Steal Like An Artist | Austin Kleon | Cliff Note Books
“Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative” is a book by Austin Kleon that offers advice on how to be creative. Published in 2012, it is written in a concise and engaging manner, with a blend of illustrations and text.
Here is a summary of the book’s ten main points:
Steal Like an Artist: Kleon argues that nothing is completely original and all artists borrow ideas from others. It’s about taking inspiration from various sources and transforming them into something of your own.
Don’t Wait Until You Know Who You Are to Get Started: The author encourages readers to start creating, regardless of whether they know their identity or not. As they create and explore, they will find their unique voice and style.
Write the Book You Want to Read: Kleon suggests creating the art you’d like to consume. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, create it yourself.
Use Your Hands: Getting physical with your work can give you a different perspective and help you engage with it in a new way. It’s not just about working digitally, but also using physical tools and materials.
Side Projects and Hobbies are Important: Side projects give you an outlet to explore and experiment without pressure. They can often lead to unexpected discoveries and breakthroughs.
Do Good Work and Share it With People: It’s not enough to just create. You need to put your work out there and engage with a community.
Geography is No Longer Our Master: With the internet and digital technology, you can work from anywhere. You don’t need to be in a big city or a specific location to be creative or successful.
Be Nice (The World is a Small Town): Kindness and relationships matter. Treat others well, as you never know who you might cross paths with in the future.
Be Boring (It’s the Only Way to Get Work Done): Having a routine or a somewhat “boring” life can actually provide the stability you need to be consistently creative.
Creativity is Subtraction: Constraints can boost creativity. Instead of trying to include everything, focus on what you can remove to make your work clearer and more powerful.
In essence, “Steal Like an Artist” is a guidebook for creativity in the digital age. It breaks down the myth of the lone, original genius and encourages readers to embrace influence, share their work, and start creating now.
QUOTES
“The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.”
“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.”
“You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.”
“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy, you will find yourself.”
“Do good work and share it with people.”
“Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another land, among people that do things differently than you. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.”
“The best advice is not to write what you know, it’s to write what you like.”
“We don’t need to be genius, we just need to be ourselves.”
“Every artist gets asked the question, ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ The honest artist answers, ‘I steal them.'”
“If you ever find that you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.”
AUTHOR
Austin Kleon is a New York Times bestselling author known for his works focusing on creativity in the digital age. He was born in 1983 in Circleville, Ohio. He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 2005, where he studied English and Religion.
Kleon’s work is centered around a unique blend of creativity, artistry, and digital culture. His first book, “Newspaper Blackout,” was published in 2010 and features a collection of poetry made by redacting words from newspaper articles with a permanent marker. This book was influential in popularizing blackout poetry.
Kleon’s second book, “Steal Like An Artist,” published in 2012, is perhaps his most well-known work. It argues that nothing is original, so aspiring artists should embrace influence instead of running away from it. The book became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into over 20 languages.
In 2014, Kleon followed up with “Show Your Work!,” a guide to sharing creativity and getting discovered in the digital age. His most recent book, “Keep Going,” was published in 2019 and provides ten rules for staying creative, focused, and true to oneself.
In addition to his books, Austin Kleon has given talks on creativity at organizations such as Pixar, Google, and TEDx. He also maintains a popular blog and newsletter where he shares thoughts on creativity and the artist’s life.
As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Austin Kleon continues to write and speak about creativity, sharing his insights with a global audience.