#022 - The Wealthy Writer Who Draws
#022 - The Wealthy Writer Who Draws
Austin Kleon's two-word formula for true wealth
Don’t want to read? No problem! You can listen to me reading to you by clicking the play button above.
Welcome to the 22nd edition of The Wealth Letters, a crowdsourced Anthology on how to find enough in a noisy world.
Please read or listen to the manifesto before diving in to the collection of letters to better understand this project’s purpose.
The following is a letter written by Austin Kleon on July 26, 2023 to Jordan Olmscheid (me) in response to a letter I wrote to Austin asking if he would provide his thoughts on what true wealth is in his life.
If you read my letter to my daughters, one of Austin’s quotes from his book, Steal Like an Artist, was the opening line of my letter (which is why I wanted to write to him, and pretty pumped that he was nice enough to write back).
Photo credit: Clayton Cubitt
About Austin (From AustinKleon.com)
Before reading or listening to Austin’s letter…
Be willing to be vulnerable and open your mind to ideas and suggestions that have proven worthwhile in another’s journey. Do not blindly accept any and all advice given, but rather take in the information and distill it down to if & how it can be applied to YOU and your unique self.
“Michael Jordan said that he imitated Dr. J. Kobe Bryant studied and imitated Jordan. But, they mixed in their own uniqueness.” - David Senra (Founders Podcast)
True Wealth
By: Austin Kleon
Jordan -
Hard to improve on this:
“I’m rich! And I don’t mean money-wise. I mean that I have figured out how to never be around a$%holes at any time in my personal and professional life. That’s rich.” — John Waters, Make Trouble
re: true wealth
Best,
Austin
Below is a picture of the actual letter I received from Austin. As you can see, he lives up to his description of himself when he says:
“I’m a writer who draws. I make art with words and books with pictures.” - Austin Kleon
Further Reading
Austin followed up with a post he wrote on Real Wealth that he wrote on August 3rd, 2018. His post reads:
“Real wealth is never having to spend time with a$%holes.”
I think about that John Waters line all the time.
Only trouble is, he never said those exact words. He said this (from Make Trouble):
I’m rich! I don’t mean money-wise. I mean that I have figured out how to never be around a$%holes at any time in my personal and professional life. That’s rich. And not being around a$%holes should be the goal of every graduate here today.
The late Anthony Bourdain also had a “No A$%hole” rule:
It is truly a privilege to live by what I call the ‘no a$%hole’ rule. I don’t do business with assholes. I don’t care how much money they are offering me, or what project. Life is too short. Quality of life is important. I’m fortunate to collaborate with a lot of people who I respect and like, and I’d like to keep it that way.
In an earlier interview, he said it even more succinctly:
I want to keep the a$%holes in my life to an absolute minimum, if not zero.” That’s worth real, real money — to not have a$%holes in your life.
Real wealth = no a$%holes.
My Takeaways from Austin
I think it is pretty clear that Austin wholeheartedly values strong relationships in his life of people whom he loves and respects (and those who also love and respect him). If you read his bio on his website, you will see that he is an extremely busy person, and so it makes sense that he does not (and will not) devote any of his time and energy to a$%holes if he can help it. I don’t think Austin could have spelled it out any clearer for us what TRUE WEALTH is to him.
What are your takeaways?
I would love to hear what stuck out to you. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts!
Connect with Austin
Thank You for Your Support
Would you consider sharing The Wealth Letters with a friend? That would be so much appreciated:
Want to share your own Wealth Letter and be featured in the collection?
If that sounds interesting to you, here is a link to write your letter for the collection.
If you would like to voice record your wealth letter, you can do that easily by clicking here (your voice recording will then be sent to me directly).
Your ideas and feedback are always welcome…Share YOUR lessons or story and be featured in The Wealth Letters!
Please reach out via email: support@thewealthletters.com or by commenting on this post.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Jordan