Steal Like An Artist: Austin Kleon at TEDxKC

[@gmla2186]

"The immature artist imitates. Mature artist steal." . Love this phrase, love the video. As an artist myself i can totally relate to it. Thanks. For some reason now, i feel very inspired.

[@KeyDyer]

It’s a shared language. We didn’t invent letters, but we all speak some sort of language we were taught. Love this video.

[@emilieclairehope9157]

I think that the reason the word “steal” is so essential here is because to steal is to take ownership of something that previously belonged to someone else. Imitation is merely pretending to have something that belongs to someone else. Theft inherently involves transformation; what is theirs becomes yours. When something inspires you, you must *make it yours*.

[@danielaravenous]

My ten-year artist's block ended after reading Austin books. Awsome.

[@paintballgun10]

i tried explaining this to my professor. she was pissed. she said ANY idea that didn't 100% come from just my head i had to "cite my sources".. seems simple enough, right???... WRONG. Because everything i know came from something else, whether it was from a parent, grandparent, teacher, or just experience. I said "Nothing is knew under the sun." Technically NOTHING we do is original, we are just imitating. Even our own creativity is nothing more than an outflow of our Maker.

[@sharongillesp]

Think of a kaleidoscope!

[@Red_Proton]

Hint: Don't ask a teacher. Why? Because the quality of the answer is equally important as the quality of the source.

[@riteasrain]

BRAL Studios My sentiments exactly.

[@DavidDOquendo]

Just because it isn't original, and/or a remix - that doesn't mean siting sources isn't required. It is always a good idea to provide the inspiration of the work. Giving credit where credit is due is never a bad idea. If the source is your grandma, then the source is your grandma.

[@debrakelly2500]

The biggest problem is that all the data we've collected throughout our lives isn't sourced. I have ideas, but no idea where they came from.

[@iislevinii1923]

Absolutely beautiful. I will steal this as best I can.

[@seanheritage]

I've been experimenting with this philosophy in the Navy while serving as a Commanding Officer with great results. We call it "Best Practice Convergence" and our team has been "stealing" the best ideas from other commands, making them our own, and then exporting them back to Fleet. Talk about an enjoyable path to deliberate progress and a shared legacy. Thanks to Austin for packaging a similar message so very well...

[@motorjean3003]

i have a writer's block for more than 10 years now and after watching this video i feel inspired for the first time in a long time and am amazed how many opportunities i suddenly see where i can draw inspiration from. And what i saw as one of my weaknesses, having no original thoughts but having a good capability to come up with my version of somebody else's work, is basically what an artist does.

[@jessiccablessngs1536]

Just finished the book today. One of the best books I've read. Every creative should read this book.

[@MegF142857]

Inspiring and freeing concept. Not really to "steal", but instead use others' works as a tool to get your own creativity moving along. Turn and play with other people's words and ideas to find and make something new. Thanks Mr. Kleon for some history on the concept.

[@DaveFreeComputerKnowledge]

the book changed my life and i have just found this video after 3 years.. life is so unfair indeed

[@theexistentialist-8888]

The art of art is to steal creatively - not to steal directly, steal from your subconscious.

[@IanFrantz]

Excellent comment. Very true! “It's not where you take things from - it's where you take them to.” - Jean-Luc Godard

[@ReyeditOneRom]

Exactly.

[@thelegendrubyrodd]

i say just steal. all that other stuff is just a matter of perspective.

[@IanFrantz]

I actually bought the "Steal Like an Artist" calendar which is available for 2017. :]

[@ckminty603]

@@IanFrantz Off to a bad start, you should have stolen it.

[@zaibshahzad5047]

Had I known this while studying architecture! I used to be so uber anxious about "plagiarism" that everything had to be original and nothing copied or transformed. But yes as an artist I've known for a long time, it's tough to get around intellectual property rights, but inspiration always comes from viewing something of personal interest, whether its in a magazine, on the street or a conglomeration of what we've seen in the real world presented in our dreams while we sleep. Thank you thank you thank you.. this is a great example of how to turn criticism into research that helps everyone else as well!

[@karlabrandao4799]

I'm an architecture student and my teacher recommended us this book in our plastic arts workshop, in my first semester. I was always so self-conscious about my work and didn't think I could be creative in any way, but this book helped me a lot. I did a lot of research and basically put pieces of things I love together with some of my own ideas and views, and it turned out great. Got my best grades in that class and my teacher loved my work. Every once in a while I read it again. One of my favorite books in the world.

[@cmdejong6813]

We read, we look and we listen and we add our personal handwriting to our creations. If we don't we just copy. We want to create something new. We think we are original. At the beginning of this speech I was sceptic, but he has a point. This is really an eye opener.

[@narrativepodcasts]

"Hoarders collect everything; artists collect selectively." 👏🏽

[@desertstar7664]

His book is worth reading 10 times.

