Afterthoughts: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

The chirp of a bird

Afterthoughts: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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In the spirit of the book, I will compose my thoughts in the form of the most compelling ideas from Steal Like an Artist.

“Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use – do the work you want to see done.”

“You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.”

“You don’t get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see. You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. You are the sum of your influences. The German writer Goethe said, “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.”

“Always be reading. Go to the library. There’s magic in being surrounded by books. Get lost in the stacks. Read bibliographies. It’s not the book you start with, it’s the book that book leads you to. Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away. Filmmaker John Waters has said, “Nothing is more important than an unread library.” Don’t worry about doing research. Just search.”

“Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.”

“Pretend to be making something until you actually make something.”

“In the end, creativity isn’t just the things we choose to put in, it’s the things we choose to leave out.”

Verdict

Recommended.

“Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.”


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