Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
EPISODE 257
Join hosts Mike and Mark on the latest episode of the Moonshots Podcast as they delve into the insightful book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. In this episode, they uncover ten key insights about creativity that nobody told you about.
Join hosts Mike and Mark on the latest episode of the Moonshots Podcast as they delve into the insightful book “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon. In this episode, they uncover ten key insights about creativity that nobody told you about.
In the introduction, Austin Kleon introduces Google (and listeners) to the fundamental concept of his book: “Nothing comes from nowhere”. The hosts explore how this idea challenges traditional notions of creativity and inspires a fresh perspective on artistic creation. They discuss the liberating aspect of realizing that all creative work is built upon the foundation of existing ideas and how embracing this truth can ignite innovation.
Next, Clark Kegley introduces the concept of simplifying ideas, emphasizing that “Creativity is subtraction.” Through discussion, Mike and Mark explore how embracing simplicity can lead to more impactful and resonant creative work. They reflect on their own experiences of overcomplicating ideas and the power of distilling concepts down to their essence.
Maxwell Nichols explains the value of focusing attention to uncover valuable ideas, urging listeners to “Sink into depth.” The hosts discuss how this principle can help individuals find clarity and direction in their creative pursuits. They explore practical strategies for honing focus and immersing oneself fully in the creative process to unlock deeper insights and breakthroughs.
In the outro, Austin Kleon illustrates the concept of “Artist vs hoarder” by showcasing how his creative work builds upon previous ideas. Mike and Mark reflect on how this mindset shift can empower listeners to embrace and leverage their influences in their creative endeavors. They discuss the importance of curating inspiration and actively engaging with the work of others to fuel one’s creative output.
Tune in to this episode of the Moonshots Podcast to unlock the secrets of creativity and learn how to apply them to your journey of self-discovery and innovation.
About Moonshots Podcast:
Moonshots Podcast is your guide to unlocking the potential within yourself. Hosted by Mike and Mark, the podcast explores the mindset, habits, and strategies of the world’s greatest superstars, thinkers, and entrepreneurs. Through candid conversations and insightful analysis, Moonshots Podcast empowers listeners to overcome self-doubt and uncertainty and shoot for the moon in their personal and professional lives. Join us as we learn out loud and deconstruct success from the ground up.
Transcript
00:00:04:25 - 00:00:35:10
Unknown
Hello and welcome to the Moonshot Podcast. It's episode 257. I'm your co-host, Mike Parsons, and as always, I'm joined by the man himself, Mr. Mark Pearson. Freeland. Good morning, Mac. Good morning Mike. Good morning, listeners, subscribers, viewers and anybody else who's dialing in looking to try and get either a bit of inspiration, a little bit of lessons or maybe, Mike, a little bit of a moment of creative muscle growth.
00:00:35:12 - 00:00:58:06
Unknown
Boy, do we have a brand new series as well as a brand new show kicking off on the moonshots series today? Yes, Mark, I would say it is protein packed. That's right Mike. That's right. And who's delivering the protein? Well, it's another none other than New York Times bestseller Austin Kleon and Mike Austin Kleon is an individual that we've probably referenced on the show before.
00:00:58:06 - 00:01:21:07
Unknown
Some people, such as our listeners, will probably be familiar, perhaps with his work, but we're going to lean into words on our Austin Kleon series, kicking off today with steel Like an artist. But Clemens done a really interesting job over his, short years, short tenure, years of being, you know, a best selling artist in the fact that he's done a lot of it from scratch.
00:01:21:11 - 00:01:43:01
Unknown
You know, he create a lot of work, but also he's helped us understand how he went out and did it. And I think as we lean into this brand new series that we're going to kick off today, it's going to be filled with a lot of inspiration, a lot of tips and tricks, as well as I think, a lot of fun, because some of the work that Austin Collins created is pretty, pretty inspiring, isn't it?
00:01:43:07 - 00:02:07:08
Unknown
Certainly is, because what he basically does is he takes where we got to in the Seth Godin series, where we were presented with, hey, your products need a big idea, a big story around it. It needs to be very creative. So you and I put on our thinking caps and said, well, okay, what would be the perfect series to get into after going deep on Seth Godin and Austin Kleon is the one.
00:02:07:09 - 00:02:33:16
Unknown
So if you know you want to build a product, a service, a community, a project, and you're looking to tell a creative story, you're looking to unleash your creativity in the world. And you might be thinking, oh, this has been done before. My ideas are crap. Here's the thing taking some inspiration from not only Seth Godin, but also Elizabeth Gilbert.
00:02:33:18 - 00:02:55:05
Unknown
You can do this because we've got a bunch of ideas from Austin on how you can create ideas, and it doesn't. And this is the important one, Mark. It doesn't matter if it's been done before. We've certainly not done a show like this before. Where do you want to begin? Oh, I want to begin from hearing from the legend himself, Austin Kleon.
00:02:55:10 - 00:03:12:10
Unknown
So Austin's done a lot of great talks in this first one, Mike, that I thought we could kick off our show with today is a talk that he did with Google. He's going to break down a key insight from his book. Still like an artist today. And I think, Mike, this one's going to stand out for all of us because nothing comes from nowhere.
