Book Review: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

This book is small and cute like the kind of thing you would get as a Christmas gift for you artsy friend. It’s the kind of visually appealing book that would catch your eye in the checkout line at Barnes and Noble and suck you in. Its quick read text layout and the appealing black and white graphic design make it a fun and easy read.

I read the whole thing in one sitting and it left me feeling inspired and holding on to the following concrete takeaways:

1) All creative work builds off the work of other earlier artists.

The author encourages us to dig deep into the works and masters that you are inspired by and put the best elements into our own work.

2) It’s okay to be obscure and unnoticed in the beginning.

It gives you safe space to explore and make mistakes while finding your unique voice.

3) Regular practice can help you stay in the groove.

If you put the work down for any period of time, sometimes it’s hard to pick it back up again.

4) Hobbies are important.

Doing things that aren’t the work but feed your soul can help your creativity. As someone who has a ton of hobbies, that was nice to see.

5) In art, less is more.

Sometimes taking things away from a piece can be better than adding things.

Overall, this book was an inspring, emotional pick me up. It makes me want to think about masters I admire and dig deeper into studying and emulating their work. And maybe get more hobbies. I love hobbies.