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Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon Quotes

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Famous Austin Kleon Quotes

“If I'd waited to know who I was or what I was about before I started "being creative," well, I'd still be sitting around trying to figure myself out instead of making things. In my experience, it's in the act of making things and doing our work that we figure out who we are.”

IfsKnowsInspirationalTryingWellsStillsCreativeFiguresSittingWho We AreBe CreativeSitting Around
Book:Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
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“Art is theft”) and Igor Stravinsky (“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal”), I’ve always stolen from the people I admire – not plagiarized, mind you, but stolen bits of ideas and stylistic influences. If you steal widely enough, after all, your models are inevitably changed and the result is in the end completely yours. Kleon cites André Gide to this point, in a quotation I love: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

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Author:Austin Kleon
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“There’s an economic theory out there that if you take the incomes of your five closest friends and average them, the resulting number will be pretty close to your own income. I think the same thing is true of idea incomes. You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.”

IfsThinkingIdeasStuffNumbersFiveEconomicTheoryAverageIncomeSurroundClosestSurround YourselfClosest FriendsEconomic Theory
Book:Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
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“We're always being told 'find your voice.' When I was younger, I never really knew what this meant. I used to worry a lot about voice, wondering if I had my own. But now I realize that the only way to find your voice is to use it. It's hardwired, built into you. Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow.”

IfsWayWritingUseUsedVoiceRealizingMy OwnWonderWorryLove YouBuiltThings You Love
Book:Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
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