Best books about creativity according to Reddit

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

Sentiment score: 24
Reddit mentions: 42

We found 42 Reddit mentions of Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Here are the top ones.

#4 Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative #6
    Features:
  • By artist and writer Austin Kleon
  • A collection of positive messages and exercises to realize your artistic side
  • A New York Times Best-seller
  • 10 Things nobody told you about being creative!
  • ERROR:#N/A
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Found 42 comments on Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative:

u/peter_n · 10 pointsr/malefashionadvice
  1. Check out my answer here
  2. Read Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
  3. Get off Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr and start making stuff instead of constantly collecting images of cool stuff someone else made.
u/eyelights · 7 pointsr/VideoEditing

I believe this is the premise of the short, but great read by Austin Kleon : "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761169253/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5peUCb0Y5A9HQ

u/Squidiculus · 7 pointsr/confidence

Well, step one is to stop talking about yourself like that. I don't care if you think you're a "fucking pussy" or a "moron", don't say it to or about yourself. All it does is make anyone you say it to feel awkward, which reinforces it in your own mind. Of course it's never as easy as it sounds, so if you catch yourself berating yourself, try to take your mind off of it by doing something small to improve (for example, if you feel like you're not creative, get a piece of paper and doodle something. It doesn't even have to be good)

Confidence requires you to remember that you are valuable. Unfortunately, being 17 means feeling awkward and uncomfortable in your own skin sometimes, but that's ok. You just need to keep doing things you enjoy, even if you think you're not good at it, because that's the only way to get better. Even if you feel like a copycat (every creative person feels like that at some point. this book might also help)

You're going to look back at your teenage years and cringe no matter what. It's better to embrace it than to try and be perfect.

u/trousaway · 6 pointsr/worldbuildingclass

(Hell yes Runaways shout-out! The first comic series I ever collected in issues and still so very dear to my heart.)

Another rad lecture! I especially liked the idea that a character should have 7-10 sources minimum and half of them from outside the genre.

I don't think I have any questions for now but I did want to link Austin Kleon's essay (the first point) on copying the good way, which I think connects really nicely with your topic in the lecture! (Relatedly, I 100% recommend his book Steal Like an Artist (non-affiliate Amazon link). It's short and full of really great, grounding advice for creatives, especially budding ones.)

Looking forward to seeing everyone's characters!

u/LowerAd4 · 6 pointsr/copywriting

Learning from someone better and plagiarism are two different things. And I don't think Ogilvy meant he copied word for word from Bob Sage.

He meant copying as in style. If you're copying to learn and understand how to write successful ads then go for it. You ultimately have to find your own voice, but you have to learn a process first.

Plagiarism is just copying word for word what someone has said without doing your own research.

But, it's okay to learn and copy styles from other advertisers, artists, comedians, etc. Gary Bencivenga talks about people copying John Caples, "When Doctors Have Headaches, What Do They Do?" It's in his marketing bullets #7.

In the end, your voice will probably be a mixture of many styles or an extension of what others have already created.

I haven't read this book yet, but check out Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. Here's a TED Talk laying out the idea of the book.

“Good artists borrow, great artists steal.” -Picasso

Also, what's the purpose of having a swipe file if you aren't going to use ideas from it?

u/unknown_knowns_lis · 5 pointsr/lifeisstrange

Re: the whole "ideas aren't affected" thing, I think it's a somewhat misguided screed for originality. There's a weird idea among some creatives that all of their ideas must be original homunculi and come out of their brains fully-formed with only a little bit of tending until they reach their utmost state. I see it a lot with musicians and writers who don't want to be seen as obviously inspired by or "stealing" from other artists, though I personally think "stealing" is an important part of creativity.

But inspiration can come from anywhere from any reason. There shouldn't be any shame in saying another artist inspires you, and I can't think of any greater compliment an artist could receive than to think that their work inspired such action in someone else.

u/duttymong · 5 pointsr/IndustrialDesign

A few things off the top of my head:

Creative Confidence By Tom and David Kelly (IDEO) - In fact, anything by these guys as IDEO are a great resource for design thinking.

