Summary
"Steal like an artist" argues that creativity involves collecting good ideas and influences, remixing them, and making them your own, rather than waiting for pure originality. The book presents a manifesto for the creative life, offering practical advice for making things in the digital age. It emphasizes that the act of creation can begin before one fully knows who they are, encouraging writers to "write the book you want to read."
The guide promotes the value of hands-on work, the significance of side projects, and the necessity of doing good work and making it visible. It also suggests that geographical limitations are less relevant today and that kindness and a disciplined, perhaps even "boring," approach are conducive to productivity. Ultimately, the book posits that creativity often involves "subtraction," meaning simplifying and focusing to achieve the desired outcome.
Key concepts
- Steal like an artist — A creative process involving collecting, remixing, and transforming influences.
- Don't wait until you know who you are to start making things — Begin creating without needing complete self-knowledge.
- Write the book you want to read — Create the work you yourself desire to experience.
- Side projects are important — These auxiliary endeavors contribute to one's creative output and development.
- Geography is no longer our master — Location is not a primary limitation in the digital age.
- Creativity is subtraction — Simplifying and removing elements can be a core creative act.
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,…
Popular questions readers ask
- How would you explain Kleon's core advice to "Steal like an artist" and that "Creativity is subtraction" to a peer who has never heard of these concepts, using only your own examples or analogies?
- The text mentions "Geography is no longer our master" alongside "Do good work and put it where people can see it." How might these two ideas create both new opportunities and unique challenges for creators in the "digital age"?
- Kleon's original list came from what he "wished he'd heard." If you were to add an eleventh piece of advice to his manifesto that encapsulates an unaddressed but crucial aspect of the creative process, what would it be and why?
- Choose any two specific pieces of advice from Kleon's original list (e.g., "Use your hands," "Be boring," "Side projects are important") and design a practical, five-minute "mini-exercise" for each that a student could immediately implement.
- Considering the broad audience for this book (writers, artists, entrepreneurs, etc.), what fundamental, unifying principle about making things do you believe underlies all of Kleon's seemingly disparate pieces of advice?