Lessons from the Book 📚 Steal like Artist

“Humanity is a creative species and art is one major way we express this creativity. Art is the expression or application of the unique human creative skill and imagination, often in a visual form such as painting or sculpture. Art typically produces works that are to be appreciated primarily for their aesthetic qualities or emotional power. It is either simple or complex but always ingenious.

There are a lot of powerful tools for the expression of a human's creative skill; one of which is art.This summary tackles art and its creation, answering questions that many ask but find no answers.”

“Humanity has engaged in artistic endeavors for a very long time; in fact, the first sign of humans evolving into intelligent creatures was cave paintings. We couldn't speak, but we found ways to express ourselves through art; painting. This truth explains the reason behind associating images with art, but as we evolved to speak, our thought process also became, and we discovered new forms of art.

One way to gauge the growth of a person, community, or race is through their resident art works. It is also influenced by these things as well. Art's quality is consistent within an era, race, or individual. Art acts as a means to chronicle the growth of a person, community, or race.

In the following chapters, we shall explore the concept of art, inspiration and how to rediscover new ways to bring to life existing creative works. The misconception of creativity being unique to certain individuals is a dangerous deterrent to the creation of new works of art.”

“Are you searching for an original idea? Are you stuck? Well, don't fret; there's no such thing as an original idea. Any idea today is based on another that predates it either as a loose basis or a complete “rip–off.” You probably think it is theft to use someone else's idea to make yours; well, you'd be correct, it is theft, but then that is just what art is.”

“Not talking about the movies with museum robbery jobs or diamond heists, the term “art is theft,” as said by the renowned artist Pablo Picasso, means that art is a subtle imitation of another work of art. You can Call it indirect inspiration or musing; most of the ideas today grew out of older ones or are simply a continuation of them. Don't feel guilty if you find a better application or interpretation for a picture.

Austin Kleon encourages readers to surround themselves with material from which they can “steal.” Don't read or give attention to anything that cannot inspire you to form a new idea. If you only find things you aren't interested in stealing now, let it sit; it might be worth stealing sometime in the future. If it is worth stealing now, steal it and move on to the next thing that catches your eye.”

“But what does this mean? It is hope for the many people out there struggling to snatch an idea from thin air and make a breakthrough. This realization is a wake–up call for them, telling them that “nothing is original,” if you look hard enough, you will find references. So instead of rummaging through never–before–seen work of research, reach for an old text and get inspired.”

“Sometimes, we face limitations caused by our own identity — or lack of one. We are scared to start something because we don't yet know who we are in total, and we don't know what we want to do or how to do it. This lack of identity is where the artist in you has to come out to shine. Nobody is anybody when they're born. Genetically, we are a collection of our parent's chromosomes, but that doesn't define us; we become something else due to our own experiences and choices.”

“So, if you fear starting on the idea that scares you, you should. Even though you don't know what you are trying to do, let that uncertainty be your defining moment. You can do what all great artists do and copy their heroes. We all have heroes in our various fields of interest; we may want to be as huge as them and maybe even more significant. To do so, we must study them and unravel the process behind their art.

To truly become your person, you should study your heroes, don't copy their work, instead break it down and find your unique way to do it. Imitation is flattery as long as you aren't plagiarizing someone else's work as yours. Look at the comic book giant DC Comics; they have several other companies who use this helpful advice to copy and reverse engineer characters instead of copying and slapping a new name on the surface.”

“Finding yourself is easy when you take the path of copying your idols because, as humans, we can't make perfect copies. As such, we will remain ourselves but with a dash of our idols sprinkled on us. So, to be you, you need to try and fail to be someone else, ironically.

Did you know? The founder of modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, was enamored with the idea of the true Olympian being a talented artist and sportsperson. Between 1912 and 1948, medals were given out for sporting–inspired masterpieces of architecture, music, painting, sculpture, and literature.”

“Your hands might be your most excellent tool for making art. In a world where we are most comfortable using laptops and other digital devices that are supposed to aid our creative process, our creativity suffers. For example, the computer invites you to hurriedly delete or edit an idea or a line of a poem without letting it form. These devices have made us into harsh critics.”

“To fully embrace art, we must distance our creative process from the screens of our digital devices until we are ready to edit and publish. An artist's workshop should inspire creativity, not make producing art a monotonous activity. We rely significantly on automatic sentence correction, so much so that we don't even use our own words anymore. It isn't art if there isn't some imperfection; it is time to go back to the paper and dirty easel and make art that you can enjoy making; art that you can let evolve as it forms.

