This post will cover a recap of what you will find in Austin Kleon’s book, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Overview of Chapters One, two and three
Chapter One:
Chapter one is the longest of the three sections, and it introduces the book’s thesis that all artists steal, but some are more honest about it than others. The idea that nothing is original is introduced and explained using genetics as an example of how ideas, like living beings, don’t arise independently and are part of a ‘genealogy of ideas.’ A set of parents contributed to making you and me, and similarly, our creative works are created, in part, with the input of other creatives who have influenced us. When we accept and embrace that idea, Kleon states frees us from the burden of trying to be “original, because, as stated earlier, nothing is original.
The concept reminded me of the teaching of Vietnamese, Buddhist, monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, who said:
Everything relies on everything else
in the cosmos in order to manifest
— whether a star, a cloud, a flower,
a tree, or you and me.– Thich Nhat Hanh
In other words, all things are dependant on the actions, contributions, or influence of other things.
Kleon encourages us to see ourselves as part of creative linage with an endless chain of ancestors. He notes that one nice bonus to having a lineage of dead or remote teachers and influencers is they can’t refuse our apprenticeship. So, sorry Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Haring, Warhol, Clemente, Parks, etc., you are stuck with me! 😉 *who is in your artistic lineage? Post in the comments section, below*
Kleon wraps up chapter one by encouraging us to educate ourselves on the art and artists that interest us; in fact, he encourages us to “Google everything” and dive deep into any and everything the sparks our curiosity. He also urges us to visit libraries and collect and read books. Through education, we will be able to grow and advance as artists, well rounded, curious, human beings. I use my Kindle and Audible audiobooks more than buying physical books these days, but I do still find myself buying some actual books that I know are special, and I’ll want to experience in hands.
Finally, Kleon suggests we save the art we’ve thieved for later use by creating a “swipe file” for, of course, all the things we’ve swiped from others. This can be a digital or physical file. I like to use Pinterest to store ideas (you can have public or private pinboards) as well as files on my local computer.
Carrying a sketchbook or journal is necessary to record ideas, thoughts, notes, etc., that we encounter throughout the day. Several apps can be used to record notes and sketch, so there is very little excuse for not jotting down our ideas as they occur. I’ve included some links to art supply sources for journals and sketchpads after this post. For a glimpse at a fantastic artist sketch/notebook, check out this Edward Hopper: Sketchbook Viewer from the Tate Museum.
Chapter Two:
Chapter two centers around the need for us to be our biggest supporters. We can do that by getting busy, knowing we are genuine, and moving from imitation of our art heroes to emulation of their work in our own way. Getting busy making art is key to everything that follows. We may wonder when is the best time to start ‘being an artist’; the only answer is: NOW!
Imposter syndrome can hamper our creativity. Imposter syndrome is when we feel we are not qualified to be doing what we are doing. The video below offers some great ways to address imposter syndrome.
Imposter Syndrome Video
Kleon applies the adage, “Fake it ‘til you make it” to encourage us to just start doing and not letting self-doubt slow us down. I would suggest a slight change and say, “Make it as you make it,” i.e., the act of making isn’t faking at all even when we are looking to our heroes for our continuing educations.
Looking at our heroes is one thing, but we can learn so much more if we copy our heroes. Kleon stresses that he is talking about practicing our craft by copying our heroes, NOT plagiarising our heroes. It is not an uncommon educational tool, in fact, it is time-honored, and it is how we all learn to interact in our world as we develop from infancy on. So, copy your heroes and learn from them. Try to see how they saw, try to feel how it felt to create the way they created, try to understand them as best you can. Kleon offers this handy list to help us differentiate good form bad theft:
Page 39 of Steal Like An Artist
Chapter Three:
Chapter three is very brief (3 ½ pages of text), but the message is essential. Chapter three asks us to rethink the old saying that writers should: “Write what they know,” but, Kleon suggests we “Write what we like.” Harkening back to chapter one, where we’ve started investigating the artists we like, we have a pretty good idea of what we like. Now we need to take our research and see how we can emulate our heroes into our own stories. As Kleon says, “..do the work you want to see done.”
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Up Next.:
Part One: Chapters 4 – 5
Part Two: Chapter 6 – 7 & 8 -10
Chapters one, two, and three give us the building block we need to get started making the art we want to see in the world. We do this through researching, copying, and finally emulating our artistic heroes. We also add to our creative inventory by pouring over art and inspirational images online and in the real world. We’ll save the pictures that inspire us and keep them in files online, on a cloud server, in sketchbooks and journals, or physical clippings in folders in our studio.
I put many of these steps into practice, and I can attest to their benefits. I look forward to reading chapters four and five and sharing the concepts and my thoughts on those chapters with you. Thank you for reading!
Useful Links:
Online Research and “Swipe File”
Great Works of Art Google Search:
Google Museums, most have online galleries of collections ex: https://www.artic.edu/collection
Visit physical Museums and galleries
Visit brick and mortar art supply shops (Try Google Search: Art Supplies Near Me)
Take a walk and capture images on your phone’s camera roll to save in a file or on the cloud
Sketchpads/Journals/Art Supplies:
Blick sketchpads, journals, and general supplies
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