Book Author: Austin Kleon

My notes from recently read Steal like an Artist. A quick read with nuggets of wisdom.

  1. All 'new' creations are built upon already existing ideas. There are no 'good' or 'bad' ideas. There are ones that are worth stealing, and others which are not.
  2. "Select only things to steal that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic." - Jim Jarmusch
  3. School yourself - Be curious. Google everything. Surround yourself with books. Read everyday. Collect books. "Nothing is as important as an unread library" - John Waters
  4. Take notes. Collect snippets for later steal.
  5. Fake it till you make it - (1) Pretend to be something you are not, until you are. (2) Pretend to be making something until you actually make something.
  6. In the beginning, we learn pretending to be our heroes. We learn by copying them. Even musicians copy at first. "Those who don't want to imitate anything, produce nothing". Don't just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style.
  7. Copy your heroes. Examine where you fall short or are different. That's where you will find your style.
  8. Draw the art you want to see. Write the book you want to read. Play the song you want to listen to. Build the apps you want to use.
  9. Consider physical against digital. Use your hands. Writing on paper might stimulate for more ideas, as opposed to typing. The author has two different offices - analog and digital. Analog while coming up with ideas. And digital for executing and fine-tuning them.
  10. Embrace multiple hobbies and side projects. Move from one to another as you feel like. Believe that it will come together and make sense in the end.
  11. Do good work and share it with people. Share it online. "Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If they are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." - Howard Aiken
  12. Surround yourself with books and objects you love. Tape things on the wall. Create your own world.
  13. Enjoy solitude and temporary captivity. Shut down the internet and laptop at the airport, bus ride, library.
  14. Change often. Change location. Change jobs. Your brain gets comfortable with the surroundings and you need to make it uncomfortable. Surround yourself with interesting people outside your field. Make use of internet.
  15. Say positive things. Be kind. Don't pick fights. Time is better spent elsewhere.
  16. Don't get stuck on getting validation. Critics will always be there. Focus on the positive. Maintain a praise file and review it for motivation. Don't get lost in the past glory too.
  17. Boring life is good. It leaves energy for when you need it in creativity. Learn about money and saving it. Stay out of debt.
  18. Keep your day job! It puts you in path of other human beings you can learn from, you can steal from. Persistence is more important. Doing things everyday, even for a few minutes, will move you closer to your goal. Parkinson's law is usually true: work is done in the time available. Find a job that has a good balance and leaves you with energy you need to do stuff you like.
  19. Get a calendar. Apply Seinfeld's chaining technique. To be good at something do it everyday and market it on a calendar. Soon you will start forming a chain and would want to not break it. Keep a logbook of things you do everyday. Keep it short and maintainable.
  20. Marry well. A good partner keeps you grounded.
  21. In creativity, sometimes limitations mean freedom. Write a song on your lunch break, shoot a movie with your iPhone, paint with just one color. Make the best use of the time, space and material you have available right now and stop giving excuses. Embrace the limitations.
  22. Keep moving. Have fun.