00:03:12:12 - 00:03:37:11
Unknown
What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original. All. This itself is actually not a new idea. It's right there in the Bible. Ecclesiastes chapter one, verse nine. that which has been is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
00:03:37:15 - 00:04:07:06
Unknown
Now, some people find this idea completely depressing. but for me, it's always filled me with hope. as the French writer André Gide put it, everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening the first time, everything must be said again. So I think if we're free of the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing.
00:04:07:08 - 00:04:32:02
Unknown
And we can embrace influence instead of running away from it. So you have this idea that every new idea is just a remix or a mashup of one or more previous ideas, and this is a little trick they teach you in art school. You can play along if you want to. you draw a line on a piece of paper and then you draw another line parallel to it.
00:04:32:04 - 00:04:52:21
Unknown
Well, how many lines are there on the paper? At first? You think there's two. There's the first line you drew and there's the second line you drew. But then if you look in between them, there's a line of negative space running in between them, one plus one sometimes equals three. And here's an example of what I'm talking about.
00:04:53:02 - 00:05:10:16
Unknown
Genetics. You have a mother and you have a father. You possess features from both of them. But the some of you, you're a remix of your mom and dad and all of your ancestors.
00:05:10:18 - 00:05:40:19
Unknown
Everything is remixed. Mark, like this is really interesting because nobody as a human doesn't occur. This unique thing, this unique mark, this unique Mike all had two people needed to tango in order for us to respect. But here's the interesting thing. When you look at great artists, I've got a list here. Like this. Check this out. Pablo Picasso, he was influenced by African art, Iberian sculpture, and the artist Paul Susann.
00:05:40:21 - 00:06:21:02
Unknown
So he was getting inspired by others. Van Gogh, Jean-Francois Millay, Japanese woodblock were his inspirations. William Shakespeare took historical accounts in classic texts. The Beatles were inspired by Indian music and Motown. So you kind of realize that everything comes from combinations, even ourselves. Great art, great artists. So here's the great thing. Then, as when we put on our little creator hat mark, then we know that we can take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and put them together, and we get something new.
00:06:21:04 - 00:07:00:16
Unknown
It's like human, like family trees. That's how it works. It's how the artists work. It's how business works. I think about it right now. All the innovation in the technology and business area is taking traditional businesses and saying, now with the AI like, think it's combination, right? So I think when you truly accept the notion that nothing is original, like, you cannot say that Picasso was the first because he was inspired by some guys and some women, and then they were inspired by some other people, and then those people were inspired by other people.
00:07:00:16 - 00:07:22:01
Unknown
So it's this big loop of creativity, of remixing. And, you know, we get really to the source of things with this book, which is still like an artist. And we're going to explain how to do that. But the reality is we first need to accept this is like first principles thinking. Yeah. Is everything is a remix. Nothing is original.
00:07:22:02 - 00:07:56:25
Unknown
Even the greatest artists apply to this. Even our own genetic family trees, they use this model. I think the reason I'm calling is that we've got to really accept this, because once you do, then you can say, well, it's natural. One plus one equals three. But if you deny this, you're kind of stuck, right? I totally agree and you're right, hearing the list of individuals that inspired a lot of those folks, whether they be musicians, artists or business leaders or even companies.
00:07:57:01 - 00:08:19:13
Unknown
When I was pulling, when we were pulling together the show Mike for today, I found it very reassuring. And you've already caught out a little bit. Elizabeth Gilbert with Big Magic. There was a real sense of reassurance and energy that comes from studying her book, Big Magic, because she calls out the fact that nothing is original, but it's better said it's original because you haven't done it before, right?
00:08:19:13 - 00:08:40:01
Unknown
So if I was to pick up a pen today, or you and I, as we're exploring Austin Clayton's work, he's already said it. But what we're doing and creating is something original because we are interpreting it for the first time. Yes, everything is unique because it hasn't been done before. Whether that's you recreating a portrait by Picasso, it won't be a Picasso portrait.
00:08:40:01 - 00:08:58:15
Unknown
It'll be a Picasso portrait by Mike Parsons, which will be the first time you've ever done it. Yeah. So no matter what it is, whether you're tracing an idea or whether you're getting inspired by something that's unique and then that informs the product or the idea that you're creating for me. Mike, like you say, it is that first principles.
00:08:58:17 - 00:09:20:07
Unknown
It is that moment of embracing where the influence comes from. And I love this idea of community. You know, the fact that you're seeing this inspiration, whether it's in architecture, artists, whoever it might be, it all is a product of what came before, which I which I think is great. Right? Well, it's liberating. And I want to stay here for a moment.
00:09:20:07 - 00:09:47:00
Unknown
I got another list for you. Okay. Facebook was inspired by Myspace and Friendster. Apple, for example, Apple put the graphic user interface into computers instead of using like DOS prompts in terminal, but that actually came from zero part. What do we do? We for a moment say Google hasn't been wildly successful because AltaVista existed before or Yahoo! No, we accept them as great things.
