Confession: I have a ridiculous amount of terrific books in my art library (and my self-help library. More on that later, maybe) which I have not read. (It’s nice to know that they’re there, and I somehow feel more creative, intelligent and enlightened for just having them.) However, it’s a good bet that I’m far more likely to consume smallish books than the big fat dense ones. So when I discovered the insanely affordable “Steal Like an Artist: 10 things nobody told you about being creative” by Austin Kleon, I gobbled it up.

Amazon kept suggesting to me that I might want to buy this book, based on my search history. (duh) So eventually I did. And I’m so glad I did…I’ve gone through it multiple times, given it to a bunch of art-friends, and now I’m writing a blog- post about it. I’ve found this little gem immensely helpful, in a bunch of ways. I’ll let the pics tell the story:

Good vs. Bad…

AHA…The Secret…..

ATTENTION..!!!!! 

Don’t worry, be happy…

wondering… 

Austin is, as he puts it, a writer who draws. His new book “Show Your Work! 10 ways to share your creativity and get discovered”*  (*really sweet mini-video here) is about to be released in March. As Austin says, it’s about process, not product. “You make things, you make things happen; you want to get yourself out there… but you don’t want promoting your work to take away from what you do.”  By being open and freely sharing your process, you can gain a following. Doors will open. Connections will happen. I’m working on it.  

Austin Kleon is a writer and artist living in Austin, Texas. He’s the author of two bestselling books: Steal Like an Artist, a manifesto for creativity in the digital age, and Newspaper Blackout, a collection of poetry made by redacting newspaper articles with a permanent marker. He speaks about creativity for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. Visit him online at www.austinkleon.com.

Thanks, Austin, for your awesome insight, generosity, and really great advice.

To purchase “Steal Like an Artist” on Amazon, click here.  To pre-order “Show Your Work” click here.

[with thanks to Theo, my four-legged studio assistant and model.]