Steal like an artist

Day 49 / 365

I just finished reading this amazing book today — Steal like an artist. And so far this has been the most inspiring book I have read this year.

The book “Steal like an Artist” talks about originality and creativity. It makes the claim that no art is original. It always takes inspiration from something that’s already been done. And that’s totally fine

While the book focuses on art, the concepts it explains can be applied to all aspects of life. Whether you are a sportsman or an entrepreneur. You will surely take away something from this book that applies to your life.

How do you create something new? Well, one way to go about is to just try and copy your heroes. First, figure out who your heroes are. Learn everything you can about them and then try to imitate them.

The thing about humans is there we are not perfect at copying. Even if you try to copy your heroes, you will end up changing things a bit, to suit your abilities and your quirks. Those slight differences in your imitations is where creativity grows.

The book also talks about hobbies and passions. One thing I took away from it was that we should never discard any passions. You shouldn’t have to choose just a single thing that you need to be passionate about. If multiple things excite you, then pursue all of them. A hobby is supposed to be something that makes you happy. It doesn't matter if it makes you money or not, or if it can become a career or a business. Pursue it just for the sake of it.

There are many many more insights like this that I got from this book. Its an awesome read and I suggest everyone read it as well.