Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

As intriguing as the title sounds, Austin Kleon’s insightful work on unlocking creativity is a breath of fresh air in the heavily crowded lanes of creativity advice. For one, written over 160 pages, it’s short and succinct. Two, it combines writing and drawing, which makes for brilliant reading. Three, it gives genuine advice — the type of advice Austin wishes he had received back when he was 19.

Austin’s writing style is conversational, fluid and energetic. He doesn’t color any chapter with this-will-change-your-life promises or the aggressiveness associated with some self-help books.

In the preface, he says that all advice is autobiographical. When you give someone an advice, you’re simply talking to a past version of yourself. Somewhere inside me, I still have a 19-year-old version of myself earnestly looking up to me for direction. If I were to talk to her today, at this moment, I would ask her to steal more. Like an artist.

Look. Pause. Steal. Repeat

Art is theft, said Picasso. Steve Jobs famously misquoted him when he said Good artists copy, great artists steal.

When was the last time someone appreciated your work, calling it original thought? Chances are, they do not know the actual source(s) or references of what they think was entirely your brainchild. Austin believes, like many other artists before him, that it’s near-impossible and even depressing to try to create something out of nothing.

So, should you still create?

The short answer would be yes.

The long answer would still be yes. You should create, but not in the flawed, even detrimental hope of magically weaving up threads of ideas that have never been thought of before. First, embrace the fact that your work is always influenced by another artist’s art. And theirs, by another.

And instead of cocooning yourself away from any of those influences, observe, learn, imbibe and drink in from their work. To put it simply, steal. Know the difference between a good theft and a bad theft. If you know that much, you’re good to begin looking for things to steal.

Everything that needs to be said and written and painted in this world has already been said and written and painted. By people who came before you, or beside you. In a slightly varied version of the french writer André Gide’s words, but nobody was paying any attention, so everything must be said and written and painted again.

Pay attention to the art and ideas that you’re consuming — books, movies, TV shows, newspaper op-eds, interviews, paintings, photographs, nature. Steal only those that are relevant and important, because garbage in, garbage out.

Read, read and read. Surround yourself with books. Can’t afford it? Go to the library. Austin writes, “Whether you’re in school or not, it’s always your job to get yourself an education.” That is just one of the most powerful things I’ve read about self learning.

And like they say, successful people take notes.

Don’t figure everything out

This is one of Austin’s personal favourites. If you try to wait and know who you are, you’ll not produce anything. It’s like waiting for the one perfect day in your life to start living.

The same goes for creativity. Nobody is born with a style or voice. You start creating, by copying your heroes. You’re not alone there. The Beatles was initially a cover band. Kobe Bryant stole a lot of moves from hours of watching tapes of others’ games.

Start by Copying. Then Emulate.

Austin says copying is reverse engineering; you steal someone’s style, but not just the style. You also need to copy the thinking behind the style. That way, you see how they see the world. You get a peek into their mind. Once you master that art, you’ll no longer feel like an impostor.

But eventually, you’ll fail to perfectly copy your hero (because you are you, and cannot be someone else). And when you fail, you’ll know what makes you different from your hero. You take that uniqueness and put it in your work to produce something of your own (well, now we know it’s not entirely your own).

But there’s a catch. To make it work, you need to keep looking, copying, creating, remixing, and emulating. The perfectionist doesn’t accomplish much beyond the initial perfection, but the iterator gets ahead because they try and keep at it without judgement.

Write the Book you Want to Read

Austin says that asking people to write what they know is terrible advice, because most of the time, nothing interesting comes out of it. The best advice, he says, is to write what you like.

“All fiction is fan fiction.”

Write that story you wanted Virginia Woolf to write. Paint the painting you think Van Gogh would have made next. Design that car you dreamt of driving as a nine year old. Invent and re-invent.

I’ve often heard entrepreneurs asking aspirants to scratch their own itch. When you build something that you’ve always wanted yourself, you will most probably find others who want it, and better yet, even pay for it.

Handcrafted Creativity

There is something different about working with your hands. In his passionate book titled The Case For Working With Your Hands: Or Why Office Work Is Bad For Us And Fixing Things Feels Good, philosopher Matthew Crawford argues that our systematic devaluing of manual competence has led us to sour feelings of emptiness and an absence of fulfillment even in highly competent modern jobs. Although his book received mixed reviews, I believe Crawford got one thing right: we are increasingly becoming passive in the way we view our physical possessions. Where we used to routinely fix our appliances in the past, today, we thoughtlessly discard or replace them.

Maybe it’s time to invest in some physical, tangible handiwork.

Which workspace works best?

Working with hands is a key element in Austin’s definition of creativity. Back home, he has two offices — one analog, one digital. When he was working on his first book, Newspaper Blackout, he was constantly moving back and forth between his analog and digital workspaces. This made sure that the space in which he worked with his hands on paper was where creative things got done. Where he worked with screens, his post-production tasks were accomplished.

He believes that you can’t be the most creative version of yourself when you’re stuck behind a laptop screen — the main reason being, you’ll be tempted to start editing before the ideas have even come out fully.

Practice Productive Procrastination

Some of the greatest creative work ever started out as a side project or hobby. To quote Austin quoting the letterer and illustrator Jessica Hische, “The work that you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

In fact, productive procrastination is an effective way to get things done: Having multiple projects going on at the same time, and switching between them as and when you get bored.

Don’t give up on hobbies

A hobby is that which gives but doesn’t take.

