Steal Like An Artist

Steal Like An Artist is a great little book for anyone who has ever struggled with the creative process of making something.  Author, Austin Kleon shares 10 things nobody told you about being creative.  He says, “these ideas apply to anyone who’s trying to inject some creativity into their life and their work.”Kleon begins the book with the notion that nothing is original.  Kleon states, “What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere.  All creative work builds on what came before.”

Many famous writers, artists and musicians studied the work of the people who came before them.  There are so many blogs on the internet that I often struggle with setting myself apart from others.  Sometimes I have an idea and find that it has already been done.  This book has helped me see that nothing is completely original and to embrace influence instead of run from it.

French writer André Gide said, “Everything that needs to be said has already been said.  But, since no one was listening everything must be said again. ”  Kleon isn’t suggesting we plagiarise other artists work.  He recommends learning by copying work of artists you love and not just one single artist, but many.  Eventually you move from imitating to emulating.  Our failure to copy our muses is how our own art evolves.  When I moved from Blogspot to WordPress I researched other blogs that I enjoyed and that were pleasing to my eye.  Two blogs that I tried to emulate the look and feel of are Is This Really My Life and A Beautiful Mess.  I love Emily’s humorous and to the point writing style at Is This Really My Life.  I love the feel of sisters Elise and Emma’s photographs which are fun and creative at A Beautiful Mess.  I fall short on a few things that they do very well, but that is where my uniqueness shines through.

Some of the other tips Kleon gives in his book are:

Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.

Side projects and hobbies are important

Do good work and share with people

Get yourself a calendar

Steal Like An Artist is a great inspirational book for anyone wanting to share their art.  It can be read in an hour or two depending on how fast a reader you are.  The book is direct and to the point which is important for someone like me who has a short attention span.  I still have shelves of books to be read.  Austin Kleon says, “collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away.  Nothing is more important than an unread library.”  I can’t begin to tell you how much that statement makes me smile.  I am covered for many, many years.

This post contains an affiliate link to Amazon.  If you purchase the book I get a small commission.