00:09:47:02 - 00:10:17:18
Unknown
So the awesome thing is, it doesn't matter if it's been done before, and it doesn't matter who did it or what you haven't done it and everything and everything is building on prior art. Prior history. Yeah. So this to me opens it all up for creativity and blue skies, right? Yeah. If anything, Mike, I think that this book, this insight is very, very moonshot because what we're doing and what we're calling out is you are learning from what's come before.
00:10:17:25 - 00:10:38:08
Unknown
Yeah. Artists are learning from previous inspirations. Same with music. You're sampling a particular beat. That's because you kind of like it. You kind of dig it and you've learned it from somebody who's created it. To then inject that into your product. Or for you and I and our listeners, we're injecting some of these tips into our lives in order to become that little bit better.
00:10:38:12 - 00:11:00:04
Unknown
Yeah, all we're doing that is boring and be inspired by what's being created. Yeah. What a perfect kind of moonshot message, isn't it? Keep on being lifelong learners. Yeah, yeah, it really is. And I mean, just to bring it home, I mean, we would never for one, it discount the creativity and, the amazing ingenuity of rap and hip hop artists.
00:11:00:07 - 00:11:23:01
Unknown
Their whole genre is built on sampling, i.e. taking historical samples from like, Motown and other cool things and repurposing and reinventing. And we would never for a moment think that that's not creative, for the great news is you can use it yourself, remix, create, build upon prior art, and build something new because it's everywhere. This patent is everywhere.
00:11:23:01 - 00:11:43:18
Unknown
It's almost like how much you can get out of the idea of being a member of moonshots. Even though there are plenty of members already. yeah, you're totally right. Not only do we find Mike that there's a plethora of individuals who are supporting and being part of the moonshots family, but they grow each and every week. And I think you're right.
00:11:43:18 - 00:12:08:17
Unknown
That is because they're getting inspired by one another. They're getting inspired by the moonshot, not math. But I have to tell you. So I've got to interrupt. That's not a the reason that people become members is that they love the official maps and Fallon trumpets. This is what saying. Come on. Well, let me just the good news for you, Mike, is I've been tuning it all week long, and he's ready to make a big celebration.
00:12:08:19 - 00:12:41:11
Unknown
Not at all. For all of our individuals who support the moonshot show, including Bob McCann, Dietmar, Marjan, Connor, Rodrigo, Lisa and Sid. Mr. Bollinger, Paul Berg and Kalman, Joe. Christian, Samuel and Barbara. Chris, Deborah. Larson, Steve. Craig, Ravi, Yvette, Nicole. Ingram, Dirk. Venkatesh, Marco, jet and Roger, Steph Rau, Nima. Land, Diana, Christophe, Denise, Laura and Smitty round out all of our individual members who have joined us for over 12 months, many of whom are even longer than that.
00:12:41:11 - 00:13:03:09
Unknown
So guys, thank you so much for your continued support. We're glad you're getting your lunar powered dose of good karma each week along with Corey, Daniela, Mike and Dan, Antonio, Zachary, Austin and Fred, Jez, Ola, Andy, Diana, Margie, Chris and Ron. All of you guys are rock stars as well. Thank you for being part of the moonshot family.
00:13:03:11 - 00:13:28:25
Unknown
We are eternally grateful and we appreciate all of your help. For us to steal like this, to take, hang on. We take clips from people talking about these ideas. We're doing it ourselves. Austin Kleon would be proud, and he would also be proud of some of the deduction that we do. But I think in his mind and in the kind of storyline of his book, it's really about this idea of subtraction, isn't it, man?
00:13:29:02 - 00:13:55:19
Unknown
That's right. So let's hear now from Clark Higley, who's going to break down one of the key concepts from Austin Clayton's book, Steal Like an Artist in a way that is super, super simple. And it calls out this concept of creativity being all about subtraction. Doctor Seuss wrote the Cat in the hat with only 236 words. The best part about the story is that his editor dared him and said, whoa, doctor Seuss, you wrote 236 words.
00:13:55:19 - 00:14:17:17
Unknown
This book sound like crazy. I bet you can't write a book in 50 words. And he turned around, said I can, and wrote the Cat in the hat. Or was it green eggs and ham? I don't know which one, but phenomenal. So if he can write a bestselling book, one of the best selling books, children's books of all time with just 50 words, imagine what we can do.
00:14:17:18 - 00:14:35:22
Unknown
Like what's our excuse? We have to have the best words. We have to have the best punctuation. We have to phrase it right. Stories a lot gets lost in the details. And when you strip all that down, focus on the core element that makes it work. 50 words. We're able to create something. Another example Apple. They were obsessed.
00:14:35:22 - 00:14:55:24
Unknown
Steve Jobs obsessed with design. He wanted the iPhone to have only one button on it. They said, Steve, we can't do that. We need a lock screen. We need a off. We need volume. We need up and down. And he was he was livid. He wanted it to just have one button on and off. It took them extra years, but they finally did it with the lock screen right?
