Steal Like An Artist
Steal Like An Artist
by Austin Kleon
1
STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST.
NOTHING IS ORIGINAL.
If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something
out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.
2
DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE TO GET STARTED.
START COPYING
Copying is about reverse-engineering. It’s like a mechanic taking apart a car to see how it works.
First, you have to figure out who to copy. Second, you have to figure out what to copy.
Who to copy is easy. You copy your heroes- the people you love, the people you’re inspired by, the
people you want to be. And you don’t just steal from one of your heroes, you steal from all of them.
What to copy is a little bit trickier. Don’t just 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.
If you just mimic the surface of somebody’s work without understanding where they are coming from,
your work will never be anything more than a knockoff.
3
WRITE THE BOOK YOU WANT TO READ.
4
USE YOUR HANDS.
5
SIDE PROJECTS AND HOBBIES ARE IMPORTANT.
6
THE SECRET: DO GOOD WORK AND SHARE IT WITH PEOPLE
7
GEOGRAPHY IS NO LONGER OUR MASTER.
ENJOY CAPTIVITY.
Now I have a car and a mobile phone. I’m always connected, never alone or captive. So, I ride the bus
to and from work, even though it’s 20 minutes faster to drive. I always carry a book, a pen, and a
notepad, and I always enjoy my solitude and temporary captivity.
LEAVE HOME.
“Distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same.
But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.” —Jonah Lehrer
Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable.
You need to spend some time in another land, among people that do things differently than you. Travel
makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.
If we know we need to leave home, where should we go? Personally, I think bad weather leads to better
art. It helps to live around interesting people, and not necessarily people who do what you do. I feel a
little incestuous when I hang out with only writers and artists (…).
8
BE NICE. (THE WORLD IS A SMALL TOWN.)
9
BE BORING. (IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO GET WORK DONE.)
“Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.” —Gustave
Flaubert
MARRY WELL.
10
CREATIVITY IS SUBTRACTION.