[@mannygonbau352]

I own it and j think I've read it more than that haha

[@KongLuvs]

+EmperorLOL Thanks for mentioning that. I had missed the fact that he had written a book by the same title as his talk. I checked it out from the library, and found it very good.

[@RokuRG]

his book is literally just what he said here.

[@ozymandiasE]

His book is literally the same thing as this speech lmao

[@victorakhere]

Make that ×2 lol

[@JoelGarza72]

Creative Stealing = Creative Recycling. Thank you!

[@nativechatter999]

"Transformation is flattery" I like this quote.

[@powerpath659]

Hey this was my Speech!

[@TheToolbox76]

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." -Albert Einstein

[@ambratesori2239]

Love this short speech on stealing art...he explains it so well, and so truthfully.

[@kevinwilliston9837]

He is absolutely right though, everyone emulates what they love (and even hate) whether it be music, drawing,painting sculpting writing. The way we speak and dress. What we eat and how we cook even. Everything is derived from something and it's up to us to use it tastefully. For someone to claim they're entirely original in any way is pretty ridiculous.

[@jobedahsultanamim]

Read Steal Like An Artist. And i absolutely loved it. And loved this video!!

[@jubayerahmed8126]

Orginality Is Unditected Plagarism.

[@liannabeauchamps7853]

What is original though is what truly resonates with each one of us. That is what makes us unique. That is our unstealable fingerprint. Who you are can be mimicked and you can mimic others but that does no one justice.

[@elizabethcameron6045]

Sweet jesus, how freeing are Kleon's words and ideas!

[@aashirwadjaiswal3952]

this guy have memorised his whole book!

[@lhawkins40]

The book is great too and this is a wonderful TED TALK. I love the book and refer to it every week, especially when I have creative blocks in my hobbies. Great insights, presentation, and book too!!

[@MikeSchertenlieb]

ohhhh man, i LOVE the idea of "creative lineage"

[@leomosia]

The beautiful concept applies to everything we do in this world.

[@TaiWaTzTV]

Today is 2022 and am watching, Amenikaribisha kwenye fikra njema

[@Ifaii9l]

This is the first time I see the idea of stealing in a positive way

[@MA818AM]

العرب هم من بدا هذا التلاعب بالكلمات وعندنا شعر يقراء عموديا وافقيا وعندنا ابيات تقراء من اليمن إلى اليسار وتعطي معنا وعندما تقراها من اليسار إلى اليمين تعطي معنا آخر وكل هذه الأشعار بدأت قبل كل هؤلاء حقيقة

[@nataliavillasenor8581]

I definitely looveeee this man´s work and speech!! he is a total stealer genius! Thanks Austin, big hug from Guadalajara, Mexico!

[@MsGnor]

Thanks for sharing. There's something about this presentation that really clicked. I especially like the idea of referencing the people that inspire us. It's a great way to stay connected to our creative ancestors. So many clever people out there doing amazing things. A nice way to remind ourselves of their achievements, and also those from the dim and distant past.

[@mariaantoniavalle8146]

Creativity is the word. Excelente, es un banco de ideas permanente. Me encantó.

[@robertostrochovsky1857]

You have summed up creativity.

[@KBZ3000bc]

robbery?

[@ThreadheadTV]

Exactly! Love it. And whenever and where ever possible, give credit to the artist/person from whom you got your idea, inspiration, or tutelage. Cuz we would want the same. :) Then it truly is a win-win (etc -win).

[@creamithmanning2632]

Until you ironically get sued by an artist for stealing his/her stolen ideas.

[@topten5934]

Hats off to you. I completely agree.

[@come2arjun8]

Ain’t no shame in picking up something and make it better for the greater good, starting with you

[@user-tu7rh2hr1n]

For all those let me tell you there was a time in the beginning when there was something created out of nothing. Just the thing now is that we don't have enough time to explore world and get ideas which will take upto 40-50 years.

[@daddy3063]

I was going to buy the book then I got into this review saying that the whole book was explained here in this video.

[@NatalieBrownMusic]

Same

[@ArtistInNewHampshire]

Same!

[@Arifshah18]

Same here

[@SteveAlexander]

The important detail is not the act of theft. As Austin says "take something.. combine it with your own ideas and thoughts, transform it into something completely new". I would only add that giving credit for your inspirations is also important, its the only way we could trace that lineage of the "cut-up" idea.

[@arioctober7867]

Perfect summary of his book

[@diordrama]

This is such a good, modern view on art. One of the best made arguments for appropriation. Thanks!

[@taylorlassen5452]

Love love love the message of this

[@NatashiaLee]

I already knew of this on a basic level, but I really liked the speech as it put it into more perspective!

