Steal Like An Artist - Book Notes
This short, creative book helped me feel less alone in my creative work, helped me gain clearer thinking about my work, and sparked my interest in learning more about the creative process.
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The Book In Three Sentences
Austin Kleon has put together a creative and enjoyable book full of thoughts about the creative process.
Many of the thoughts in this book lead to a mindset shift when thinking about creative work.
This book is full of thoughts on how to get in the habit of doing your best creative work
Quick Impression
This short, creative book helped me feel less alone in my creative work, helped me gain clearer thinking about my work, and sparked my interest in learning more about the creative process.
Who Should Read It?
Anyone interested in doing creative work should read this. This isn't just a book for creative professionals. Even if you don't consider yourself someone who wants to do any type of creative work or hobby, this book could be beneficial in helping you get a better understanding of your loved ones who do creative work. The nice thing is that it's short and entertaining but packed full of insights about how to think about success in terms of creative work.
Why I Read This Book
I don't remember where I first heard of this book. Living in Nashville, a land full of people who do creative work, this book has been mentioned at various times and in multiple circles. I think I just finally picked up one day and started reading - pretty sure I read the whole thing in one sitting. I've read it a least five more times since then because this is the kind of book that energizes me and gets my creative juices flowing.
How It Changed Me
I get the feeling that many "creatives" feel this way, but I often feel lonely in my work. I feel like very few people understand what I do. And to be honest, I've struggled to understand what I do as well. This book helped me feel less alone in my work. It helped me to see that there were people like me out there. It also helped me think clearer thoughts about my work. It helped me take my work more seriously and less seriously at the same time. This book challenged me to get in the habit of doing my work while encouraging me to enjoy the play in my work. The thoughts in this book have helped me, but I feel energized, refreshed, and encouraged when I revisit them.
Top 3 Quotes
Your job is to collect good ideas
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.
The trouble with creative work: Sometimes, by the time people catch on to what's valuable about what you do, you're either a) bored to death with it, or b) dead. You can't go looking for validation from external sources. Once you put your work into the world, you have no control over the way people will react to it.
My Notes
Chapter 1: Steal Like An Artist
Only God can create something out of nothing. The rest of us are stealing and reworking materials and ideas we've gathered along the way.
Being a mashup of our influences means it's best to be thoughtful about what we are letting influence us. Some influences aren't a choice, but many are.
I need to get good at collecting ideas so I have materials to work with when creating.
I love the idea of being part of a creative lineage. We aren't islands. Our creativity is born and rooted in a history and a community of creators. This is true for everyone.
Taking good notes is about saving things for later. It's hijacking inspiration. It's getting in the habit of capturing things that move me. Instead of relying on my brain to remember all these things, I'm developing a system to allow me to see and remember the things that moved me last week, month, and year.
Chapter 2: Don't Wait Until You Know Who You Are To Get Started
Don't let "imposter syndrome" get in the way. Just make stuff and figure out who you are on the way. Making things helps us discover who we are. It's by making things that we start to develop our style. Everyone feels like a phony from time to time. None of us know what we're doing. We're all making this up as we go along.
Waiting for permission doesn't work outside of school. To do the work you want, you've just got to start doing it. You've got to build your portfolio. Build your resume. Build your experience. No one is going to permit you to do this. If you want something, you've got to start doing it. It doesn't mean you'll be great at first. But you'll never be great if you don't get started.
Copying and pulling from many influences produces something original.
We are unable to make perfect copies. The ways we diverge from those we are copying is what makes us unique.
Ultimately, the goal is to add something new to the world. Adding your twist and building on those who have come before you.
Chapter 3: Write The Book You Want To Read
Create the thing that you wish existed.
Chapter 4: Use Your Hands
Kleon is talking about the need to put some physicality into our work. For art, the mind isn't enough. He argues that computers have hindered us by disconnecting us from the thing we are creating. As someone who is primarily a thinker, I'm not sure if I agree with everything he is saying. However, I always need my little field notebook on me. I know I have my phone, but something in me does need to write things down sometimes. Maybe this is what he is talking about?
Chapter 5: Side Projects And Hobbies Are Important
I've wondered if having multiple projects was a bad thing. I have so many ideas and interests. Learning about being an Enneagram 7 has been helpful. I need to learn to focus on one thing at a time. At the same time, the thoughts in this chapter were encouraging. Leverage "productive procrastination." When working on several things at a time, I can put down one project when I'm tired or bored and work on a new one. Then come back to the other one when I'm bored of the new one. There is something helpful about this as long as I'm genuinely using it to help me be productive, moving forward, and not just letting projects and ideas go just because I'm bored.
We tend to get the best ideas when we are bored. When we let our minds wander freely. That's why inspiration strikes in the shower or on a walk. Learning to give myself time to let my mind wander intentionally is good.
It's good to have various passions. Don't pick and choose. Let them play off of each other. Find the connections. Create connections. This is what artists do.
Some creative things need to be just for fun and because it's energizing. There doesn't need to be a lot of pressure to monetize everything. For me, these things are baking and photography.
Sometimes I feel the need to be overly strategic about everything. It's energizing at times but can also be draining and discouraging. I can't see the future. I don't know what will work and why. I needed this: "Don't worry about unity - what unifies your work is that you made it. One day, you'll look back, and it will all make sense."
Chapter 6: Do Good Work and Share With People
Most people don't care about what you think. That's both good and bad. It's good because it gives you a runway to create and release stuff as you learn and grow. Very few people are paying attention anyhow. It can be bad when we let the fact that people don't care about what we are creating discourage us early on. Part of our job is learning how to get people to care about the work we are releasing.
One of the best secrets for gaining attention is learning to give your secrets away.
Sharing my work can be about learning and growing. It doesn't have only to be a collection of your best stuff. It can be the place where you are developing your best stuff.
Chapter 7: Geography Is No Longer Our Master
Environment matters. Sometimes we need to create our world in our workspaces. What we see and experience every day has the ability to spark and inspire creativity.
Influence and influences aren't geographically bound, thanks to the internet. You can know and be influenced by people anywhere in the world. Likewise, you can influence people from all over the world wherever you are.
The internet helps make connections for networking, but where you live is important for building on those connections.
Chapter 8: Be Nice. The World Is A Small Town
Find a way not to need external validation. It's honestly the best way to succeed. With your heroes, promote their work, build upon it, tag them, share their stuff, and find a way to be helpful to them. Give without expecting to receive. It's the best way because if they give back to you, it will be a greater joy.
Find a way to continue your work even if you are ignored, insulted, and misunderstood.
Find a way to treasure good feedback and remind yourself of the nice things people have said on the days when you are discouraged.
Chapter 9: Be Boring. (It's The Only Way To Get Work Done)
Disconnect creative work from living a glamorous lifestyle. Creative work is just work. The more you value the perceived lifestyle your work will give you, the less likely you are to focus on the work.
Once you try to make money with your creative work, you'll likely feel less free to make whatever you want. Making money adds pressure and makes the creative process feel more like work and less like play.
Routines and habits are more beneficial than having a ton of time.
Get in the habit of doing your creative work, and don't break the chain!
Keep a log book of what you've accomplished each day. It's energizing and helpful to see the progress you've made.
Chapter 10: Creativity Is Subtraction
I used to hate the idea of editing. "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser changed my mind. He helped me see that editing is where the magic happens because it's where clarity happens. Kleon is talking about similar things here. Learning to edit and work within constraints is helpful to both the artist easier to follow.
