Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative (Austin Kleon) Paperback – February 28, 2012

Just spent less than an hour reading a great book.Yes, I'm biased. It was written by my nephew."Steal Like An Artist," by Austin Kleon, is for anybody who is, was or will be stuck in their own creative neurosis, unable to accept their giftings, unable to move forward, unable to risk failure.Perhaps what I love most about the book is the surprisingly practical advice it offers to creative types from a young man I view as a creative genius. I didn't expect this ultra-deep thinking melancholy, whom I've watched grow up (albeit from a distance), to offer such wonderfully useful instruction.The book, which has quickly made the New York Times best-seller list for advice books, is also amazingly spiritual. Full of subtle but sound biblical encouragement (which I'm pretty sure was unintentional), this easy-reading, 140-page work could easily be the basis of a small-group (Bible?) study. And before the religious Pharisees of our day start railing about how the title defies the eighth commandment, please just save it. (You'd do well to heed the encouragement of Bishop Joseph Garlington of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh - one of the great pastors of our day - who openly acknowledges that when he hears a great nugget from other pastors or spiritual leaders, he won't hesitate to steal it, though he'll give credit the first time.)With chapter titles like "Don't Wait Until You Know Who Are To Get Started," "Use Your Hands," "Do Good Work and Share it With People" and "Be Nice," the advice is in some ways a handbook for living out life as God designed us to do.I already have at least 10 people I have in mind who need to read this book. I'll be placing my order shortly.Years ago when Austin first created his website [...], I told his mom that a day would come when people would discover him - that his work would one day have a wider audience. It's exciting for me to see that happening.What's perhaps most exciting for me is to see how grounded Austin is. It's very easy for creatives to get lost and detached in their own creativity. Clearly that hasn't happened with Austin. Of course, I credit God - and a praying grandmother - for that influence, which I'm certain will continue to bear fruit for years to come.Good job, Austin. I'm proud of you.To order the book, click Austin's website link here. Austin, who lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Meghan, will be in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 9 as part of his "Steal Across America" book tour. Check it out if you get a chance.This review was first posted on [...], where Jeff Schoch is senior pastor.

A 12th century French monk, Bernard of Chartres, once observed, "We are like dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants." I thought of that observation as I read Austin Kleon's brief but insightful discussion of ten "things nobody told you about being creative," with the first serving as this book's title. There are dozens of quotations throughout the narrative that reaffirm Kleon's thesis: Almost anyone can become more creative in what they do and how they live by applying the lessons that Kleon learned during the past decade. What he learned, of course, is what he stole from others and then applied...and the world wisdom they possessed had been stolen from still others and then applied...you get the idea.In his thought-provoking book, Ignore Everybody, Hugh MacLeod identifies and discusses a total of 40 "keys to creativity" and, of course, the first is to Ignore Everybody. Taken literally, that would include both MacLeod and Kleon. However, in each of his several books, MacLeod duly acknowledges his appreciation of countless others who have helped him to become the best Hugh MacLeod he could be. My own opinion is that Kleon has a similar objective: To help his reader think more creatively about becoming more creative by introducing his reader to a variety of different perspectives that will help the reader to become more alert, more aware, of how to live a more productive, a more enjoyable, a more fulfilling life.The quotations he includes are indeed excellent. Several have become classic insights. Here is a representative selection:o "Art is theft." Pablo Picassoo "The only art I'll ever study is stuff that I can steal from." David Bowieo "What is originality? Undetected plagiarism." William Ralph Ingeo "It is better to take what does not belong to you than to let it lie around neglected." Mark Twaino "Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy you will find your self." Yohji Yamamotoo " The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life." Jessica Hischeo "Complain about the way other people make software by making better software." Andre Torrezo "Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work." Gustave FlaubertMy take on "artistic theft" is that it is essential to the development of more creative thinking. All of the world's great chess players throughout history, for example, devoted thousands of hours to studying and replaying, then evaluating the greatest matches in decades past. The advice "steal only from the best" is relevant to just about all (if not all) human initiatives. However, it is also imperative to then make what you steal your own. In the field of human development, Oscar Wilde is correct: "Be yourself. Every one else is taken." That has been true of Leonardo, Shakespeare, Mozart, and countless other creative artists...and it is also true of those who read this book. I am grateful to Austin Kleon for sharing what he has learned from others and then made it his own: this book.