Steal Like an Artist
I read Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist at exactly the right time in my life. This book has encouraged me to continue my creative pursuits outside of my day job (as a resident physician). I feel more motivated than ever before to continue my hobby of making YouTube videos.
My main takeaways:
No piece of work is entirely original; new art comes from art before it.
Having a creative pursuit is important.
Just go for it, whatever it is.
Interesting quotes from the book:
“All creative work builds on what came before.”
“There’s an economic theory that if you take the incomes of your five closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your own income.”
“You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.”
“You have to be curious about the world in which you live. Look things up. Chase down every reference. Go deeper than anybody else- that’s how you’ll get ahead.” - This quote reminds me of a mentor I worked with for a summer after my first year of medical school. He was internationally renowned as a physician and always reminded me to “be curious.”
“ Collect books, even if you don’t plan on reading them right away. Nothing is more important than an unread library.”
“It’s the act of making things and doing our work that we figure out who we are.”
“Do the work you want to see done.”
“Do good work and share it with people.’
“At some point, when you can do it, you have to leave home. You can always come back, but you have to leave home at least once.” - I’ve spent my life in Texas. My dream is to live somewhere else in the world outside of Texas for at least one year.
“Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend time in another land, around people who do things differently than you. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.” - Amen to that.
“You’re only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with.”
“If you ever find that you’re the most talented person in a room, you need to find another room.”
“It’s not the money you make, it’s the money you hold onto.” - I need to improve my spending habits. I eat out too much. I’m trying to learn to cook.
“The worst thing a day job does is take time away from you, but it makes up for that by giving you a daily routine in which you can schedule regular time for your creative pursuits.”
“Inertia is the death of creativity.”
“Your only job is to not break the chain. Get a calendar. Fill the boxes. Don’t break the chain.”
“Who you marry is the most important decision you’ll ever make.”
“Relationships are hard enough, but it takes a real champion of a person to be married to someone who is obsessed with a creative pursuit.” - What if both of us are obsessed with creative pursuits?
Bottom line, this is an excellent book for anyone looking to start a side hustle or pursue some kind of creative pursuit. I really enjoyed this book, and it took me less than an hour to read.
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