[@bfitz5426]

Read his book 'SLAA' today, excellent thought provoking book. Gave me the so much to think about. Thank you

[@beemclane9586]

his book and this talk is a true inspiration, it really makes me keep being an artist just to live by these tips

[@ZarHakkar]

Damn I wish modern copyright law took into account things like "love" and "respect". Unfortunately large corporations are incapable of either.

[@MartaniPanganSehat]

I read his other book, Show Your Work in my friend's villa in Bali. It's a good handy book that I think we've used it to promote agriculture product from our garden. Like it. I hope to read this Steal Book too.

[@katya1031]

The best way of stealing I have ever heard.

[@byankafbor]

um artista sempre terá artistas como inspiração e roubar sua essência sem roubar quem se é

[@claudiabokk9]

Love your new book and love this presentation. Informational and transformational. Can't ask for more. All the best.

[@vincentglass2970]

I love this man

[@KingaGorski]

We all stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@VishnuRamG]

Fantastic, Some videos hit you at the right times of your life This one reassured something that I was doing

[@itsnakhasia]

He’s absolutely right! I think live in this era there’s no original idea 😂

[@JakeChallenor]

Just read the book, now enjoying Austin's TEDx talk on the same subject - 'Steal Like an Artist'. Watch >>

[@musepursuit-videos7162]

great TED Talk. Inspired my animated summary videos.

[@rusticgoldlight]

this is simply amazing. i own the book, but i much prefer the talk!

[@CJ2CUTE]

Buy this book, buy it. Trust me

[@jppacis]

sampling in music. namely hip-hop/rap. thats pretty much this whole video right there

[@jakeheys8590]

POV: You're in year 11 English and your teacher linked this video for an assignment

[@rajeshenghi7471]

Thank you for teaching me to steal from people 🤯❤❤

[@gabssnake]

I think it has to do with our perception of loss, so we think it's ok to do it unless is being done unto us. Look for the TED talk by Kirby Ferguson and his documentary series "Everything is a Remix". This talk by itself feels like a 'remix' of that, much informative one.

[@painexotic3757]

Nailed it! Been an artist since I was a kid and even I can admit this lol. I express my art through music, sketching, comics, and photography. All of my ideas I get for my art are from other things/people. For example, when I used to make beats, I would get inspiration from other beats. I'd essentially combine multiple beats together to make an entirely "new" beat. OR, I'd hear a song and then I'd edit the song based on specific melodies in the song to make an entirely "new" song. OR, i'd hear a melody from some random song I came across and use that to make a beat. The same case applies to my other art forms lol.

[@luisedu10]

Awesome lecture 👏👏👏

[@tyronedesperado6154]

this is just phenomenal!!!

[@yumnainnab1862]

What an excellent video! Absolutely loved it 👍🏼

[@AnaPaulaOliveira-lk9yz]

Fantástica palestra! 👏👏👏👏👏

[@GKganesan]

Thank you for this.

[@laureneck2177]

This is like John Green's crash course on literature. I can't remember any of the books he talked about but in the introduction to his crash course he said "the point of reading is not for the author's sake--its for yours!" as is to interact with material to take something away from it

[@Lily-mf8el]

Someone from an ad agency saw a great idea when they were online and decided to adapt and change it to fit a campaign, but didn't credit the original artist that made it. An organization awarded agency for the creative execution of the idea. Somehow, it got out that the work wasn't an original work, but derived, and many people scorned the agency which let this slip past their notice. They also complained to the organization that they shouldn't be awarded for plagiarism. When I looked at that case, I had thought it was another case of tired artist spots something in that idea which could be used in a different light, but gets punished for using the material in a way which isn't different enough to be judged as a different idea. Not many would've noticed it was the same work if the ad itself didn't win the award. And even if they did, they wouldn't bother to report it. Perhaps in a world without internet, works like theirs would've passed by various scrutiny and win awards. If you plan to use something that isn't yours, give credit where it's due - and not use materials by others similarly, even if it is in a different perspective. Unless if you're paying the original creator off, or had their permission to use it. Thanks for the interesting talk. It's confirmation of what I've always thought was true. If you're still new at something, you'll have to learn from your betters till you grow out of their shadows.

[@GloMuCa]

Maravilloso, Austin! Totalmente de acuerdo contigo 😜 Muchas gracias*************

[@Invisiblenotbroken]

Thank you. Gave your book to my artist teen son.

[@attgig]

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

[@melissasue19681]

That's how we learn and grow.... From everyone and everything around us! Hahahaha! I absolutely love this!!! So basic to human existence! Sooo INSPIRING!!!

[@joaopedrorocha5693]

There was a great artist that pieced together a living picture that could show us how bodies would move under an influence ... His name was Isaac Newton, and he also stole lot's of ideas. He phrased his theft on a very elegant way: “If I have seen further, it is because i have stood on the shoulders of giants.”

[@daphanetai7760]

his ideas are now in my swipe file, well saved.

