Austin Kleon and his books are the reason why I am writing a blog and have my own podcast . His books have been a driving force and a guiding light in my creative journey so far and it seems like they will be in the future as well.
There are 3 books that amazon suggests that you buy together and please do that! You will want them all . They are titled “Steal like an Artist”, “Show your work” and “Keep going” .They are all together everything an artist needs on his journey.
All three are written in the same manner, extremely easy and comprensible 10 points that go with the title of the books. A step by step guide towards making your art, sharing it with the work and keeping on going. The books consist of elaborate explanations of each point and relatable examples along with interesting quotes and sketches, making the books fun to read.
Things that I have learnt from these books:
- All artists steal . It begins with stealing stuff that is worth stealing and then moving on to the next thing. It says so in the Bible : “There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). One must embrace the influence instead of running away from it.
- An artist is a collector , he collects selectively.
- It takes a lot of energy to be creative, beware of the energy vampires and preserve your energy for your art.
- The more open you are about sharing your passion , the closer people will feel to your work.
- “Be concerned with doing good work …and if you can build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency”- Willian Burroughs
- Your stories are your most valuable asset.
- Teach what you know ,share what you have to offer to the world and let them value you.
- You want hearts, not eyeballs .Stop worrying about the numbers that the social media defines you by and start making more connections.
- Keep moving. Every piece of criticism is an opportunity for new work and reflection on the previous one.
- Having your work hated by certain people is a badge of honour.
- Keep Going, acknowledge the bad days and good days but don’t stop.
- Forget the NOUN and do the VERB. We focus too much on being a writer than focusing on writing. As long as we are doing an action, the nouns are not really important.
- Make gifts for the people you adore with your art and it’s the most fun you will ever have.
- Art and the artist both suffer most when the artist gets too heavy, too focused on the results. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow.
- Taking breaks is important.
- Demons hate fresh air, and keep taking long walks. Start walking towards a destination and keep your senses active and get inspired on the way.
- Learn from the plants, be patient, give yourself time to grow.
- “Imitate the trees. Learn to lose in order to recover, and remember that nothing stays the same for long” – May Sarton
These are just the few among many amazing lessons these books contain. I Wish you a very happy creative journey that I am sure these books will force you to begin and continue.