Summary
Austin Kleon's "Steal Like an Artist" argues that creativity is a process of borrowing, remixing, and transforming existing ideas, rather than originating them from nothing. It presents ten direct principles, such as "Steal like an artist," "Use your hands," and "Creativity is subtraction," as a guide to the creative life for anyone making things in the digital age.
The book expands upon a viral manifesto with illustrations, anecdotes, and practical exercises to help readers unleash their creative spirits. It emphasizes that one should not wait to fully understand their identity before beginning creative work, and highlights the importance of side projects, good work ethic, and distributed presence over geographic limitations.
Key concepts
- Steal like an artist — A core principle that creativity involves borrowing and transforming existing work.
- Use your hands — Encourages tactile engagement with the creative process.
- Side projects are important — Highlights the value of independent creative pursuits.
- Creativity is subtraction — Suggests that limiting options can foster creativity.
- Geography is no longer our master — Asserts that location is not a barrier to creative output.
From the book
Description: When asked to talk to students at Broome Community College in upstate New York in the spring of 2011, Austin Kleon wrote a simple list often things he wished he'd heard when he was their age: 'Steal like an artist; Don't wait until you know who you are to start making things; Write the book you want to read; Use your hands; Side projects are important; Do good work and put it where people can see it; 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.); and, Creativity is subtraction.' After giving the speech, he posted the text and slides to his popular blog, where it quickly went viral. Now Kleon has expanded his original manifesto into an illustrated guide to the creative life for writers, artists,…