00:14:56:00 - 00:15:16:17
Unknown
Or with the single button right there. They're obsessed with the minimal design. They want everything to be streamlined and simple. I got some great advice from a public speaking teacher. He said, Clark, never give someone more than three points, any more than three. They're not going to remember it. And so if someone comes up there and they're speaking, they say, all right, today I got 15 points for you.
00:15:16:17 - 00:15:44:14
Unknown
On how to change limiting beliefs. You're going to be like, oh my God, I can't do that. But someone gets up there and says, I have three points for limiting beliefs. Like, all right, I can solve three. So in other words, when you simplify the message, it's even more effective when you go from 236 words in a kid's book to 50 when you go from, you know, an old phone that had dial pads on there to one button on an iPhone, it's more streamlined.
00:15:44:14 - 00:16:06:18
Unknown
People understand that they like the minimalism. so however it is in your life, simplify it. Figure out what the core is. The last thing I'll say on this point is that, you know, with creation, a lot of it is by what we take away and not by what we add. why is it that simplicity is so hard?
00:16:06:20 - 00:16:28:24
Unknown
Because I think when you reduce things down, you get to the core. And it makes me think about this show. We take an entire book and put it into four clips. Yeah. So that very process we're asking ourselves are all the work we do before we make the show together, like right now is about what should be in how does it how does it sound?
00:16:28:24 - 00:17:09:22
Unknown
Is it complete? What can we remove? And for me, this can be this constraint of making things so simple is actually very powerful for creativity. It's almost like if someone said, hey guys, you can do 50 clips for five hours. I feel really sorry for our listeners and viewers and members. That's pretty painful stuff. But isn't it interesting how well, we wouldn't need so much discretion, Mark, because we could literally just find every Austin Kleon clip and throw it in and ramble on for five hours.
00:17:09:24 - 00:17:32:11
Unknown
But funnily enough, it's actually harder to do an hour show with full clips because we have to think what's going to have the greatest impact? How do we organize this? And much like when you're presenting to a client, when you're making, product packaging, you have limited time and space. You have to get to the essence of things.
00:17:32:13 - 00:18:01:05
Unknown
And that art of simplifying is something that takes time. But I believe that's where the great creativity comes from. And I will go back to what we saw with Picasso. He made he deconstructed and simplified many shapes, such as the bull, and the way and the work that he put into that simplification should never be underestimate. That's why his work is so great.
00:18:01:06 - 00:18:37:09
Unknown
He was able to deconstruct and simplify. If you think about how simple the rhythms and melodies are of the Beatles, but they're amazing and cats and they're still with us, right? Yeah, yeah, the big one here is that art of reduction is a key to creativity, because actually we're being a bit lazy when we over communicate, when we make 50 clips, when we make the product packaging so big so we can put every message on it when we take two hours to explain a very simple proposition in a meeting, that is the absence of creativity.
00:18:37:09 - 00:19:08:19
Unknown
The real creativity comes from the reduction. I like that, and that's a great, accumulation like that, that idea, creativity being the reduction. Because if you think about the benefits of having constraints in work, you know, whether that's time, whether it's availability to present to somebody else or whether it's just your own availability of time, a lot of that informs and more creative approach to the way that you deliver the work.
00:19:08:21 - 00:19:34:01
Unknown
Sometimes you're going to have to delegate. Sometimes you find yourself procrastinating and then you have to catch up. Yeah, but what you find is given yourself giving yourself kind of, borders and time frames and ways that you really need to focus the work. It then becomes better because you're right. If we were to create a show with 50 flips, it would be, awful.
00:19:34:03 - 00:20:00:24
Unknown
incomprehensible. You'll be too much. Yeah. You know, we're looking for those short and sharp key insights that will inform you and I and all of our listeners to learn something from each of these, these topics and books. So in order to distill really further down into, you know, the juicy morsels is really, really keep. But it's freeing because once we know, okay, we've got four clips, we want to hit the key things that stand out for us.
00:20:01:00 - 00:20:22:08
Unknown
Let's get into it. That, for me, is reassuring when I'm going into a big presentation with a client, when I'm thinking I need to create something for my team, where do I start? Sometimes by having those constraints figured out in terms of timeline, in terms of delivery date, in terms of available resources, that that helps how you approach it.
00:20:22:11 - 00:20:48:17
Unknown
So I see this concept of subtraction or, or simplification or the idea of constraint being so important to going out to create anything, because it helps you stay in the lanes and helps you actually deliver the work on time, and also in a in a fashion that is digestible. Yeah, totally. How, how when you're faced with the need to simplify, let's say let's take something that I think all of us face, like communication.
00:20:48:17 - 00:21:10:08
Unknown
How do you go about trying to cut it down? Like what's your starting point? Yeah. Big time. I think communication is the key, topic really that actually simplification is so key for because one, you're trying to get across a simple or complicated idea in a simple and concise way. So sometimes. So how do you do it? How do you do it then.