To some, art might be a hobby, just a side job for when our regular work has become tiring. And as such, art doesn't get as much attention as it should; it is regarded as too unimportant and reserved for pastime activity. But in truth, hobbies can be very lucrative if you know just how to harness them. There is a saying that the work you do when you are not working is the work you will love doing for the rest of your life. Why not allow your hobbies to make some money even as they bring you joy and fulfilling stimulation?

You'll probably think it is too expensive to invest in your many hobbies/passions, that it is best to pick one and focus on it. But this is a terrible decision, and it can haunt you for the rest of your life. Whatever passions you have, whatever hobbies you have, please don't give them up. That career you think will do better if you have fewer hobbies will benefit from having more in reality.”

“Nothing much happens in the comfort zone. If you want to be crazily creative, become the best version of yourself and achieve the things you desire, you will almost always have to move out of your comfort zone. Sometimes a comfort zone is mental, but at other times it is your physical location. For instance, your home can overtime become too boring an environment to carry out any creative activity. In such cases, you should find a different place you can visit regularly when you want to get creative.”

“Change is always good for creativity, as it challenges the mind to adapt to its new surroundings, and in doing so, it creates lovely coping mechanisms that translate into art. You can always return home when you feel the external stimulation is enough, but now you can integrate your new experience into your home space.

Remember, as you travel to find newness or sit at home to create your world, that friends are essential. The world you have explored or created is always a small one, and it fits everyone you know and everyone they know too. You should always be nice to friends and ignore enemies. Surround yourself with people that can inspire you (people you can steal from). It is essential to always be in the presence of people who are better informed and best suited to teach on a subject matter; these are the people whose input will echo years later in your work unknown to you.”

“And when you wish to use the data you have collected in your new world to form art, business, and so on, don't seek anyone's validation before you execute it. A lot of ideas have died waiting for approval. It is your idea, and even though people will misinterpret it and judge it harshly, you know it's worth it and should stand by it. If you've spent your time studying your heroes and you've created an identity for yourself, there's a high chance your work would be excellent; you have to believe it is.”

“Many artists rarely have plans for their lives, and they end up burning out, fading away before reaping the rewards of their art. You want your art to outlive you, but this isn't an indication that you desire a short life, so you must take action to live better and take care of yourself”

“The tortured artist stereotype will almost always lead to burnout and often zero monetary rewards. That's why the author suggests that you make it a priority to take care of yourself: sleep more, eat healthier, exercise more, and take as many breaks as your body requires. There is little money in art at the start, so it is advisable to save any you get. Don't be a frivolous spender; invest in your retirement and make sure you're alive long enough to use the funds.”

“As said earlier, there isn't all the glitz and glamour in the arts, so if you have a job that pays well and affords you the time to invest in your art, then you should try your hardest to keep it. The thing with jobs is that they can be tedious, and they'll make you hate waking up every day. The trick is to find one that you actually can tolerate. Finding a good job is difficult, but not impossible. Things to look out for in a good job: pays well enough, doesn't require too many hours, affords you enough time and energy to indulge in your passions. Once you find a job that has all these attributes, don't let go.”

Conclusion 

“Art is deeply rooted in expression, and we get to see various forms of manifestation of art thanks to the unique and creative human mind. Art exists because we exist and thrives because, as a race, we are in dire need to express ourselves and seek meaning to our existence through the expressions of others. Art connects and defines us, granting us an identity when we search for one and the freedom to be anything and anyone we wish to be.

Creative expression isn't restrictive and can be a hobby, giving you the room to pursue other goals or careers. To steal like an artist is to draw inspiration from just about anything we encounter.

Art isn't limited to the definition on the internet; it revolves around just about anything you can imagine. If you create it, it is art in your world of creativity. Whether it's a new app or a business plan, or a design for airplanes, it is an art, and you need to be more intentional about how you handle your work. Many “artists” get derailed and drop their passions because of impatience or inconvenience; it is essential to note that you must have faith in your abilities and work. It is most important to be always willing to learn, adapt, and experience new challenges as you pursue your passion or career.”

Try this.

“Surround yourself with material on a particular artist or role model, study their life's, work, process, and don't just try to copy and become them; use their material as clay to build your own identity.”