This is a blog containing my responses to assignments associated with the book "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative," by Austin Kleon, for the Advanced Sculpture course.
This is my first attempt at such a thing, so please bear with me!
Reading Assignment #1
Quote Responses from Chapter 1
Quote #1: "...stop worrying about what's "good" and what's "bad" - there's only stuff worth stealing, and stuff that's not worth stealing"
Response: There is so much information out in the world, and as is stated in this chapter, "everything is up for grabs." Just because the results from a search doesn't meet one's criteria, doesn't mean that it is a bad result; likewise with results that do meet criteria, they are not necessarily good either. What this quote means is that these things, this "stuff", just isn't relevant at this exact moment, but doesn't necessarily mean that it should be forgotten.
Quote #2: "'What is originality? Undetected plagiarism.' - William Ralph Inge"
Response: The mindset of originality, that "you" are original, is a complete and total farce. There is absolutely no such thing as an "original idea". Everything is a culmination of many different parts; in this case, ideas are a culmination of exterior factors, "experiences". Whether that be first hand experience; a story witnessed either visually through a video of some sort, audibly, or textually; or any other number of ways experiences can be experienced.
Something gives forth to something else; nothing comes from nothing.
Quote #3: "You don't get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see."
Response: A person's roots/background does influence a person's art. This doesn't necessarily mean that it is actively represented in their work. This is a cognitive choice (at times) that the artist makes, they either embrace their background and celebrate it in their work, or throw it off and don't let themselves be defined by it; an influence nonetheless.
Note I was hoping that they were going to list "you can pick your nose" too. In reference to the quote "You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose". Crude, yes. Funny, also yes.
Response: There is so much information out in the world, and as is stated in this chapter, "everything is up for grabs." Just because the results from a search doesn't meet one's criteria, doesn't mean that it is a bad result; likewise with results that do meet criteria, they are not necessarily good either. What this quote means is that these things, this "stuff", just isn't relevant at this exact moment, but doesn't necessarily mean that it should be forgotten.
Quote #2: "'What is originality? Undetected plagiarism.' - William Ralph Inge"
Response: The mindset of originality, that "you" are original, is a complete and total farce. There is absolutely no such thing as an "original idea". Everything is a culmination of many different parts; in this case, ideas are a culmination of exterior factors, "experiences". Whether that be first hand experience; a story witnessed either visually through a video of some sort, audibly, or textually; or any other number of ways experiences can be experienced.
Something gives forth to something else; nothing comes from nothing.
Quote #3: "You don't get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see."
Response: A person's roots/background does influence a person's art. This doesn't necessarily mean that it is actively represented in their work. This is a cognitive choice (at times) that the artist makes, they either embrace their background and celebrate it in their work, or throw it off and don't let themselves be defined by it; an influence nonetheless.
Note I was hoping that they were going to list "you can pick your nose" too. In reference to the quote "You can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose". Crude, yes. Funny, also yes.
Reading Assignment #2
Quotes from Chapters 2 & 3
Quote #1: “Ask anybody doing truly creative work, and they’ll tell you the truth: They don’t know where the good stuff comes from. They just show up and do their thing. Every day.”
Response: I connect with this on such a deep level. Sometimes people (not art family and friends) ask me this question and I just tell them that sometimes I come into a project with a fully thought game plan, and know exactly what it is I want to accomplish and how to do it; sometimes I come in and start doing something (the writers version of putting pen to paper) and something starts coming, or it doesn’t; and other times I’ll be doing some completely unrelated task (like writing a paper) and an idea (complete with process) will hit me over the head like a sack of potatoes.
Quote #2: “As Salvador Dali said, ‘Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.’”
Response: The creation of an idea, in any sense of the word, come from something. Always. No exceptions. Ideas are a response to some sort of stimuli, whether it positive or negative, the continuation of a thought train (following the style of an artist) or the need of something that is lacking (the premise of contemporary artists); in any sense if one does not imitate some sort of stimulus, what is there to create?
Quote #3: “When we love a piece of work, we’re desperate for more. We crave sequels. Why not channel that desire into something productive?”
Response: This quote goes back to imitation. Once a person finds what they like, they find their starting point; the only way they can go is outwards (not just up). Even if this branching off doesn’t lead to anything that is well received by others, something is still created nonetheless, they can just go back to the starting point and try again.
Reading Assignment #3
Quotes from Chapters 4 & 5
Quote #1: "Just watch someone at their computer. They're so still, so immobile. You don't need a scientific study (of which there are a few) to tell you that sitting in front of a computer all day is killing you, and killing your work. We need to move, to feel like we're making something with our bodies, not just our heads."
Response: In this day in age, this couldn't be more true. To be honest, I personally believe this is why there are so many mental/behavioral issues these days. People (adults and children) are too plugged in and don't know how to respond to stimuli anymore; they either turn inward and isolate (depression/self harm) or turn outward and become violent. I go stir crazy if I'm cooped up too long, and can't do anything; I have to do something with my hands (this time of the year is great for what my mother calls "dirt therapy".
Quote #2: "'The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.' - Jessica Hische"
Response: Obviously if someone is procrastinating, there is something about the original task that they do not like, and likewise there is something about the task that they're procrastinating with that they do like; finding out what this is is key. What is it that draws one to the procrastinating task? Why isn't this one doing this task to begin with? (now if one is procrastinating because they just want to be lazy or are tired, then this response is moot)
Quote #3: "Take time to be bored. ... Creative people need time to just sit around and do nothing."
Response: Yes. Yes. And more yes. I get most of my ideas when I'm either in the shower (where I conveniently cannot record said idea) or when I'm doing a completely unrelated task (most recent cases have been while I'm writing a paper and zone out for a few minutes). In any case, when I am bored, or in a restive state, my mind seems to be the most active when it comes to generating ideas.
Reading Assignment #4
Quotes from Chapters 8, 9, & 10
Quote #1: "But anger is one of my favorite creative resources. ... So go on, get angry. But keep your mouth shut and go do your work."
Response: Find your creative source, no matter what it is, but don't let it distract you from reason why you have it as a creative source to begin with. Also if you don't like the way someone does something, do it yourself and make it better.Quote #2: "A good partner keeps you grounded."
Response: This is one of the reasons why I am so drawn to my significant other. He is completely grounded. He makes me question what is truly important, and keeps me focused on that. He gives me confidence when I am unsure of myself. He keeps me from flying into the sun, while I help to lift him off the ground (at least I feel like I do).
Quote #3: "The right constraints can lead to your very best work. ... Dr. Seuss wrote "The Cat in the Hat" with only 236 different words, so his editor bet him he couldn't write a book with only 50 different words. Dr. Seuss came back and won the bet with "Green Eggs and Ham".
Response: Well for one, I didn't know that "Green Eggs and Ham" was written with only 50 different words, though now I think about it, it is fairly obvious that it was written with a limited vocabulary. Nevertheless, complexity (limitlessness) can be more of a hindrance to creativity than anything else. It's the whole "I can make anything, but I don't know what to make" scenario.