00:21:10:12 - 00:21:28:07
Unknown
Like how do you do it also? So I'll start by writing it down. Yeah. So typically whether that's more nowadays I'll write it I'll type it out. Yeah. And then I'll go back through and maybe I'll highlight in bold or highlight. You know physically you know yellow the key topics or the key areas that I really want to try and land.
00:21:28:09 - 00:21:59:00
Unknown
Yeah. Let's say I'm pitching to another another business or somebody else. I'll come up with a script, I'll come up with those key points and I'll figure out what those key talking areas are. I'll then make sure to trim out all of the fat. You know, I'm English, so sometimes I'm a little bit verbose, so I'll try and trim out any of that additional chat that is not necessarily needed, and instead focus on having those pillars really, really tight, really, really concrete and make sure that you hit them in a fashion that makes sense.
00:21:59:04 - 00:22:26:04
Unknown
Yeah. Because much like we were hearing from Clarke, much like you and I have just broken down, if we have a whole meaty meal or a whole meaty conversation that you're trying to process, I think the individual who's hearing it only absorbs 20%. I can't remember that figure that we've once covered, I think, on the show. But if you hear, let's say it's an hour long meeting, you're only going to absorb a certain amount before your brain sort of turns off.
00:22:26:07 - 00:22:47:06
Unknown
So really getting those key points early in the conversation, early in that meeting, I think is intrinsically key as well. What about you might when you're thinking about the idea of, simplification or getting across an idea in quite a concise way? I know that you do it a lot, and you've done it a lot in the past, condensing those complicated ideas into simple ways.
00:22:47:10 - 00:23:16:16
Unknown
What's the best method that you find? This is helpful? I've got some good news for you here on this one. Number one, write the headline or write the subject of the email. First. That that's really good. Like try and write the email in the headline and in the subject line. The next one is, when writing email, lead with the action that you're requesting and then explain it after.
00:23:16:19 - 00:23:37:21
Unknown
So it's something you've heard me say a lot is don't bury the lead concept. Right. So it can be tempting to like, go. I want to tell you a story of, I'm going to ask you to do something, but first let me tell you the entire story. I think it's always good to be like, hey, can you send me a document tomorrow before end of play?
00:23:37:25 - 00:24:08:07
Unknown
Here's what I need. Here's why I need it. Reach out to me if you need anything. so leading with the action required. And write the the headline. Right. The subject line, whatever is appropriate. First. you know, I love this idea that I, was, taught in my time as a madman on Madison Avenue, and this was with elevated pitches in high concept.
00:24:08:09 - 00:24:34:25
Unknown
So, something I can't remember if we've mentioned this on the show, but when Ridley Scott was pitching alien to the studio, he just walked in ready, and he just goes, I want you to imagine jaws on a spaceship. And the executives were like, what? That is crazy. I mean, to talk about creativity, right? That's a great example.
00:24:35:01 - 00:25:02:19
Unknown
I like that. Isn't that so powerful? Right. And imagine if every one of our email subject lines were like that okay. So I think the key if I was receiving that pitch from Ridley Scott, maybe one day, who knows. Oh, I was receiving that email from yourself or a colleague suddenly as a receiver. So now if we're putting ourselves into the other individual shoes, I know exactly what's expected of me.
00:25:02:21 - 00:25:25:25
Unknown
There's no lack of, consideration. There's no miscommunication when you simplify everything. And obviously we're leaning more towards the delivery of of tasks or the request of information. It makes it so much clearer for people who are receiving it, doesn't it? I would be relieved to get that email now. Okay. Right. Mike's looking for jaws in space. He wants me to go X, Y, and Z.
00:25:25:25 - 00:25:43:19
Unknown
Cool. I'll go and get started. It makes it a lot easier for those around you, as well as for you and I as the creators, because we know exactly what we're looking for in our heads, don't we? Yes, and let's not forget, there was a lot of work done to get to jaws in a spaceship. So it wasn't just like coming up with something random.
00:25:43:19 - 00:26:04:03
Unknown
It was all there was a lot of work, there. And, I think that out of simplification is truly, really powerful. I would also say that if you go to Moonshot Studio, you'll find us decoding the universe to make it simple for you to get the most out of these superstars, these authors, academics, experts figuring out how they do it.
00:26:04:03 - 00:26:28:01
Unknown
Harry Crease, Lean startup team, Ferriss, growth mindset, you name it. All of those subjects you will find beautiful little summaries, beautiful lessons learned, how to apply it in each of the shows. Just go to moonshots. I mean, what's our belief, Mark, that if you spend enough time listening to the show, it's what do you become empowered with this?
00:26:28:01 - 00:26:50:02
Unknown
Something Luna powered? What happens? Oh, I mean, it's conveniently. Mike, you and I are recording. I think it's a full moon today. So not only will our, members be receiving the moon shots. Lunar powered dose of good karma, but they'll also be receiving the moon's karma as well. So, I mean, right now, Mike is a time to be creative.
00:26:50:02 - 00:27:09:02
Unknown
Clearly. Geez. I'm. I'm this, when I hear that, I just want to sink into creativity and let loose on this. And I want to bring out my inner werewolf. Where are we going next on this channel? Well, an inner werewolf individual that's going to come out howling for us today. Austin Kleon, steal like an artist is Maxwell Nichols.
