As the workweek is slowly getting back to normal, I’ve been struggling to find the time to write for this blog. That leaves me cramming it in on the weekends to get something out. I know I have to stick to one post a week, but I feel like my standards are slipping. While trying to come up with an idea for this week I thought it would be fitting to write about Austin Kleon’s book Steal Like an Artist. The idea of the book is that there is no such thing as an original idea, we should use what’s been done before and put our own spin on it. So that’s basically what I’m doing to his book. How meta of me!
Like his previous book Show Your Work, he breaks the book down into 10 points or steps. The first one is an introduction to what he means by stealing like an artist. Nothing is original and we should embrace influence rather than run away from it. This doesn’t mean that we can turn everything into a good piece of work. Curating your tastes and who you learn from slowly develops your own “unique” ideas by picking bits and pieces from different people and ideas. We should strive to continuously learn and always write down things or ideas that interest us so we can refer to them when we need that spark of inspiration.
Don’t wait to know who you are.
We are always changing and developing and waiting to know who you are is just an excuse to not get started. We have to fake it till we make it; we have to treat ourselves like we deserve that role before other people will. The best way to get started is to copy, you can learn so much by attempting to recreate someone else’s work. You realise how difficult it is and why they are so successful. You learn a lot more by doing and making mistakes than by reading about how to do it.
Write the book you wanted to read.
Focus on the things you enjoy and recreate alternatives to the originals that you admire. Whether that be writing the sequel to the movie you love or making the next album you hope your favourite band will release. Using the material, you’re interested in can get you focused on a particular direction and help you stay on track. Do the things you want to see done.
Use your hands and Side projects are important.
Stepping away from the computer helps with creativity and coming up with new ideas. Go analogue and pick up a pen and paper, an instrument or go for a walk. Productive procrastination is important, take time to mess around and play. That’s when the special ideas will come, don’t throw any of yourself away by prioritising one part of yourself. If you loved playing the guitar when you were younger, why not pick it up and mess around for a few minutes a day? Spend time on all the things you love to do, even the ones that don’t seem as important.
Do good work and share it with people.
There’s no secret to success, it’s just putting in the time to get good at whatever you want to do and then you share it with people. The most successful people give a lot of what they know away for free. They are confident in their abilities and their motive is to bring value to people. People can read through the nonsense of people trying to sell them something before they’ve even proven themselves.
Geography is no longer our master.
We get comfortable in our everyday surroundings and our brains tend to get complacent. There’s no new stimulation and so we go on autopilot. We need to go to places where people think differently from us or struggle to communicate with us. We are blessed with the convenience and affordability of travel and we need to take advantage of it as much as we can. I know that hasn’t been the case this past year, but I hope that changes soon.
Be nice (the world is a small town).
Make friends and ignore the enemies, you’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I think about this a lot and I think it is so important. We should show our appreciation for people more often. Not because we want a response, but because we appreciate their work, and we think more people should see it. That’s what I’m doing right now for Austin Kleon. I have loved his books and found them very valuable, and I think others may too.
Be Boring (it’s the only way to get work done).
He means that we should look after ourselves by staying out of debt, keeping our day jobs, and getting a calendar for habits and a logbook for keeping track of what we do in our days. We should also “marry well” and by this, he means in all aspects of life. Not just the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with, but your business partners too. Consider your relationships.
Creativity is subtraction.
Be able to choose what to leave out. This is why we write drafts, and they tend to get shorter and shorter. The message we’re trying to convey or the story we’re trying to tell has the biggest impact when it is retained. People aren’t going to retain a message if there is too much to take in. Do the work and keep it simple.
Kleon’s books are valuable to me because they’re to the point and easy to relate to. I tend to refer to them often and they act as a good reminder when I’m starting to get complacent or struggling to think of new ideas. He simplifies the ways to approach things making them seem less daunting. His first book Show your Work got me to start this blog and this book has helped me come up with ideas for it. I plan on reading his third one, Keep Going, when I feel it’s the right time to do so. For the moment, I intend to learn more and stay consistent.