[@sharongillesp]

People in the sciences think nothing of building on other's discoveries and ideas...knowing that with each discovery there is more clarity in solving or better understanding ideas, cures,and solutions. So too with musicians, mathematicians, chefs, dentistry, education, etc.

[@richieprimoretro]

If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got - Al Einstein Time is the only true avenger

[@milind-9683]

watch it at 1.75x. And you are welcome! :)

[@thesilentdenproductions]

lol thanks

[@foggylane22]

Keith Richards and Mick Jagger cut up newspapers to come up with the lyrics for Casino Boogie when they were recording Exile on Main Street in France. I think Richards wrote that they had simply run out of ideas after doing so much recording, so they used the newspaper method.

[@2adamast]

We're 12 years later and AI has entered the chat

[@cxcartgallerybycourtneylee8138]

Beautiful 🖤 🌞🥰 impactful 🖤 empowering 🖤

[@MemphiStig]

to be clear, ak didn't steal anything, except newsprint. i mean, he used redaction creatively, without knowledge of similar 'art' that might already exist. originality is relative to the creator. newspaper blackout was an original idea to AK, but only a variant on the larger scale. it doesn't invalidate the art or the artist to invent something that isn't entirely new. and it isn't all simply outright stealing. the expectation that whatever one thinks up is fresh and new and never seen before is the illusion, not the originality or creativity of one's thoughts. the expression is what matters to the creator, and that is always valid. he's right tho. creation is often inspired and propelled and channeled by what has gone before, and thievery is a legitimate part of the trade, in proper contexts. As Bono said, 'every artist is a cannibal, every poet is a thief. All kill their inspiration and sing about the grief.' See also the South Park episode, "The SImpsons already did it." Maybe the best guideline is if you the creator know that your ideas were inspired by others, you should label them as such. If it was your idea without prior knowledge, tell critics to stfu. also, it's invalid to say that you're following in the footsteps of someone you never heard of, whose work never even brushed your life, tho it isn't wrong per se to place yourself in the company of similar creators. (lineage is a different issue.) Credit where credit is due, but don't lie or lie down. And face it: no matter what you the creator do or say, the haters gonna hatehatehatehatehate.

[@AasiaAbdali]

So Inspiring!

[@webspecific]

For fun, you might look at Anne Carson's IF NOT, WINTER (Fragments of Sappho), which reveals time and other factors will destroy parts of text, leaving a poem that is reminiscent or completely different from the original. Carson brilliantly uses the device of brackets, often empty, to indicate something is missing. This has the effect of allowing the reader or viewer to consider or fill in absent text.

[@teapotmonk]

Thoughtful presentation - and one that blends easily into the new ideas of multi-media mashup. Having just written a mash-up of martial arts philosophy I'm reassured that its a more global and chronologically consistent approach than some of the more contemporary conversations would have us believe

[@Denovaification]

Brilliant, genius, bravo!

[@malith_videco]

My favorite author

[@metsrus]

Most modern human ingenuity have been shifted from creative arts to more practical things like technology and problem solving, as human emotions take a backseat to logic and reason, especially after the Industrial Revolution.

[@JayThomasofficial]

I have your books ! Thanks for them. My friend just bought your journal. Love your work

[@Lucasgrijanderrr]

This was stated 100 years ago by a Spanish writer named Eugenio D'Ors, who said: "Todo lo que no es tradición, es plagio". Which means: "Everything which doesn't come from tradition, is plagiarism".

[@razabadass]

Belated thank you :)

[@stevenlam7990]

Wow! Incredible 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@virginiejoncas7470]

haha that was definitely a nice end! Great video!

[@henrywarmoth1792]

Brandon Sanderson wrote in his book, The Way of Kings, *spoilers* "What is it that men value in others? . . . If an artist creates a work of powerful beauty - using new and innovative techniques - she will be lauded as a master, and will launch a new movement in aesthetics. Yet what if another, working independently with that exact level of skill, were to make the same accomplishments the very next month? Would she find similar acclaim? No. She'd be called derivative. . . . in the end, what must we determine? Is it the intellect of a genius that we revere? If it were their artistry, the beauty of their mind, would we not laud it regardless of whether we'd seen their product before? But we don't. Given two works of artistic majesty, otherwise weighted equally, we will give greater acclaim to the one who did it first. It doesn't matter what you create. It matters what you create before anyone else. So it's not the beauty itself we admire. It's not the force of intellect. It's not invention, aesthetics, or capacity itself. The greatest talent that we think a man can have? . . . Seems to me that it must be nothing more than novelty." Go read that book. It's fantastic and Sanderson is great.

[@nc7182]

thanks for inspiring me! i'm gonna start keeping a newspaper or magazine with me at my kitchen table so i can do a blackout poem instead of use a phone while i eat

[@aryavijaykumar4700]

Thank you all very much