"Read deeply. Stay open. Continue to wonder. Google it, yo."
It's by artist Austin Kleon and appears in his New York Times bestselling book, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative.
I stumbled upon this book on two recent "must-read" lists. One was a list of 8 books on creativity everyone needs to read (curated by a secular editor), and the second was a list of 5 books every writer needs to read (compiled by a Christian). So that was that. I requested it from the library and waited my turn.
Two days ago it arrived for me. And two days ago I read it.
Yesterday I read it again, picking out my favorite quotes. It's a small book, only seven or so inches tall and about 140 pages. At first glance or flip-through, it looks like a child's book. There are lots of illustrations, lots of giant text, lots of cartoons.
But it's not a child's book. It is a book for creatives – writers, painters, chefs, inventors. Divided into ten pieces of advice for artists, Kleon captures your attention and holds it fast through compelling narrative. He reinforces his message with simple but insightful illustrations and graphics.
Let me explain the title – Steal Like an Artist. Kleon's premise is that there is no such thing as originality. All of our creativity comes from a "genealogy of ideas." Everybody derived their art from someone else. And that's okay! It's good. We need to embrace that. David Bowie once said, "The only art I'll ever study is stuff that I can steal from."
In other words, as a writer, I want to read writers who are much better than me. I want to learn from them and figure out what makes them better so I can incorporate whatever that magic is into my own writing. I want to take their brilliance, re-fashion it, and make it my own.
This T.S. Eliot quote opens the book and explains the idea further:
"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different. The good poet welds his theft into a whole of feeling which is unique, utterly different from that from which it was torn."
I don't know if Kleon is a Christian or not, but Steal Like an Artist is definitely beneficial to the Christian creative. It's filled with pithy quotes and practical advice and has undeniably altered the way I think about my own creative process.
In case you were wondering, here are "the ten things nobody told you about being creative:"
1. Steal like an artist.
2. Don't wait until you know who you are to get started.
3. Write the book you want to read.
4. Use your hands.
5. Side projects and hobbies are important.
6. Do good work and share it with people.
7. Geography is no longer our master.
8. Be nice (the world is a small town).
9. Be boring (it's the only way to get work done).
10. Creativity is subtraction.
Wise words indeed. Kleon is both fun and pragmatic, practical and profound. If you're interested in creativity or art, definitely give this book a read.
Buy Steal Like an Artist here.
Photo courtesy of Culture and Lifestyle.