I just read Austin Kleon‘s short book Steal Like an Artist.
It’s short at 140 pages, with lots of pictures, so it’s an easy read.
There are ten ‘chapters’:
- Steal like an artist
- Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started
- Write the book you want to read
- Use your hands
- Side projects and hobbies are important
- The secret: do good work and share it with people
- Geography is no longer our master
- Be nice (the world is a small town)
- Be boring (it’s the only way to get work done)
- Creativity is subtraction
Austin begins:
“All advice is autobiographical. It’s one of my theories that when people give you advice, they’re really just talking to themselves in the past. This book is me talking to a previous version of myself…. These ideas apply to anyone who’s trying to inject some creativity into their lives and their work.”
It’s peppered with quotes by famous artists like ‘Art is theft.’ Pablo Picasso.
Austin’s central tenet is that since no ideas are original we are free to remix or mashup other ideas to create new ones.
He then explores ways to do that.
Austin’s call to action:
“The manifesto is this: Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use — do the work you want to see done.”
My take: I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Would make a great gift. Hint hint.