Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon

Steal Like an Artist - Austin Kleon

Cindy Yoseffa
Cindy Yoseffa
10 min read

Table of Contents


„Imature poets imitate; mature poets steal.“
— T. S. Eliot

#1 – Steal Like an Artist

All artists get their idea from stealing other artists' work. Stealing in this case is not plagiary, but rather taking them as an inspiration. When someone imitates others' work 1:1, it shows, directly, that they are not mature enough to be a good artist. An immature artist is a beginner. A beginner doesn't have enough inspiration yet to build something their own. To learn how to mix their inspirations from others, a beginner need to imitate first. Nothing is 100% original. We are influenced by the things we love.

„Everything has been said and done. But, since we live too short to see and listen to everything, everything must be said again.“
— André Gide

How to steal like an artist 👇