Wacom Pen and Touch S Perfectly adequate starter tablet for sketching on a laptop.

Sketchbook Pro to go with it

Product Sketches - Great book with sketches of everyday things from Ideation to presentation quality.

Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design - Really good book covering the basics of industrial processes to manufacture objects.

Copic Multiliner set - maybe with some stationary. I fucking love stationary. Could combine this with a Moleskin or Field Notes notebook

Steal Like an Artist - cute, short book with a great message about how its not what you steal but how you steal it.

Kor 'Hydration Vessel' - I've had one for like 3 years.

u/Twitwi · 4 pointsr/gamedev

I was going to post a long comment, but looks like I am late for that party. So to keep it short, read Steal like an artist by Austin Kleon. Then go make something and fail miserably...
And then learn from that, and try again.

u/nordik1 · 4 pointsr/edmproduction

Good article.

This is a good (and quick...<1-2 hours) read to go along with #10: http://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253/ref=zg_bs_4737_4

u/TheWolfAndRaven · 3 pointsr/Screenwriting

Stealing from one source is theft, stealing from a lot of sources is research.

For more reading on the subject - See Austin Kleon's book "Steal like an artist"

u/Whatserface · 3 pointsr/learnart

Girl!

The first and most important advice I can give you is to buy/rent the book "Steal Like an Artist". It's the best book for getting you into the mindset of just creating. Read it whenever you start doubting yourself. In fact I'm going to read it tomorrow since I've just reminded myself.

The biggest thing is to just relax! Ignore your sister and your mom, and just bear through the task of making yourself draw. Get a sketchbook. You know and I know that the first drawings will be bad, which is why you always allow yourself a warm up. Skip the first page, and just PLAY, EXPERIMENT, EXPLORE, whatever! It really doesn't matter what you do, because you're just basically telling your hand that it's okay to try.

So you mentioned you're more technical. That is a strength! You want to do fashion? Okay, so get a book on human anatomy and study it. Copy the figures, body parts, poses, bones, muscles, etc. Draw folds and wrinkles in cloths. Most of all just draw from observation. Go to cafes, libraries or public transit (wherever people are sitting still, distracted for long periods of time) and draw them, what they wear, their expressions. Get SO inspired that you can't help but record their moment. Make their moment YOURS.

The fact that you see this as a hobby is actually great, because you can use the art to relax instead of getting really agitated about it. One thing I did to get more confident about drawing in public was to get in touch with people on meetup.com and find people that do sketching in public. I don't know if you live in a bigger city or in the country or what, but there are many groups out there that make it their mission to find fun locations to do some sketching. The choice to draw people, architecture, landscapes, or doodle is your choice. Getting together with your community can seem scary at first, but you get to meet a lot of people that have a common interest, whether they're in art school or see it as a hobby. You get to hear a lot of other perspectives and trade around sketchbooks. I know it sounds scary, but trust me, I was in a pretty similar situation as you, and this has really helped me not feel anxious about drawing in public and showing other people my work. You should also try to post on reddit when you want to, and just ask for areas to improve. Let me know if you're in Toronto, because there are a couple of groups I can let you in on.

By the way, a couple of years back, I moved to a different country and wasn't able to bring any of my art supplies with me. I didn't make art for two years, until I realized it was a fundamental component missing from my life. The things I mentioned above are some of the pieces of advice I could have used a few years back. I would advise you to be patient with yourself, draw as much as you can let yourself (to blow off steam or whatever), and read various books on subjects that you think will help you. Try to draw as many different things as possible (people, water, cloth, animals, etc.). Just don't tell yourself that you can't. Accept the drawings that don't make you proud as a step in a long, long process. One medium that I think helped me with confidence is the Micron pen, or felt tip pen. Using pen keeps you from second guessing. It's so permanent and the lines are expressive, so you learn to go with the flow. Alphonso Dunn has a great youtube channel with tons of videos on various subjects, all with micron pen. Look him up!


I hope some of this helps. Good luck!!

u/PM_ME_UR_FAVE_TUNE · 3 pointsr/WeAreTheMusicMakers

Yup, correct. Absolutely WONDERFUL book. I highly recommend purchasing it and reading through it every time you feel in a creative drought. It's a short read (hour or two) and immensely energizing creatively for me. Amazon link

u/h3bi · 3 pointsr/edmproduction

I would suggest reading Steal Like an Artist.

