How to steal like an..artist
That imposter syndrome ?
She: Why are you not creating ? Why are you not writing anymore?
Me: There are louder and (I must admit) better voices than me, there is hardly anything for me to add any value.
She: Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again!
I used to write a lot, was creating a lot (fyi: I started podcasting in 2014!), but over the last 3-4 years, I literally stopped as I kind of felt that I was done with all I had to say.
I was literally out of new ideas.
And that’s why I stopped writing, stopped creating. Call it imposter syndrome, but it is what it is.
The one book that really gave me a different perspective and helped me look at everything from a diff (and funny) lens was..Steal like an artist by Austin Kleon.
If you feel you are stuck creatively, just get steal this book!
Highly recommended for anyone who feels that he/she can ‘still be’ an artist, that he/she cannot compete with loud voices (on social media) and has a ‘(re)starting problem’.
Sharing key insights from the book and by the way, will be sharing an exciting announcement early next week (so please don’t unsubscribe 😂)
First of all, here are the top atomicIdeas from the book:
Steal like an artist.
Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.
Write the book you want to read.
Use your hands.
Side projects and hobbies are important.
The secret: do good work and share it with people.
Geography is no longer our master.
Be nice. (The world is a small town.)
Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)
Creativity is subtraction.
Steal Like An Artist
Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.
You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. You are the sum of your influences.
Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.
Where do you get your ideas from?
Copycat
We learn by copying.
We’re talking about practice here, not plagiarism—plagiarism is trying to pass someone else’s work off as your own.
First, figure out who to copy.
Second, figure out what to copy.
Every artist gets asked the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” The honest artist answers, “I steal them"!
Imitation Vs Emulation
Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style.
Imitation is about copying. Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.
All you need is a little space and a little time—a place to work, and some time to do it; a little self-imposed solitude and temporary captivity.
What’s the secret of the Internet?
Step 1: Wonder at something
Step 2: Invite others to wonder with you.
If everybody is wondering about apple, wonder about oranges. The more open you are about sharing your passions, the closer people will feel to your work.
Artists aren’t magicians. There's no penalty for revealing your secrets.
When you open up your process and invite people in, you learn.
Validation is for parking
Life is a lonely business, often filled with discouragement and rejection. Validation is for parking, but it’s still a tremendous boost when people say nice things about our work.
It takes a lot of energy to be creative. You don’t have that energy if you waste it on other things.
Not So Secret Formula
Do good work and share it with people.
Step one, “do good work,” is incredibly hard. There are no shortcuts. Make stuff every day. You should expect to stink for a while. Fail. Get better.
Step two, “share it with people,” was really hard up until about ten years ago or so. Now, it’s very simple: “Put your stuff on the Internet."
Make Stealing A Habit
Figure out what time you can carve out, what time you can steal, and stick to your routine. Do the work every day, no matter what. No holidays, no sick days. Don’t stop.
Parkinson’s Law: “Work gets done in the time available.”
Get a calendar. Fill the boxes. Don’t break the chain.
#HappyStealing!
-ashish.