Have you ever had a creative block and you had to peek at other people's designs for inspiration and then felt like a fraud right after?
Austin Kleon in his book, "Steal Like an Artist", says it's ok! He discloses a very relieving secret, which is no ideas are new. In other words, innovation is simply recycling old or existing idea in a new way. He broke down this secret in 10 chapters. Here's a summary of the 10 chapters:
#1 He starts off by assuring us that it's impossible not to have gotten an idea from something already existing, either it was seen, heard or felt. Hence the theft part😉
#2 Austin goes further to encourage readers to get that thing they have planned started, and not to wait till they're ready because they'll never be ready. So, start that project today, enroll for that course, start that business- just start!!!
#3 But hol'up, ensure what you start fits into the story you want your life to tell.
#4 and #5 I joined these two chapters together because they more or less say the same thing. Now, as much as designing is a hobby for many of us (like me️) and not just a job, Austin advises us to get other hobbies. Remember we're to draw inspiration from the things around us, and how else are we going to achieve this if we don't do other things? You'll agree with me that it is easier to design things you're familiar with and frankly, sitting in front of a screen all day, browsing through templates won't inspire you as much as experience will. This tip is particularly useful to product designers as it will be easier to solve a problem of a product you're familiar with or aware of.
#6 Please share! When you make a breakthrough in design please feel free to share 🥺. Release your design to the world! This is why I have great respect for design YouTube channels. They are the best!
#7 Make your workspace an inspiration. You're a creative so be creative with your workspace or travel. One thing that I particularly love about designing is its flexibility. So, no excuses, go on that vacation, and channel your creativity into your workspace.
#8 As a design virtue, don't be rude or mean, be nice. Praise any design you find attractive (it helps the designer's heart ❤️), build networks or connections with other designs and most importantly be open to criticism (by this I mean constructive criticism, cause some people are just plain mean).
#9 Austin's next piece of advice is unusual- "Be boring". Being creative does not mean being disorganized, disoriented or quitting your 9 to 5. Organisation is actually very necessary- keep a diary, a day planner or whatever helps you plan your day or organise your workspace. An additional tip for us singles- "marry well"😉
#10 Finally, not every idea is necessary for a design. There's this popular saying that less is more and this is particularly true for designs. The more whitespace a design has, the more likely it is to center the viewers gaze on what matters in the design. So cull what is unnecessary from your designs.
Basically, the book, ‘Steal Like an Artist' by Austin Kleon is a wonderful read and is something I'd recommend to every designer.
Hope you loved this review? Please drop your comments below🤗
And yeah, who knows, I might have stolen this review as well
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