Steal Like An Artist: My Notes [TMP #31]
A book review— sort of.
I recently read Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, and I found it insightful, plus the book was so easy to read.
So here are my notes; things I found interesting and things I found highlight-worthy.
Nothing is original
As I write or follow any creative pursuit, I don’t have to bother if it has ever been made before or if it’s grandly unique. I’m human, you’re human, we largely have the same spectrum of cognitive abilities. What matters is that it’s my experience and I’m learning from it.
All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original. It’s right there in the Bible: “There is nothing new under the sun.”
Garbage in, Garbage out
The better the quality of stuff I take in, the higher the quality of stuff I spit out. Stuff is the whole spectrum: books, ideas, conversations, articles, podcasts, etc.
“You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. … Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.”
On Copying
Gather stuff, do stuff.
“"Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing."
First, you have to figure out who to copy. Second, you have to figure out what to copy.”
…
“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”
All the world’s a stage…
A nuanced interpretation of the famous Shakespeare quote.
Not gonna lie, I find the actual quote depressing.
Shakespeare:
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts.
Kleon:
“Fake it till you make it … start doing the work you want to be doing.”
Finding Your Voice
Good thing, the human hand is incapable of making a perfect copy. That’s where you find your voice.
“The human hand is incapable of making a perfect copy.”
“It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and make us unique.”
Make Art
There will always be room for you, there will always be room for me.
“The manifesto is this: Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use— do the work you want to see done.”
Live Life Then Make Art
“We don’t know where we get our ideas from. What we do know is that we do not get them from our laptops.”
—John Cleese
“…sitting in front of a laptop all day is killing you, and killing your work. We need to move, to feel like we’re making something with our bodies, not just our heads. Work that only comes from the head isn’t any good. Watch a great musician play a show. Watch a great leader give a speech. You’ll see what I mean… the motion kickstarts our brains into thinking.”
On Labels
I really do not need to stress about a major theme, it’s unimportant right now and will only limit me.
“Don’t worry about unity— what unifies your work is the fact that you made it. One day, you’ll look back and it will all make sense.”
On Wanting Fame
Or subscribers lmao.
“…you want attention only after you’re doing really good work. There’s no pressure when you’re unknown. You can do what you want. Experiment.”
The Not-So-Secret Formula
“Do good work and share it with people.
It’s a two step process. Step one, “do good work”, is incredibly hard. There are no shortcuts. Make stuff every day. Know you’re going to suck for a while. Fail. Get better. Step two, “share it with people”, … is very simple: “Put your stuff on the Internet.”
Finding Creative Resources from Emotions
Channel your emotions into writing or whatever else you do. The whole spectrum of emotions.
“So go on, get angry. But keep your mouth shut and go do your work.
““Complain about the way other people make software by making software.””
—Andre Torrez
Stand Next to Talent
“The only mofos in my circle are people that I can learn from.” —Questlove
“Remember “garbage in, garbage out”?
You’re only going to be as good the people you surround yourself with. In the digital space, that means following the best people online— the people who are way samrter than you, the people who are doing the really interesting work. Pay attention to what they’re talking about, what they’re doing, what they’re linking to.”
On External Validation
“You can’t go looking for validation from external sources. Once you put your work into the world, you have no control over the way people will react to it.
…
“…the trick is to be too busy doing your work to care.”
Keep a Praise File
“Use it [praise] sparingly— don’t get lost in past glory— but keep it around for when you need the lift.
Lastly, what brings doom?
“Inertia is the death of creativity.”
Stay inspired,
Dayo
Dayo, I love this one👏🏾. I feel inspired and ready to put out some work. Can't wait for TMP #32.