Writing style
Conversational · Direct · Witty
Apple BooksSteal Like an Artist
Self-help
- First published
- 2012
- Print length
- 160 pagesWorkman Pub., Co., 2012
Description
Austin Kleon treats creativity as a practice available to anyone, not a mysterious gift reserved for isolated geniuses. Across ten compact, illustrated lessons, he encourages artists, writers, musicians, designers, entrepreneurs, and other makers to study their influences openly, combine what they learn, and begin working before they possess a settled artistic identity. His advice moves from developing side projects and sharing work to building routines that protect sustained effort. Concise anecdotes and mini-exercises keep the emphasis on actions a reader can try rather than abstract theories of inspiration. Written for creative life in the digital age, the guide frames originality as the result of attentive borrowing, transformation, curiosity, and regular production, while addressing the practical problem of continuing to make work amid uncertainty and distraction.
Reading profile
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Pace
Brisk
Tone
Earnest · Playful · Uplifting
Structure
Argumentative
Focus
Ideas · Information
Emotional intensity
1 / 5
Reading complexity
1–5 · higher means more demanding- Writing
- 1 / 5
- Ideas
- 2 / 5
- Structure
- 1 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
Themes
More by Austin Kleon
Book details
For the print edition listed above.
- Publisher
- Workman Pub., Co.
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780761169253
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