Hobbies and interests are important. Keep them alive even as you age and mature. As a developer, you may not be able to pursue your love for gardening professionally. However, work on it even if you cannot monetize it, because, in the near future, our bodies will yearn for the hobbies it loved once. Heard of a phantom limb pain?

So, “don’t leave your longings unattended”.

Enjoy your Obscurity While it Lasts

Before you’re famous and have paychecks and reputation to worry about, there’s a period of obscurity that most people underestimate the value of. A comfortable time (arguably!) before discovery. That’s when you enjoy the real freedom to create — make mistakes, experiment and reinvent.

In college, people pay to listen to each other and learn from each other. And then, one fine day, you graduate and lose your captive audience, pushing you into the real world where people don’t have time to pay attention. Soon, you’re just a spot in the universe. A few months into obscurity, people start wondering how to get discovered.

Make this phase of anonymity work for you. Make the most of it.

Give your secrets away

Once you’ve created all the good work and are ready to come out of the unknown, Austin gives one tip to get discovered: share it. Invite people to learn and wonder with you. “If you open up your process and invite everyone, you learn”, he says. People love it when you give secrets away — be it on how you write, draw, learn, design — or how you are trying to.

“After all, artists are not magicians.”

Create your Own World

Geography used to limit the scope and accessibility of our work until a few decades ago. With the internet, it has changed irreversibly.

You can create your own world by connecting with people from across the world without even leaving your room. (Personally, I wouldn’t suggest not leaving your room).

Find a small space and some solitude everyday — time for you to look, steal and reflect. It could be while on the bus to work, while waiting for your mom to finish shopping, or in the queue for a haircut.

Find a place for you (Leave home if you can)

Austin also encourages you to leave home and “find a place that feeds you — creatively, socially, spiritually and literally.” Co-existing with people who do different work and live in a wholly different setting adds to your insight and “makes our brain work harder”.

Be Nice

The rules are simple. If you want to be friends with someone, say nice things about them on the internet. If you have an enemy on the internet, just ignore them. It doesn’t cost much to be kind.

A few days ago, I received a letter from a junior in college. He had written some very kind words for me reminiscing some of the best parts of college. It was part of a series in which most of my peers and my seniors were also included. It was such a pleasant experience. There is a no way I’ll forget the gesture, and like me, there will be others who’ll remember him for that.

Support Talent. Stay next to talent.

When you’re in a class and looking for friends, what do you do? Connect with the person who matches your interests best. Choose a talented person, if you get the chance. Learn from them, appreciate them, support them, teach them, if you can. Friendship can be such a lovely exchange. On the internet, follow people who do interesting work. Read what they share. Peek into their work.

Your circle is the most immediate element that influences you deeply. It’s important to maintain a circle, online or offline, that is cheerful, supportive and discusses ideas. I’ve painfully moved out of toxic circles that were draining my mental health and emotional energy.

Don’t look for validation.

Thanks to Austin for writing this. I would say this one line gives me all the confidence I need to create. I don’t care what happens after I hit the publish button. For one, I don’t have much control over how people choose to respond (or respond at all). Second, as he brilliantly pointed out, most people don’t understand how much toil goes into something that is put up on a website. The internet might not be such a great place to seek validation.

Keep a praise file.

When people say nice things about you, online or in writing or drawing, put it in a file. Do it each time you get praised. When you’re having a hard time, go look at it. It’ll give you the lift you need.

Be Boring

When you’re in a creative pursuit, it’s okay, even recommended, to do things typically associated with boring people. Stick to your 9 to 5 job as long as it helps you maintain a routine and keeps you out of debt. Well, a job takes time from you, but as Austin puts it subtly, establishing and maintaining a routine is more important than having a lot of time. Take care of your body and mind. My dad always asks, what use is money and fame if you can’t even get out of bed to spend it? Don’t burn out. Marry someone who supports you in your endeavor and involves you in their work.

Keep a calendar. Stay on track with your goals. Checking a box at the end of a day feels like a great accomplishment. Keep a log book — a detailed diary marking all your past events. Over the years, it’s going to be a valuable resource to read, reflect and maybe steal from.

Creativity is Subtraction

Austin has hammered this idea into the reader’s head. In fact, the very concept of Newspaper Blackout seems to be subtracting the noise and showing the world the one signal that matters.

Subtract whatever is unnecessary. It is only wise to leave out some things.

Stop trying to do everything.

It kills creativity.

One of the many problems the internet brought into the world is the choice paradox. You suddenly have access to thousands of things you could do. Maybe you are physically and intellectually capable of doing them all, but it’s practically impossible. By thinking you can do everything, you bring upon yourself nothing but unhappiness.

Impose constraints on yourself and your work. Think inside the box.

I know this was a long one, but I absolutely loved condensing Steal Like an Artist. I hope I did justice and captured its essence. It was an insightful and thought-provoking read. Austin has done an amazing job in all the ten principles and the suggested readings and actions afterward, especially when he says, Some advice can be a vice. He bids adieu asking the reader to use whatever they find useful, and leave the others.

Summing up, Steal Like an Artist was: Genuine. Engaging. Inspiring (very).

I recommend it to people who love reading text punctuated with art, the tone of a friendly senior and lots of passion and truthfulness. Those who generally do not like to read really long texts of creativity and productivity advice could dive into the value Austin has to offer. (But they’re probably not reading a 2000 word blog post either. Oops.)