared folder so we could play it to them on walks and commutes. Otherwise, we often use Spotify to play music. And the PBS Kids app . And all the great apps that Tinybop makes. Owen’s absolute favorite app is GarageBand, and we’ve spent hundreds of hours together creating music on it. Here is one of Owen’s songs.

How has having children changed the way you work?

They just take so much time, which is exactly what a creative person needs, so I learned to be more effective, to work on the things that matter when I get into the studio. I also learned to keep a pocket notebook and jot down every thought for later at my desk. Watching them paint, write and compose music taught me to use this raw, free and wild energy in my own work to try and do things quickly and confidently, without judgment.

Basically, they reminded me of how much creative work is involved with playing. They also taught me how to learn again, how to fully immerse myself in the subject, learning through copying and repetition, until your interest is caught in something new.

You wrote about how to take children to work. Can you talk a little about the magic that happens when they see you do what you love?

Owen is old enough now that I can ask his opinion on the things I am working on. He always has good ideas. The night before, I was sitting at the kitchen table trying to come up with an idea for a trailer for a book, and I thought, “Why not just do this to Owen?” I asked him and he said yes, so we filmed it on the kitchen table and I edited it on my laptop while he was taking a bath. I like how spontaneous they are, how they know how to interact with things.

What’s your best parenting technique?

In fact, this is not a trick, but an ideal borrowed from John Holt: “Trust the children.” We try very hard to make all their materials accessible, at eye level and freely available, and we trust them to do their job. That means things like leaving markers and paper for a 4-year-old and letting a 6-year-old play in the music room with my recording equipment. (We had several accidents. One day Jules drew pillows on our couch with chalk, and Meg decided to embroider the designs .)

Is there something that your parents did that you would like to pass on to your child?

They left me alone. I had a lot of space and time to just dream and go about my business. I hope to do the same with my children. I think a lot of kids just need more time and space. I think that all of us, in fact …

How do you unpack?

Walking, whiskey and trash TV.

What are you most proud of as a parent?

My son Owen stutters, and last year he stood in front of a few hundred people at a banquet at the Lang Institute for Stuttering (the University of Texas has a wonderful, completely unique program that I recommend to anyone with stuttering children.) And gave a short speech and beatboxing.

What moment are you least proud of?

Every time I scream. I scream too much and I hate it.

What do you want your child to learn from your example?

I just want them to be happy in their personal lives and useful to society.

Has anyone ever given you parenting advice that you really liked?

During delivery, my father-in-law, who was an experienced parent at the time, was asked if he had any advice for new parents. He stood up and said, “You want to throw them out the window. And that’s okay! The important thing is that you don’t. “

This is still the best advice I’ve ever heard.

What’s the hardest part about being a parent?

In my opinion, the hardest part about being a parent is that they make you vulnerable to the environment, which you don’t do when you don’t have children.

What’s your favorite part of the day?

I’d be lying if I didn’t say, “It’s time to sleep.”

The only thing I would like to say to other parents who are pursuing a career:

That’s not you. You are probably doing your best. It’s just that everything is against you. Everything from the lack of affordable kindergartens, underfunded schools, crumbling infrastructure, poor health insurance, to a world that is truly insane. It’s almost impossible, and it’s not your fault. Just keep walking. Do whatever you can.

Anything else you want to share?

Get your children vaccinated if they cry loudly. Don’t be a selfish jerk. But also don’t be afraid to raise your kids the way you want. Neil Postman said that “Resistance implies seeing parenting as an act of rebellion against American culture.” I also agree with Ellen Goodman, who said that good parenting is against culture: you are opposing culture with deeper and richer values.