Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

Kleon gives practical advice that falls into two categories: suggesting new ways of seeing an idea or concept or suggesting new physical practices. This chapter elaborates on the former, introducing the idea of “stealing” like an artist, the premise of the book. Instead of thinking of artists as singular geniuses, Kleon urges readers to think about art and creativity in context.

In urging creatives to move away from an individualistic model and toward thinking of themselves as part of a “genealogy of ideas” (9), Kleon promotes the idea of the artist as existing within a community of ideas, and in constant dialogue with those ideas. Thinking of Art as a Genealogy of Ideas means that rather than trying to make art that is fully original and unprecedented, artists should mindfully consider how their “new” ideas are “a mashup or remix of one or more previous ideas” (9). Rather than devaluing creativity and art, this mindset enriches both art and the process of creating it. It positions the artist as part of a movement larger than themselves; just as their creative work “builds on what came before” (7), eventually other people’s work will build on theirs. He presents the artistic tradition as a shared, flexible, and incremental phenomenon.

Shared influence and communality underlie Kleon’s goal, which is to guide people toward how to “steal like an artist” (2-3). In doing so, Kleon challenges the predominant Western perspective on self-perception, which often emphasizes an individual’s merits while giving less consideration to their predecessors and the larger ecosystem in which they function. The positive concept of “stealing” challenges accepted modern thinking around the ownership of ideas and processes, where intellectual property rights are considered sacrosanct. Kleon shows how art can be original and ethical while still acknowledging the benefit of influences, and actively adopting these influences into the process. Creative community can inspire artists, as they begin to learn what is “worth stealing” from the community they build around them.

Kleon starts by saying that the advice in his book “appl[ies] to anyone who’s trying to inject some creativity into their life and work. (That should describe all of us.)” (1). Kleon immediately aligns himself with the reader, referring to “us,” setting a tone that, like much self-help literature, fosters intimacy and a sense of camaraderie. Kleon’s inclusiveness here indicates something about how he conceptualizes the definition of artist and creativity. While “artist” can seem like an exclusive club of visual artists, musicians, or authors, Kleon thinks instead that art is something that is accessible to all types of people, from all types of places, with all types of schooling and professions.