00:27:09:04 - 00:27:36:09
Unknown
So Maxwell is going to break down a little bit about this idea of focus. We now know the concept of simplifying an idea, maybe creativity being, an act of subtraction. Let's now think about how we find those ideas and how we can get a little bit more focus by sinking into depth. You might be thinking, now, that's going to be so much easier to create when you can just unapologetically steal from everybody.
00:27:36:11 - 00:27:55:25
Unknown
You're wrong. In this new context. You don't have to worry so much about being so original, but you need to relentlessly consume and research. Our new measurement for good work is the depth and quality of our sources. Obviously, execution is the ultimate measurement of good work, but here in the ideation stage, be concerned with the quality of your curation.
00:27:55:25 - 00:28:17:00
Unknown
A significant challenge is what to ignore. We're smothered with content every waking second, which I actually think is kind of great, but you must choose what to forget or ignore and hold on to the things that genuinely resonate with you an easy way in reducing the overwhelming quantity of work is to sink into depth. Focusing on the nuance of a single artist or subject.
00:28:17:03 - 00:28:40:15
Unknown
Attention to depth happens to be more lucrative as well. You'll reach an executable level of understanding much quicker than if you spread your concentration across multiple disciplines and artists. There's a rule called the three book rule that simply states by reading three books at any specific subject, you'll become an expert relative to the general population. In this day and age, I feel like there's some topics that you would only need to read one book about.
00:28:40:15 - 00:29:02:16
Unknown
Imagine how proficient you can become in any niche by dedicating a substantial amount of time to that specific topic. By focusing on the depth of a matter and eliminating the limitless assortment of materials you could study, you'll find ideas and themes worth working on. You'll begin to recognize where ideas inspired your favorite artist, what ideas pushed them to follow the same path as their influences?
00:29:02:18 - 00:29:28:24
Unknown
Oh, I mean, it's like he's talking about what we do here, focusing on books. We have three books in this very series, Mark. I mean, holy smokes. And hopefully we get, a little bit of good karma from that. But, to me, he started with this interesting idea. This is not just going out into the world and and ripping off what already exists.
00:29:29:00 - 00:30:09:18
Unknown
Right? No, I think this is important. So I'm going to share with you and all of our viewers, something from Austin that total. It's like a checklist, which is totally moonshot. And it talks about good versus bad. Okay. So what's good where you honor the work that came before rather than degrading when you study the work before, rather than just skimming where you steal from many, rather than stealing from one where you give credit rather than plagiarizing where you transform rather than just imitating whether you just remix rather than ripping off.
00:30:09:20 - 00:30:39:10
Unknown
This is exactly what we're talking about in this clip, and I would say I want to do a fun job. I want to sell this idea to our viewers and listeners and our members. Right. The reason why you don't want to take one thing and just degrade it, scheme it, steal from it, plagiarize imitating, rip it off right is invariably the person that made that has done all the good things, spent a lot of time and effort.
00:30:39:12 - 00:31:11:22
Unknown
So anything you do without the same level of effort off the back of that is going to be substandard to the original source. however, if you study, as per the clip, three pieces of work in this given area, and then you can see some interesting things. What are the patterns? Because when we study Elizabeth Gilbert and Austin Kleon, we see this clear similarity where they want to give us permission because we're all unique.
00:31:11:25 - 00:31:36:15
Unknown
Therefore we can all have unique ideas. This must be I mean, this is literally the science of what we do on the show. We're like, okay, this is a clue. We're like Sherlock Holmes because we're studying a subject creativity in this case, and we're actually starting to see that great people from different walks of life have come to, through their work the same.
00:31:36:17 - 00:31:55:14
Unknown
And what we do is we summarizing, give it to our audience and say, well, look, this is a moonshot pattern. We see this time and time again. So if you were studying three different companies, you could build a great company of your own. If you studied three musicians, you could make a great song of your own because you see the pattern.
00:31:55:16 - 00:32:17:15
Unknown
And what you do is when you see patterns, you relate to them. You're like, oh, this really works for me. How might I use this? Right? There are many other patterns in when comparing Elizabeth Gilbert and Austin Kleon. One of the ones that really jumps out to us is one of the really strong ones. Is this idea of permission and uniqueness, right.
00:32:17:17 - 00:32:46:07
Unknown
So this is where we've gravitated towards. We wouldn't have known, Mark, that this was so strong if we had only studied Elizabeth or only studied Austin. So our conviction is far higher. We can use it much more. Mark view is listening to members. This to this is my pitch to you on why you should always go out and look at what's come before and really steal from many would be the Kiki thing.
00:32:46:13 - 00:33:09:07
Unknown
Yeah, yeah, I totally agree Mike. The only build I can do that is I'm reminded when I was studying, when I was younger, when I was reading, a lot of, you know, ancient books and history and so on. When I was writing a dissertation, I'm also reminded of medical papers that, you know, those around me have studied or taken part in all of those.