The main idea of the book suggests that originality comes from having so many different sources of inspiration that nobody can actually pinpoint where the specific influences were.

I wouldn't condemn copying necessarily. I originally work as a graphic & web designer, and when I started out, I used to copy different styles because they inspired me and I thought it not only looked cool, but it worked functionally. Now after a few years I feel as though I'm starting to develop my own style from it and I'm refining specific elements in it to make it my own.

My belief is that the purpose of copying shouldn't be to sell or get signed. What it should mean is to take an idea that resonates with you and explore it, expand on it and put your own spin on it. I think the problem is when people put ego/popularity/sales before the integrity of their art, which unfortunately is what the music industry runs on in our society and is why we see so many similar sounding songs in EDM.

u/current_events · 2 pointsr/getdisciplined

I am of the mind that it isn't something you can look for at all - it's just 'there' and it is more important not letting it go than actively looking for 'it.'

What turns you on?
What makes your heart race?
What makes your mouth go dry?
What gives you goosebumps?
What makes your balls/vagina tingle that isn't sexual at all?

This book is a fast food/quick read but it's got some fun ideas:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0761169253

The one thing I pulled from that book is - don't throw any of yourself away, stuff you were in to 5-10yrs ago that you 'let go' can probably still turn you on.

u/Pranaryx · 2 pointsr/gamedev

100 percent. If you still feel paranoid I can't recommend reading Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon enough. He also has a Ted talk that goes over most of the ideas in the book.

u/Banjerpickin · 2 pointsr/Audiomemes

Sorry I was being overdramatic haha. I still love music, it just takes a really phenomenal band or artist for me to sit and take it all in without analyzing every aspect of it. I have to use the "Sorry, I've pretty much ruined..." punchline anytime I go see a show with non-musician folks and I start tearing the show apart as soon as it's over. They always think it's funny and it's a reminder to myself that what I'm passionate about may be ruining the experience for them.

I actually really enjoy figuring out what I'm going to steal for my own show, I see it as important research! But I do wonder what it would be like to go see some of my favorite bands without knowing anything about music.

I've also "ruined" beer (I homebrew) and movies (I've scored some films and learned too much about movie making) as well hahaha.

u/Vape_C · 2 pointsr/VideoEditing

You have to read a book to understand what people are saying about copying someone else's visual style. Thing is while it does look cool with the timelapses and Maxzwell's music, it reminds everybody of Casey, who is by the way an "established" if you will, vlogger, it makes your audience immediately think and compare you to him. The odds aren't in your favour in that department, and not because your editing is not cool enough or the music doesn't fit or anything like that, (not even the visual style) but you don't tell a story!

The editing was pretty good, my two cents:

-At the intro the first sentence was off the right I think. (use the grid and the rulers in the programm you use)

-There was flickering at the draw my thoughts kind of thing you did! (which was cool)!.

So my advice to you is to think before you film , even before you edit, plan out, imagine your video before making it!

Also a cool book to read http://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253 by an amazing author, it helped me alot to understand where i've crossed line between stealing and copying with the mindset of making it my own!

But please don't stop creating!

u/josephnicklo · 2 pointsr/graphic_design

Uncategorized:

Thoughts On Design: Paul Rand


Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design

How to Be a Graphic Designer without Losing Your Soul

100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design

Paul Rand

Paul Rand: Conversations with Students

Seventy-nine Short Essays on Design

Bauhaus

The Vignelli Canon

Vignelli From A to Z

Dieter Rams: As Little Design as Possible

It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book

Damn Good Advice (For People with Talent!)

Josef Muller-Brockmann: Pioneer of Swiss Graphic Design

Popular Lies About Graphic Design

100 Ideas that Changed Art

100 Diagrams That Changed the World

Basics Design 08: Design Thinking

Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920-1965

Lella and Massimo Vignelli (Design is One)

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice

History of the Poster

How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer

The Design of Dissent: Socially and Politically Driven Graphics

George Lois: On His Creation of the Big Idea

Milton Glaser: Graphic Design

Sagmeister: Made You Look

Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?

