The past two months have honestly felt like a creative fog. After spending two semesters researching mental-health apps, accessibility, calming UX elements, and the role of AI in emotional support, I hit a wall. I wasn’t excited about pushing that topic any further, even though I still care about it. It just didn’t feel like the direction I wanted to take for my Master’s thesis.
So I started looking for something new.
For a short while, I explored AI in education: AI tutors, learning tools, digital classrooms. I listened to podcasts, skimmed articles, tried to “feel it”… but it didn’t grab me. It felt interesting, yes, but not like “my” topic. And because nothing lit that spark, I kept delaying these Impulse blogs. There simply wasn’t anything I could honestly call an impulse, until I picked up Keep Going by Austin Kleon.
Reading this book didn’t suddenly give me the perfect thesis idea, but it gave me something I really needed: a sense of movement again.
What Keep Going Gave Me
One of the big ideas in the book is that creativity isn’t a dramatic, once-in-a-while moment. It’s more like a daily rhythm. Kleon compares it to waking up in Groundhog Day – every day you start again. That made me feel a bit calmer about not knowing my direction yet. Maybe not having “the” idea right now is normal, not a failure.
His idea of a “bliss station” stayed with me too. Basically, a little mental or physical space where you disconnect from the noise and let your thoughts breathe. Lately, I’ve been drowning myself in information about what my thesis could be: podcasts, articles, trends, AI debates. Constant noise. Kleon reminded me that creativity sometimes comes from doing less, not more. From quiet, boredom, or even a messy desk.
Another chapter that hit home was “You Are Allowed to Change Your Mind.” This felt almost like permission I didn’t know I needed. I had convinced myself that because I had spent so much time on my previous topic, I must continue with it. Changing direction felt wrong, like giving up. But Kleon says it’s completely normal to shift, to rethink, to explore something new. That idea made me feel less guilty about stepping away from mental health apps and not fully clicking with AI in education. Maybe changing my mind is just part of the creative process.
He also talks a lot about focusing on the verb rather than the noun. Not “being a student looking for a topic,” but actually researching, playing, trying things out. That mindset feels much lighter and more fun.
And finally, one line keeps repeating in my head:
“Pay attention to what you pay attention to.”
Maybe the things that naturally grab my curiosity in the next weeks, small things, random things, might slowly point me toward my thesis direction.
How This Helps Me Moving Forward
I still don’t know my final topic. But after reading Keep Going, I don’t feel stuck anymore. I feel more open, more patient with myself, and more willing to explore without pressure. My thesis will come from what I genuinely care about next, not from panic or noise.
For now, this book was exactly the impulse I needed to… well, keep going.
Stuff Worth Clicking A.K.A. Accompanying Links
- Austin Kleon’s official website
- Audiobook
- Chapter summaries with examples
Disclaimer: This blog post was written with the help of AI for better grammar and correct spelling.
