Art Book: Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
I
read this book while "vacationing", ok while house-sitting for a cousin
in Richmond, Virginia last summer (2021). My cousin's husband is an
artist as well, so I found this book on a shelf and read it while
sitting pool-side. (See, it WAS a vacation!)
A Book Review of Steal Like An Artist
Think about it: every pose, every stance, every expression and every smile has already been painted, drawn, sketched, and photographed. Every animal, bird, insect, flower, and tree has been the subject of the same. Every mountain, ocean wave, sunrise and sunset too. Ok, so as this book and the Bible point out in Ecclesiastes 1:9:
"What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun."
Humans have been around for quite awhile and we have rehashed what has been done before us, seen by most anyone, said before by someone else, thought of by many, written about by some, or painted by another artist in the past. That is fine, we each have to live our own life and paths and takes on things.
What I like about this book is that Austin Kleon describes that this is what we, as artists, do and need to do - just put your own creative take or twist on it. Or even our own colors on it.
I especially liked Mr. Kleon's notes on daily logging "What are the best things that happened today?" Focus on the great things in life, while learning to deal - properly - with the less agreeable things. Keep up the good fight, keep doing YOUR thing, keep working and moving forward.
Now on to Kindle...
I have 2 more books to read by Austin Kleon on my Kindle:
Show Your Work!
Keep Going
It would be nice to be sitting by the pool again but a little too early for that yet. And it did snow 3 inches here today (Saturday) in Woodbridge, VA wouldn't you know.
Have you read this book and what art books would you recommend?
"Austin Kleon is the New York Times bestselling author of a trilogy of illustrated books about creativity in the digital age: Steal Like An Artist, Show Your Work!, and Keep Going. He's also the author of Newspaper Blackout,
a collection of poems made by redacting the newspaper with a permanent
marker. His books have been translated into dozens of languages and have
sold over a million copies worldwide. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and sons." - https://www.bookpeople.com/steal-like-an-artist-10th-anniversary
Local Art: Visit us at Clearbrook Center of the Arts at Tackett's Mill in Lake Ridge, VA on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 – it’s free to see the artwork! Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
Thank you for visiting, and remember to Share, Follow, and Comment!
