Steal Like an Artist is a short book by Austin Kleon about being creative and being inspired by your favorite artists. It’s got about 10 chapters and is very short (161 pages).
1. Steal Like an Artist
“When there’s anything to steal, I steal” – Picasso
- “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal” – T.S. Eliot
- “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)
- The artist is a collector
- Save your thefts for later
- Swipe file / morgue file
2. Don’t Wait Until You Know Who You Are to Get Started
- Fake it till you make it
- Steal from many
3. Write the Book You Want to Read
- Write what you like
4. Use Your Hands
- Analog desk vs digital desk
5. Side projects/hobbies are important
- Practice productive procrastination
- Have multiple projects to bounce around
- Take time to be bored
- Play music?
6. Do good work and share it
- Enjoy your obscurity while it lasts
- Do good work
- Share it with people
- You don’t have to share everything
7. Geography
- Mentors and peers everywhere (on the internet)
- Enjoy captivity
- Leave home (pattern interrupt)
8. Be Nice
- Quit picking fights and go make something
- Write fan letters
- Keep a praise file
9. Be Boring
- Keep your day job
- Get a calendar (to help plan work)
- Keep a log book
10. Creativity is Subtraction
- Place constraints on yourself
- Limitations mean freedom
Conclusion
I really like this book as it’s super short. It gives lots of tips like keeping a swipe book, playing music, and taking a nap.
I think the tips given in the book are relevant to any profession (e.g. sales, marketing, art, music, programming), as we can take the best of what other people have learnt instead of wasting a lot of time trying to DIY.
For instance, Kanye samples alot.
Additional Reading
- Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod
- Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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