“Steal like an artist” by Austin Kleon
Reading time: 7 minutes
The aim of this short article is to encourage the reading of this book and not to replace it. If you decide to purchase it through our affiliate link, we’ll get a few pence in our bank account and you’ll get a big thank you!
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Before We Start
The Universe likes irony, we all know that, and as a writer, I appreciate irony as much as anyone, but when I saw that Austin Kleon published this article not even a month ago, I almost hit the delete button on the whole post. If a book can be summarised, is it worth reading? No. It’s not. Which is why, in the end, I decided to go ahead and, instead, hit publish.
As Austin says in the abovementioned article, a book is not a container of information and, as such, you can’t extract its nutrients and expect to receive the same benefits as someone who’s read the book. Books are experiences, lessons, mentors.
Why bother putting together a summary then?
Well, for my benefit. Writing a summary of a book helps me gather what I’ve learned, what I felt and everything in between; so that I can transfer that experience from the short to the long-term memory drawer of my brain.
Why publish it then? You’ll need to read the book to understand it.
Jokes apart, this summary—as well as every other book summary and review on this website—is not intended to be a concentrated syrup of content. It’s just a finger pointed at the parts I loved the most.
Photo by Maksym Ivashchenko on Unsplash
The Book Oversimplified
More than a book, Steal Like an Artist is a collection of quotes to show that nothing is really original and if you want to create something, you should do it right now, no matter what.
Summary
Steal Like an Artist is a great read, which approaches from a unique angle several well-known concepts in the creativity field. Austin Kleon is unapologetic about what he likes and how he likes it, and I find him effortlessly inspiring even when tackling the tritest of subjects. Steal Like an Artist is also a perfect book for readers and not-really-readers alike, as you can easily devour it in one sitting and it’s overflowing with quotes from famous artists; if that’s your cup of tea.
It is divided into ten chapters; every one framed as a suggestion, an advice artist to artist, although some of them bear much more weight than others.
1. Steal like an artist
The opening chapter is very much about the myth of originality and the fact that every artist ever existed has only collated together what they liked about anything that came before them.
My favourite subchapter is called “Climb your own Family Tree,” and it is about an exercise to feel less alone. Pick the artist who most inspires you and study all you can about them. Once you're finished, pick 3 artists he/she was inspired by and do the same. Repeat this process as many times as you can, until you build your own inspiration family tree, with your branch at the bottom.
“The great thing about dead or remote masters is that they can’t refuse you as an apprentice.”
2. Don't wait until you know who you are to get started
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of what's good and bad stealing, Austin here introduces a couple of interesting concepts:
Fake it until you make it. I remember my old Argentinian Tango teacher repeating this to me every lesson: just pretend to be one of those elegant and experienced dancers and one day you'll become one. Austin's got the same idea.
“... you have to start doing the work you want to be doing.”
That's exactly why I'm writing this blog, after all.
Start Copying. This is not a new concept, it is explained in much more depth by Stephen King in his “On Writing,” but sometimes we forget that what's obvious once out there goes so easily unnoticed inside one's head. Your first page won’t be ground-breaking. Your first script won’t be Oscar worthy. If it's acceptable for musicians to do covers, or for painters to copy the work of masters, why isn't it the same for every other type of creative production? Try to imitate your idols as closely as you can and, when you'll fall short, you'll find yourself in the attempt.
3. Write the book you want to read
Write what you know like.
That's actually brilliant advice. That's why fan fiction exists.
In this chapter, there is a curious exercise that I'll definitely try out:
“Think about your favourite work and your creative heroes. What did they miss? What didn't they make? ... what would they be making today? If all your favourite makers got together and collaborated, what would they make with you leading the crew?”
Photo by David Iskander on Unsplash
4. Use your hands
Again, this is a suggestion also made by Cal Newport in Digital Minimalism, and there is quite a large scientific evidence to support it. We, as human beings, evolved in the wilderness and our powerful brain developed because of our hands (specifically, because of our opposable thumb) and not the other way around. This is why trying to find inspiration staring at a screen might not be such a clever idea.
5. Side projects and hobbies are important
“A hobby is something that gives but doesn’t take.”
As Ryan Holiday points out in Stillness is the Key, a book about stoicism, hobbies are fundamental for high achievers. It made me think of Winston Churchill and his paintings, which apparently kept him at arm's length from anxiety and depression. Have you ever visited an art gallery with a collection of his masterpieces? Exactly. Not everything you produce must be good. You need a relief valve.
Plus, you never know what's going to connect to your other interests. Steve Jobs attended a calligraphy class, without which ‘fonts’ would probably not be a thing today.
6. The Secret: do good work and share it with people
Use the time when nobody knows who you are wisely; you'll never have the chance to experiment that widely again.
Share your work even if it's unfinished. Sharing it can help you understand it, expand it. Open a blog or a website, because:
“Having a container can inspire us to fill it.”
7. Geography is no longer our master
Internet is like a Stargate, we all know that, and the importance of your environment for your creativity is undeniable. More details on this (loads of them) when I'll talk about Atomic Habits.
What really surprised me in this chapter is that Austin talks about leaving home.
“At some point, when you can do it, you have to leave home. You can always come back, but you have to leave at least once.”
As an immigrant myself, I couldn't agree more. The way another country stimulates you is nothing short of magical. You discover things about yourself, about what you want, what's important, and you physically create new patterns in your brain you could never do in your local pub.
If you're curious about this, please leave a comment or send me an email and I might expand it into a blog post, or maybe we can just have a chat about it!
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash
8. Be nice.
No need to expand on this. Super interesting exercise though is the following:
“Write a public fan letter. Write a blog post about someone's work that you admire and link to their site. Make something and dedicate it to your hero. Answer a question they've asked, solve a problem for them, or improve on their work and share it online.”
See what I did here, Austin?
9. Be boring
This is the real revolution in this book, which marries perfectly with the way I live my life.
Instead of chasing the myth of the decadent artist, take care of yourself, so that you'll have enough peace of mind to create something you can be proud of.
Take care of your finances, of your job, of your relationship and keep a log of what you do; as an engineer would. It’s the most boring part of myself (yes, I am an engineer), but also the part I love the most.
10. Creativity is subtraction
Finally, another suggestion I agree 100% with. Total freedom is the killer of creativity, while constraints are the real magic formula.
I have 31 pieces of flash fiction written under time and content constraints to prove this point, but if you don’t believe me, read about the famous pottery experiment.
I’ll definitely expand on this in the future because it’s literally how I produce all of my stuff.
Note
The Bibliography at the end is SUPER useful.
Alla prossima
Photo by Ferenc Horvath on Unsplash
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