00:33:09:09 - 00:33:51:14
Unknown
records include references and source material, you know, throughout history. It's always based on the account of somebody else and that idea of taking from many or being inspired from many, or as Austin saying, stealing from any is based on a broad range of experiences. And what's nice, when we're able to take a look at those quality of sources and be able to create and, focus on depth, immersion and so on, is that we can then go out and prove the value that is in the work that we got and create, you know, we're able to really go out and celebrate, aren't we, based on the insights that we can find from others.
00:33:51:16 - 00:34:21:05
Unknown
And this to me, this studying of a couple of, you know, three, four works in any given area fear, creativity, entrepreneurial, sports, fitness, health, whatever. To me, where we start to intersect, which is really fun, is with this idea of deep work. so, in that clip we heard about this idea of sinking to it, right? Which is so adjacent to this idea.
00:34:21:06 - 00:34:47:06
Unknown
Deep work. Yeah. Lock it off three hours and go deep an hour. Purple boom boom boom boom. You've got the pattern there. how much do we love the idea of deep work, Mike? You know, we've focused on, you know, how Newport once again, he's coming up here. This idea of digital minimalism and deep work, I think is part and parcel with Elizabeth as well as Austin as well.
00:34:47:08 - 00:35:08:19
Unknown
You know, there might he might be more in the vein of actually, production, you know, time block yourself. likewise with me. Hi. Cheek sent me. Hi. Getting yourself into flow. Those are both physical techniques to really become a creator. You can. I think you can achieve flow state according to me. High. Unless you do the focus and the deep work.
00:35:08:19 - 00:35:29:18
Unknown
Right? Exactly. That's it. That's exactly where I was going to take it. Yeah. And isn't it interesting? Once again, we're finding that permission. You know, if we're inspired by me or we love the work of Cal, the the insights that we've learned from Austin and the builds that we've now, accumulated on Elizabeth Gilbert, help us really appreciate.
00:35:29:18 - 00:36:05:18
Unknown
Okay. Well, the less is more concept is so valuable because then people will understand my idea. The focus really gives me the ability to become an expert. You know, that's, really a, habit. I think that we've learned on the moonshot show, immersing yourself, becoming as much of an expert as you can in that time. You know, you and I, I like to dig into key insights throughout the moonshot show, but there's also a plethora of external elements and pieces of information and and inspirations that drive a lot of these topics and books that we dig into.
00:36:05:20 - 00:36:24:12
Unknown
As we're hearing from Austin on today's show, he was inspired by many others who became before him. I'd say the same with Brené Brown, with Oprah, Walt Disney, and so on. A lot of them have become, and also Dyson. Even Steve Jobs were inspired by those who came before them, as are you and I. Yes, your show. Yeah.
00:36:24:12 - 00:37:08:20
Unknown
But being able to really get into that depth is so, so key, isn't it? It it really is. And and I hope that what we're seeing here is not only the inspiration and the permission, but we're starting to see a little bit here. Make it simple, get focused. Remix go deep. This is starting to unlock a creative work style, a creative work habit, a way for you to unleash what's also interesting, just to prepare all of our members, listeners and viewers, is that in the next book from Austin, he gets into like networking and how to take your work out into the world, something that can be a little bit intimidating.
00:37:08:23 - 00:37:35:09
Unknown
But then in his third book, he talks about this loop and the resilience you need to keep working on. Like the happiness series we learned this is a muscle, so that's all ahead and future shows. But Mark, where do we want to pivot to now? I think you've got a cheeky fourth clip up your sleeve. I do, and the reason why I think you find this a bit cheeky is because it is a great demonstration of some of the lessons that we've already learned today.
00:37:35:09 - 00:37:58:07
Unknown
So obviously, as you just broken down, this will be our first episode in the Austin Kleon series. And there's a great journey that Austin does through the books that he's created. What's interesting about this final clip that we're going to have today on Steel Like an Artist, is a demonstration in my mind, of the idea of creativity being an exercise in subtraction, as well as an exercise in focus and depth.
00:37:58:12 - 00:38:24:14
Unknown
So let's hear one more time today from Austin Clay Kleon, author of Steel Like an Artist. He's going to help us understand the difference between an artist and hoarders, as well as something called newspaper blackouts. I think that human beings are collectors and artists, especially not hoarders. Mind you, there's a difference. Hoarders collect indiscriminately, and the artists collect selectively.
00:38:24:19 - 00:38:49:12
Unknown
They only collect the things that they really love. An artist's job is to collect ideas, and the best way I know to collect ideas is to read. And what better thing to read than the daily dispatch of human experience? This is the daily newspaper. So in 2005, I was right out of college, right out of undergrad, and I had a horrible case of writer's block.
00:38:49:14 - 00:39:14:17
Unknown
I would sit and I would stare at the Microsoft Word screen, and that little cursor would blink at me as if it were taunting me. and writing, which had once given me great joy, was now it was it wasn't any fun for me anymore. So one day I was staring at that screen and I looked over at the recycle bin with that stack full of papers, and I thought, here am I, here I am without any words.
