Hey, Austin
I figured that I should write this letter to you because this is the Steal Like an Artist Journal that I’m writing in. It’s not just because it’s your journal, I am also a huge fan. You’ve been a big inspiration for me over the past couple of months. Most of the time when I’m watching self-improvement videos or reading something of that nature I find it hard to relate to. In most cases, the person writing the book is a trillionaire and they’ve figured out yet another way to make money (by writing a book). How can anyone relate to something like that? I guess that I’ve never associated happiness with money and that is really why I can’t connect with those millionaire authors. But then one day I was watching one of Ali Abdaal’s productivity videos (he’s awesome by the way) and he suggested that everyone should read Show Your Work. So, I figured that I should read it. Well, the library didn’t have Show Your Work so I had to ‘settle’ for Keep Going instead. I think that was some sort of miracle. If I had read Show Your Work first I don’t think that I would have connected with it as much. At that point in time I was going through a rough patch. I was extremely overwhelmed and unhappy. I felt like I had no purpose. Keep Going was the spark that saved me. Your honesty, and your work, showed me that I can have hobbies, that I could do what I love and that I can find things to love. I really love to read. I like fiction, fantasy in particular. Unfortunately, no one that I know feels the same way about reading that I do. Specifically, no one reads fantasy. I haven’t met a single person that feels the same way about the fantasy genre. I’ve had to ‘settle’ for watching YouTube videos where book-tubers talk about all the best fantasy books. Keep Going showed me that I can create a place where I can talk about my passions and also create new passions. After I read Keep Going I quickly picked up both Show Your Work and Steal Like an Artist. Soon after reading both books, I created my own blog and newsletter. I finally have a place where I can talk about the books that I read. I’m terrible at writing but I’ve found that I truly love to write. That lead me to read through a ton of your blog posts from over the years. Those posts inspired me to try poetry. I’m still in the process of learning. I’m at the point where I can write haikus and that’s about it. I’m so excited to learn different forms of poetry. I’m even more excited to be able to start writing poems of my own. I know that I’m gonna suck but I think that is the best part because now I can share my progress with whoever wants to see it. Now in my mind, I can see all of the endless different journies I can take instead of feeling overwhelmed. Now I feel excited about all of the possible opportunities. I can’t thank you enough for all of the work that you’ve done. I hope that this letter finds you at the right time.
Sincerely,
Brogan Quigley
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