I used to think being creative meant setting aside a whole Sunday morning with a fresh sketchbook and a pot of coffee. Then my two-year-old painted on the walls with his toes, and I realized I had no idea what creativity actually was.
That’s why Austin Kleon’s latest book, Don’t Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, felt like someone handing me back something I’d forgotten how to hold. After 7 years since his last book, it’s finally here — and it reads less like a manifesto and more like a deep breath.
What the Book Is About
Kleon wrote this one while working as a studio assistant to his two young boys. He calls it a creative liberation handbook — part art lesson, part permission slip. The core idea is simple but hard to live: unlearn what you’ve learned, give yourself permission to be bad at something, and treat yourself with the same gentleness you’d offer a four-year-old holding a crayon for the first time.
Publisher’s Weekly called it “cheery,” “upbeat,” and “full of fun, wryly witty wisdom.” I’d add that it’s also quietly practical. The 10 ways Kleon lays out feel less like rules and more like small shifts — the kind that fit into a Tuesday evening when you’re already tired.
Why This Matters for Wellness
We talk a lot on this site about habits that sustain us: morning rituals, mindful eating, enough sleep. But creativity fits right alongside them. When you make something — even something messy and unfinished — it’s a reset. It feels like three deep breaths in the middle of a chaotic afternoon.
Kleon puts it beautifully: treat yourself with the care of a loving parent so the wild four-year-old in you will come out and play. I keep coming back to that line. Because 80/20 is enough here, too. You don’t need a studio or a schedule. You just need permission to try.
Where to Find It
Don’t Call It Art is available wherever you buy books. Buy the book
If you end up loving it, a 5-star review on Amazon or Goodreads goes a long way for an independent author.
A note from Hazel
I read this on my kitchen counter between laundry loads and thought about all the times I told myself I wasn’t creative enough to start something. Turns out, you just have to let yourself be bad at it first. That’s a habit worth keeping.