Steal Like An Artist-By Austin Kleon
Here are my thoughts, favorite quotes and ideas from this bestseller which has been recommended reading for every artist and designer. However, I’ll say, I recommend it to all because the idea behind it is simple yet profound.
About the book:
The book is a curation of ideas for budding creators, writers, designers, artists, professionals and everyone trying to find a creative solution to a problem.
“Nobody is born with a style or a voice. We don’t come out of the womb knowing who we are. In the beginning, we learn by pretending to be our heroes. We learn by copying.”
Bird’s Eye View
The book explores 10 ideas that are about creativity and how a new creator can go about perfecting their craft by following these ideas.
Who should read this book?
In the information age presentation is becoming almost as important as the quality of content. Therefore anyone who intends to present their work to an audience, be it at the workplace, in person or on social media should read this book to be able to present their work better.
Key Takeaways
Which in this case are exactly as listed by Austin Kleon himself:
Steal like an artist
Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
Write the book you want to read.
Use your hands.
Side projects and hobbies are important
The secret: Do good work and share it with people.
Geography is no longer our master.
Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
Creativity is subtraction.
Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use—do the work you want to see done.
-Austin Kleon
Book Summary
Steal like an artist: No, the book isn’t advising you to plagiarize. Instead it tells you to draw inspiration from your heroes and their work and add your own ideas to it. in doing so you create something entirely its own by being a part of the creative lineage.
Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started: Knowing your inner self is a journey. Treating it as a destination where you will arrive someday will keep you from sharing your journey.
Write the book you want to read.: Use your imagination to create what you wish to see, the change you want to bring about, the music you wish to play or the book you want to read. It can also be interpreted as identifying a gap and solving a problem but its actually bigger than that.
Use your hands.: The excessive use of technology, especially in our daily lives makes us less creative by overwhelming us with digital forms of entertainment. The book suggests to get back to using hands instead. Inspired by the book, I tried my hand at journaling again and I really recommend trying this particular bit of advice.
Side projects and hobbies are important: Its important to be true to your work but its equally important to stay true to yourself. If you are ignoring things that make you happy, gradually it dampens your creative spirit.
The secret: Do good work and share it with people.: This point talks about utilizing the immense power of internet to put your work out there and connect with a global community of like minded people.
Geography is no longer our master.: Unlike a few decades ago, we are no longer bound by location. The world wide web unites us all.
Be nice. (The world is a small town.): Internet has a long memory and whatever one does is always out there so being nice gets one farther than being mean does.
Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.): Things won’t always be exciting, show up and do your thing anyway. Keep creating till you master it.
Creativity is subtraction.: There is a lot of noise out there. The ones who get ahead are those who know what to add and what to leave out from their interpretation of an idea.
