Steal Like An Artist

Steal Like An Artist is a great book and like I said in previous blog posts it's going to be one I'm going to keep on the shelf. I actually have already giving it to my son to read. Everything from creating the book you want to read to playing the music you want to hear this book is really inspirational. Austin talks about using your hands, both in the digital and analog worlds. He also talks about how side projects and hobbies are important. They keep the creative juices flowing. Austin has also shown me throughtout the book how to really dive into something and not only learn the stuff on the surface but to go deeper and learn more than you ever thought was possible. The main feeling of the book is that it is a small world, you need to be nice and of course be boring.

Like the book Steal Like An Artist, Hugh MacLeod's book Ignore Everyone is a great little book about creativity. Hugh talks about how he started in the bustle of New York city and has ended up in a small town in Texas. Hugh is a well known cartoonist that got his start by doodling on the back of business cards in bars. He Says that "Doing something seriously creative is one of the most amazing experiences one can have in this or in any lifetime." Hugh also talks about how you have to put in the hours. Skill and natural talent matters less and less as you work more and more. In the long run, the people who work the hardest in the long run win. There are a lot of comparable ideas in both books. Since the book came out before Steal Like An Artist, I see in chapter nine that Austin completely takes Hugh's thoughts and runs with them. In fact I am now surprised that Austin doesn't directly quote Hugh in his book. There are more similarities between the books as well. "Work hard. Keep at it. Live simply and quietly. Remain humble. Stay positive. Create your own luck. Be nice. Be polite." is something that Hugh said. You can see the inspiration that Austin got from this book. "The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will." this is one of my favorite quotes from Hugh MacLeod.

Chapter Ten

The last chapter in Austin Kleon's book Steal Like An Artist is about constraints and knowing what to leave out. Really if you think about it, if you don't give yourself any constraints the idea that you can do anything is really terrifying. Limitations mean freedom and the right limitations can lead to some of your best work. Working within parameters as a good idea when it comes to creativity. Austin says it the best "In the end, creativity isn't just the things we choose to put in, it's the things we choose to leave out."

I really believe that limiting yourself, or making constraints in your projects helps to focus and get a better end result. Jack White is absolutely right when he says, "Telling yourself you have all the time in the world, all the money in the world, all the colors in the palette, anything you want-that just kills creativity."  Can you image how hard it would be to create something without limits? 

Recently I had a past classmate of mine come to me and ask if I knew anyone that could do a caricature of her Dad. I immediately thought she might be asking me and was terrified because I do not have any kind of experience in this style of art. This so happened to happen at the same time I knew this week blog post was coming up. I sent her a sketch and for my project I will be giving it a try. I am going to work in strictly digital because I feel that I can produce something rather quickly in this medium. I also stated that I will be doing the art in grey scale, colorizing this would probably put me way over the time budget that I am thinking of. Below is my initial sketch. 

Chapter Nine

Steal Like An Artist will be a book that I am going to keep for my personal collection. I can see myself reading this book over and over again to get that little extra kick in the pants I might need from time to time.
Chapter nine is about being boring because it is the only way to get your work done. Austin starts this chapter talking about how he is a pretty boring guy. He states that if you so call burn the candle at both ends too long your bound to wind up less creative or even dead. He says "It take a lot of energy to be creative. You don't have that energy if you waste it on other stuff.
Another good point that Austin makes in this chapter is to stay out of debt. You have to learn about money as soon as you can. The art of holding on to your money is all about saying no to consumer culture. His Grandfather used to tell his dad, "Son, it's not the money you make, it's the money you hold on to."
My favorite part of this chapter has to be the part about keeping you day job. It is something that I have come to realize for quite some time now. It is true that your day job gives you money, a connection to the world and a routine. My job has even been known to be a inspiration for me every so often. It has taught me many valuable things over time.
Lastly Austin talks about getting yourself a calendar and a logbook. This is something that I have struggled with over the years, but when I do religiously keep a calendar I notice that benefits. It's just sticking to that routine that has been a problem. Now with the logbook, that is something that I have never really done before. As suggested I will attempt a logbook this week and post my entries on Saturday here. Come back and give it a look. Hopefully you all will find some good in keeping a logbook.
A calendar helps you plan work, gives you concrete goals, and keeps you on track. Keeping the chain going like it says in the book is a good way to create momentum when it comes to being creative.
With a logbook the small everyday details can help you remember the bigger details. This one is the activity that I am looking forward to the most. I really like how Austin has his laid out in his book, it seems more fun than a tedious everyday task.

Chapter Eight

Chapter eight has probably been one of my favorite chapters so far in Austin Kleon's book Steal Like a Artist. Austin talks first about how to handling people on the internet. He says the best way to vanquish your enemies is to ignore them, and the best way to make friends is to say nice things about them. I really agree with Austin on this topic. In fact I have grown tired of all the negativity on the internet. It seems that people feel that since they can hide behind a screen that they can be downright vulgar on the internet. 

Austin also talks about surrounding yourself with the people that are way smarter than you and better than you, the people who are doing the really interesting work. My favorite part of this chapter is when he is quoting Harold Ramis. "Find the the most talented person in the room, and if it's not you, go and stand next to him. Hang out with him, Try to be helpful." Austin also adds that if that person that you find in the room to be the most talented, you need to find another room. I feel having a list of the "smart people" completely works in your favor in the creativity department. Seeing what they do and how they do it is quite inspiring. I follow a artist by the name of Jasper St Aubyn West. He superimposes his drawings over photographs that he takes. I will include a few of my favorites in this post. Another person I have followed on Instagram is Chip Kidd. I started following him because of our shared love of the caped crusader Batman. In following Chip Kidd I also started following Stefan Sagmeister.

The next part of the chapter kinda goes back to the first part. You're going to see stupid stuff out there and you're going to feel like you need to correct it. Well, keep your mouth shut and use that energy in your own work. 

The last part of the chapter talks about how you should write fan mail to your heroes. Austin recommends public fan letters. Write a blog post about someone's work that you admire. Make something and dedicate it to your heroes. Answer a question they've asked, solve a problem for them, or improve on their work and share it online. Maybe your hero will see your work, maybe they won't. Maybe they will respond to you, maybe not. The important thing is that you show your appreciation without expecting anything in return.

These are the pieces from Jasper that I was talking about. The last one is my first attempt in his style.