Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon

“Steal Like An Artist” by Austin Kleon is a guide to the people of the world about how to live creatively. Essentially,  Austin Kleon’s message to the reader is that anyone can be creative if they listen and learn from those around them. He explains that using a selective process you can ‘keep’ the inspiration you like and eventually find yourself, developing into someone you want to be. His rules for creativity are the following:

1. Steal Like an Artist.

2. Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started.

3. Write the book you want to read.

4. Use your hands.

5. Side projects and hobbies are important.

6. The secret: Do good work and share it with people.

7. Geography is no longer our master.

8. Be nice. (The world is a small town.)

9. Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)

10. Creativity is subtraction.

The advice itself is positive, and even though the title is misleading, the author explains the differences between plagiarism and using positive influences to become a better person. The book is short, (I finished it in around an hour) but cute...because of the pictures I think. It’s also rather funny, one of my favorite quotes is in the ‘Be boring’ section where he explains that people cannot live the stereotyped life of an artist; they have to take care of themselves first.

“Neil Young sang, ‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away.’ I say it’s better to burn slow and see your grandkids.” – Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon

I haven’t read many self help books before, so I don’t really know about their usual structure or length. I like the advice in this book, but I wish it was longer and maybe more detailed. The message might also be confusing to some people, but if you actually read the book it all makes sense.
7.5/10