Why obituaries turn Austin Kleon on

For a life-affirming take on obituaries, enjoy this excerpt from Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon:

Obituaries are like near-death experiences for cowards. Reading them is a way for me to think about death while also keeping it at arm’s length. Obituaries aren’t really about death; they’re about life.  

“The sum of every obituary is how heroic people are, and how noble,” writes artist Maira Kalman.  

Reading about people who are dead now and did things with their lives makes me want to get up and do something decent with mine. Thinking about death every morning makes me want to live.

Whatever it takes to get the juices flowing. Kleon reads obituaries in the morning as part of his get-started ritual. It’s one of the quirks that endears me to Kleon. I pop a Dew, he scours the paper for death.

Plus, you’ve got to admire his just get your work out there however you can philosophy.

And his refreshing simplicity, in his art and in his message. 

Oh, and he lives in Austin, Texas . . . and he’s named Austin. That would be like me going to Evansville.

So many things to like about the guy. He’s an artist-writer-creator you should check out. Just click on his name in the first sentence above.

For you —

Evan Griffith
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