Things I have learned in my life so far

Covering the '60s: George Lois, the Esquire Era

Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite

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

[Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration]
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812993012/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=VEJ64Y4T0U6J&coliid=I1WMMNNLTRBQ9G)

Graphic Design Thinking (Design Briefs)

I Used to Be a Design Student: 50 Graphic Designers Then and Now

The Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design

Creative Workshop: 80 Challenges to Sharpen Your Design Skills

Information Graphics: A Comprehensive Illustrated Reference

Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps

The Visual Display of Quantitative Information

Envisioning Information

The elements of dynamic symmetry

The elements of content strategy

Corporate Diversity: Swiss graphic design and advertising

Book Design: a comprehensive guide

Meggs' History of Graphic Design

u/Yoyoge · 2 pointsr/songaweek

I always like your stuff. I would not have noticed the Tennyson line, but I that it was there and that you mentioned it. I've got "Steal like an artist" on my nightstand and really need to read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253

u/bradg97 · 2 pointsr/graphic_design

I would recommend this. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761169253/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i1tFxbEJ9BN6G

u/Yaohur · 2 pointsr/Screenwriting

I recommend you read Steal Like an Artist, because you're off base here with your understanding of interesting = new = reading lots of academic literature. There is nothing "new" in the artistic world. And this post you've made, in my opinion, is evidence that you need to read more scripts.

u/healthyside · 2 pointsr/graphic_design

To build off of that, there's also Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. I've never found it wildly useful, but he brings up a lot of excellent topics that new(er) designers need to address.

https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253

u/Sandfloor · 1 pointr/graphic_design

I am in almost the same situation.
I have also been looking for books for motivation, inspiration and so on.
Here are some stuff that keep getting recommended as well as other books that I think are interesting judging by their description and reviews (note: I haven't read anything yet I am just sharing my searching results from the past 2 or 3 days):

For creative problems

u/Arkholt · 1 pointr/latterdaysaints
  • Confucius' Analects: Some things in Confucius don't exactly fit in with my world view (such as his and later Confucians' view of women), and some of the specifics don't conform to the gospel (such as sticking with Chinese rituals of ancestor worship), but most of the ideas and concepts are incredible and extremely practical in everyday life. It's all about cultivating oneself and one's mind, doing the proper things to conform with the Way. I highly recommend Edward Slingerland's translation, which includes translations of important commentaries.

  • Dao de jing by Laozi: Opposes Confucius on many things, but still some incredible stuff there. Lots of stuff about letting go and allowing things to happen without trying so hard to push them in the exact direction you want. In most things, I lean towards Confucius, but in creative endeavors I lean toward Laozi. More and more, however, I lean toward Laozi, because I realize there are things that are outside of my control that I have to let go. It's very hard for me to do, and I'm nowhere near mastering it, but I'm working on it.

  • The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster: The best book on the importance of a well-rounded education. Everything you learn, everything you can learn, is important, and while you may not see a use for a particular thing in your life right now, it doesn't mean you'll never use it. Also, it's the best children's book with the highest number of great puns.

  • Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon: This book is great for anyone in any creative endeavor, be it art, music, writing, or even business. It's all about where to get great ideas from, and how most of the time, you have to steal them. This doesn't mean you plagiarize, but you take them and make them your own and make them something new. It's a tiny book that packs a big punch. It's really opened my mind to the possibilities of creativity. How this relates to the gospel... I'm not quite sure yet. But it's changed my life and mindset in so many ways, I had to share it.

u/TryingT0Wr1t3 · 1 pointr/gamedev

It's a great book! It's motivational also, people don't create things from thin air!

https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253

u/Chris_Misterek · 1 pointr/graphic_design

Check out this book

Steal Like an Artist

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0761169253/

It’s normal.

u/zeeaudacia · 1 pointr/Standup

I just finished reading "Steal Like An Artist" (http://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253). One of the key points is that when you first start, you try and copy from your heroes. Have 4-5 of them.

