Steal Like An Artist – 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Steal Like An Artist by Austine Kleon is for those who find themselves stuck at trying to be original and yet feel what they want to be doing is already done.

The author doesn’t mention the word “stealing” for plagiarism but getting inspired by others work. Not using the exact work of an artist instead, seeing it with a different perspective.

The book talks about 10 things nobody told you about being creative. Book’s chapters are worth your time and it’s kind of a coffee table book. It will hook you up with its messages, graphics, and illustrations.

I will share my views as to why the freelancers, writers, bloggers, developers or anyone having false judgments on being creative should read the book.

The Gist: Steal Like An Artist

Steal like an artist can inspire you to become creative in this digital age. Also, you must have been thinking that being creative takes a lot of time, and you have to be original to step your foot in the world.

But the book proves us that anybody can become creative.

Everything in this world is worth stealing. But you have to have a different perspective to steal.

So, you never need to worry that what you can do something new in your upcoming project. You can always look for inspirations around and create something extraordinary by mixing things up.

The Perception of Things

The author shares a good story about an old tourist couple.

They see kids who are pretending to be artists.

The wife says to her husband, “Oh, take their picture. I think they’re artists.” “Oh, go on,” the husband disagrees. “They’re just kids.”

Neither of them is wrong. They have a different perception to the kids performing as artists or rather pretending to be artists.

Everyone looks at things differently.

So if you can view someone’s craft with a different perception, you can steal it like an artist.

Nothing Is Original

An author has quoted a famous French writer Andre Gide in this book,

Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again – Andre Gide

Try to get out of the burden of being original. Whether you are a developer, writer or a comic artist, try to look around ideas and come up with your version of it.

Apple’s magnetic charger seems an innovation for every MacBook user but it’s an idea Apple took from Japanese rice cookers. We can find many such examples of ideas taken from other industries and implemented in their product.

The exact point the author wants to convey about steal like an artist.

Should You – Fake it ’til you make it

I am totally against the term but the author isn’t saying to fake it to others.

The way I like to put it is “Pretend it ’til you make it“.

Copy your heroes. Examine where you fall short. What’s in there that makes you different? That’s what you should amplify and transform into your work. – Austin Kleon

Start Copying What You Love

Nobody on this earth is born with a style or voice. We eventually get it from people around us by learning, interacting, and inspirations.

Or in other words, we learn by imitating or copying. I remember a famous quote

You’re the average of the five people you associate with the most. – Tim Ferriss

Naturally, you tend to copy people around you.

So, first you have to figure out, what to copy and second, you have to figure out who to copy.

And then, don’t steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.

Going Off Gadget Can Help

How many hours do you use without a computer or mobile phone?

I loved a point from the book. We are forgetting the traditional way of writing things down.

Austine Kleon has done an amazing job of creating poems from newspapers. He takes out a newspaper, selects an article from it and whichever word he likes, he ticks. And the rest is a blackout.

His first book was Newspaper Blackout which acclaimed a lot by many readers.

Sometimes it’s important to move out of regular things and do something new only with a pen and diary.

Austine Kleon has two desks in his office. One is “analog” and one is “digital.” The analog
desk has nothing but markers, pens, pencils, paper, index cards, and newspaper. This is where most of his work is born. Nothing electronic is allowed on that desk.

The digital desk has a laptop, monitor, scanner, and drawing tablet. This is where he edits and publish his work.

Once you start getting ideas, move over to your digital station and use the computer to help you publish it. When you start to lose steam, head back to the analog station and play.

Final Thoughts

I will end my view about the book steal like an artist with a couple of quotes from the book

Creativity isn’t just the things we choose to put in, it’s the things we choose to leave out.

And

When people give you advice, they’re really just talking to themselves in the past.

Click Here to Checkout the Book on Amazon India