Have you ever heard this quote?
Good artist copy, great artists steal. — Pablo Picasso
Well, this quote presents the key message of the book — Steal Like An Artist and if I am to summarise it in one sentence is :
Nothing is completely original and creativity comes from studying, reinventing and reimagining the works of others.
Steal Like An Artist is the first part of a trilogy: Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work and Keep Going.
I first read Show Your Work about a year ago and it was a book that inspired my work and motivated me to show my work and even hop on Hive.
Read : Show your workbook review
After making the review, I decided to read the remaining 2 parts. I started with Steal Like an Artist.
Just like Show Your Work it is about 110 pages and would take you less than an hour to complete. It's a small yet mighty book — within the few pages are a lot of insight on how you can create your unique work by studying other people's work.
Art is theft — Pablo Picasso.
The book contains 10 chapters and within the pages of these chapters are important lessons that can help one become a better creative.
Book Summary and Lessons
#1 Steal Like an Artist:
Austin Kleon explains here that all artists steal! First, "they figure out what is worth stealing, then they move on to the next thing".
"When you look at the world this way, you stop worrying about what’s “good” or “bad”—there’s only stuff worth or not worth stealing."
He points out that every good artist knows nothing is original. Every creative work builds from what came before. Nothing is completely new under the sky!
The chapter encourages us to look at creativity in its true form.
To fight against the "imposter syndrome".
"Our ability to be a collector of things we love and find the gap where our creativity springs from are what make us good artists."
#2 Don't wait until you know who you are to get started:
In chapter 2, the author explains why you don't have to wait for a "perfect time". Just like in Show Your Work, he pointed out why there is no such thing as perfect time.
"Nobody is born with a style or a voice. In the beginning, we learn by copying from our heroes."
If you steal from one author it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many it’s research.—Wilson Mizner
It is important to note that the Author is not suggesting you copy another person's work as that is considered Plagiarism which is a very big offence even here on HIVE.
He simply encourages us to steal the thinking behind the style. Not just from one person but all your heroes.
"It's not about looking like your hero but instead seeing like your hero," he said.
#3 Side projects and hobbies are important:
In chapter 5, the author talks about practising Productive Procrastination
The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.” —Jessica Hische
He also explains why you don't have to drop any part of yourself or your interest.
"It’s good to have a lot of projects going at once so you can bounce between them. When you get sick of one project, move over to another, and when you’re sick of that one, move back to the project you left. Practice productive procrastination."— Austin Kleon
It’s the side projects—the stuff that you thought was just messing around— that really take off.
He urges us not to bother ourselves with trying to unify all the projects we work on.
You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. — Steve Jobs
One day you will look back and it will all make sense.
#4 The Secret: Do Good Work and Share It with People:
In harmony with what the Author talks about in Show Your Work, he points out why it is great to do good work and put it out there.
He points out that being popular comes with a lot of pressure and critics. So before then, we should leverage the freedom we have now and put ourselves out there. You don't need to show everything. In fact, he advises us not to.
#5 Creativity Is Subtraction:
In the final chapter of the book, the author talks about subtraction
The world is quite noisy and our ability to filter out the noise and focus on what is important is a very important trait.
The author explains why it is important to figure out what to leave out. As we live in an age of information abundance.
"You must embrace your limitations and keep moving. In the end, creativity isn’t just the things we choose to put in, it’s the things we choose to leave out. Choose wisely. And have fun." —Austin Kleon
Conclusion
These are some of the few lessons from the book and there are much more I did not mention.
I think it's a great book for all creatives and content creators. Especially those struggling with originality or trying to create unique ideas.
I believe this is a great book and Austin Kleon is a phenomenal writer.
PS: All photos on this article are from the official Austin Kleon website
Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave a comment ❤