By copy, I don't mean word by word, but more like the general topics, style of delivery, how they do act outs etc.

Check out the wiki pages of some famous comedians (Louis CK, Russell Peters, Kevin Hart, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Dave Chapelle). They have "Influences" on the right panel where it lists all the different comics that they looked up to - and undoubtedly tried copying from.

After a few years of that, you'll start developing your own style.

u/boaaaa · 1 pointr/architecture

Get this book. Steal Like An Artist https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0761169253/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i9k7ybSC5PS8W

It explains how to evaluate sources and how to find them in a really easy to understand way.

u/TreesAndDoughnuts · 1 pointr/Songwriting

Every artist you have ever heard has done covers.

Probably the best thing that you can do is to take each one of those influences and mimic it. Create a small 2 minute song which duplicates that influence well. That will become your palette of musical colors.

Once that is created, you can mix them together in different portions.

You will always be a ripoff. No one may notice it but you, but you will always be borrowing and being influenced by other sources. That is how we get new stuff.

​

Book: Steal Like an Artist

u/ScribblerJack · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon
  1. Done! It's not traditional reading material maybe, but this book has been on my list since the dawn of time, lmao.
  2. The Name of the Wind & The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. :-) I was just talking about this series the other day! It's like hearing an epic story being told, but you're being told by the person at the center of the epic. You don't actually know if what they are telling you is the truth or not (especially since this person has a reputation for being cunning). You want to believe that it is, but at times evidence points to the fact that the person is either lying or is no long the epic figure they once were. Basically, unknown events have fundamentally changed them but we don't even know what that is yet! The wait for book three has been tortuous. :-)
  3. Check check CHECK! :-D

  4. YOU go read! :-D Here's the prologue!
u/zarape · 1 pointr/mexico

Diseñador Gráfico aquí.

Primero, todos copian, todos los grandes artistas roban y no hay nada malo en eso. Te recomiendo mucho el libro Steal Like an Artist. Siempre vas a estar tomando referencias del mundo que te rodea. plagio es cuando le robas a una sola persona y eso si está mal.

Segundo, las ideas no son especiales. Lo difícil es ejecutarlas. Este texto es sobre diseño de juegos de mesa pero aplica para otras áreas creativas)

Tercero, no te debes ocultar, al contrario debes mostrarte. Haz una página web, pon tus trabajos en Behance, en twitter, facebook, reddit (no abuses), en instagram, ten tus redes vinculadas. Eso es lo que te dará el respaldo necesario. Yo también pasé por mi etapa paranoica y registré mis trabajos en Indautor después de que oí una horrible historia de un amigo al que le robaron un personaje, unos años después volví a revisar mis cosas y me di cuenta que todo era basura, realmente nadie se iba a robar eso.

Lo que si plagian son campañas pero se las roban directamente a las agencias no a individuos. La mecánica es la siguiente: una empresa pone en "licitación" una campaña; las distintas agencias ponen todo su esfuerzo para ganar el pitch; después la empresa se hace güey, usa a sus diseñadores internos para que se roben los copys y artes y ya no paga nada. Lo triste es que es algo que ya todos aceptan.

PD. No pongas marca de agua, se ve muy vulgar, te lo dice un profesional en lo visual. Eso si, puedes ponerle tu logotipo personal abajo en pequeño.

u/Saiserit · 1 pointr/thelastpsychiatrist

Isn't this simply an ability to hide one's sources? University and grad school is little more than passing off the ideas of one professor to another professor and pretending one had original thoughts on the subject. It didn't work so well for me because I later found out my two favorite professors, in two different departments, happened to be best friends. That was a tough semester!

There is no such thing as originality, just decay and remix.

Yes, I stole that thought, as well. From a new york times bestseller, which I highly recommend if you work in the creative field: https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Like-Artist-Things-Creative/dp/0761169253

I made a post some time back about the underlying meaning of the PhD process across social science fields, the point was the "sincere" creation of a brand new symbol which qualifies for inclusion on consensus reality, thus why they are ah-"worded" get it-haha. "Defend your thesis" = Swindle the panel into considering something within the discipline's boundaries that they don't already "know."