Steal Like an Artist
by Austin Kleon
Key Concepts
Steal Smart
Transform existing ideas into something new, rather than striving for impossible originality.
Amateur Mindset
Stay curious and keep learning, allowing you to start creating without waiting for expertise.
Show Your Work
Share your process and progress to build connections and receive valuable feedback.
Side Projects
Pursue passion projects to foster creativity and prevent burnout from primary tasks.
Analog Tools
Use physical tools to slow down, deepen focus, and generate ideas more effectively.
Creative Constraints
Embrace limitations to spark ingenuity and streamline your creative efforts.
Action Items
Maintain a "swipe file" of inspiring ideas, quotes, and images for future reference.
Start creating immediately, even if you feel unprepared or lack a "big idea."
Share your ongoing creative process, not just finished products, to build an audience.
Work on multiple small projects to keep creative momentum and avoid stagnation.
Step away from screens and use physical notebooks for brainstorming and ideation.
Define clear boundaries or limitations for projects to boost focus and innovation.
Core Thesis
All creative work builds upon what came before; embrace influence and remix ideas to find your unique voice and accelerate your creative output.
Mindset Shift
It shifts from viewing creativity as a solitary, original genius act to a collaborative, iterative process of diligently collecting, combining, and transforming existing knowledge for productive output.