00:39:14:19 - 00:39:35:06
Unknown
And right next to me are thousands of them, and they're delivered to my doorstep every day. So I thought I might steal a few. And this is what I did. I picked up my marker that I use for drawing, and I started making boxes around words that popped out at me, and I started connecting those words into little phrases and funny sayings.
00:39:35:08 - 00:39:42:02
Unknown
And when I was done, I blacked out all the words I didn't need.
00:39:42:04 - 00:40:05:21
Unknown
And this is what it looks like. It looks like as if the CIA did haiku. And I really wasn't sure what I was doing. All I knew was that it felt really good to watch some of those words disappear under that marker line. and so what I did was I, I started posting them to my blog, and I called them newspaper blackout poems.
00:40:05:21 - 00:40:28:19
Unknown
And slowly, over time, they spread around the internet. And I collected them in my first book, Newspaper Blackout. Oh, my, how cool is that? He was so stuck. I mean, the classic writer's block. Everyone has experienced this, but, I have nothing. Nothing's coming to mind. So he just looked next to me and looked at the newspaper instead of blacking out a few words.
00:40:28:19 - 00:41:06:00
Unknown
And this has launched him into a New York Times bestseller. This, to me, is one massive invitation to be curious about the world, right? And to put yourself in a place in a moment that you do look across at that news parent say, how might I? What if I write great creative prompts and play with this idea of remix, seeing old things with new and just experimenting?
00:41:06:02 - 00:41:35:21
Unknown
And if you actually have that curious mindset that you want to go out and collect and remix, then what I believe is happening is you are changing your mind and you've got like this energized database of possibilities and you just shake your brain and then some time, at some moment in some place, it will pop out and you will quite can quite literally see this source moment.
00:41:35:23 - 00:42:01:05
Unknown
This original origin moment for his entire career came down to he was stuck and he said, oh, well, why don't I just pluck out a few words and then away we go. And isn't that a great founder story, so to speak? you know, and again, I believe this insight in this behavior of his, this newspaper blackout approach came from the pure insight of less is more.
00:42:01:07 - 00:42:35:21
Unknown
There's a great relief in being an author and a writer, and him being able to create from work that already exists. Literally, he's picking up newspaper and blacking out some words for me. I think that's a pure demonstration and creativity he's creating from something that already exists, much like a marble, sculptor from back in. You know, the old Roman times, they find a big, stone and they chisel it away, and then they're left with this stunning, you know, item that you find in a mausoleum.
00:42:35:23 - 00:42:54:03
Unknown
But this is a more modern day approach. You're taking a plethora of words, and you're distilling them down into something that you want to communicate to readers. I personally think that this is a good exercise that I'm probably going to start doing. Like, to be honest, I think it's just a really fun game, first of all, to see what comes out.
00:42:54:05 - 00:43:12:14
Unknown
But I think what would be unique and interesting is how each individual, if you and I sat down with the same newspaper, will be able to come up with something different. Yeah, I'm sure if all of our moonshot members all sat down with the same couple of paragraphs, we'd all create something pretty unique and pretty interesting because we all have a different approach.
00:43:12:19 - 00:43:31:13
Unknown
And that's the key thing. I believe that we learn from steel like an artist. Yes. Just because Picasso was inspired by, eight other individuals before him does not mean that you and I, who are going to be inspired by Picasso, will create the same work. Yeah, we will create different work based on the inspiration that we get from them.
00:43:31:17 - 00:43:53:25
Unknown
That's right. And that for me, is just so exciting. And I think a little bit there it it's funny like if you're asking yourself, well where do I start with that? For whatever reason, as you were talking I just thought of Pinterest. Pinterest is so neat because you can collect inspiration. Oh, I like that. So I have it on my Pinterest.
00:43:54:01 - 00:44:18:06
Unknown
I have boards around the classics like food and and fashion, but I also have illustrations, books, all sorts of design and brand stuff like it's really eclectic. I even have just color palettes that I like. Yeah, I have no idea why I'm collecting them, but I'm like, oh, I like that. So I think that's like a really good place to start.
00:44:18:06 - 00:44:41:15
Unknown
Yeah, we're thinking practically, how might we collect inspiration? That's a great build. I find sometimes I use Instagram to a lesser extent, but now the bookmarking, capabilities is very, very handy. So if I ever find, mottos or pieces of inspiration, boom, I'll save them and I'll come back to them next time. I like the the build of having colorways and so on.
00:44:41:15 - 00:45:03:06
Unknown
You know, you and your design mind. I know that you've got architectural books surrounding you as we speak, so you're probably looking at all these different, you know, physical pieces of design that inspiring you. I'd love to see your Pinterest at some point. Yeah, yeah. But you right. It can come. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Yes. And the important, call out that I think we've got from that final book is to collect it.
00:45:03:08 - 00:45:21:09
Unknown
Yeah. Collect it, collate it, store in a way that you can revisit it. You can utilize in the future. Much like when you and I are making notes in any of our meetings or any of our moonshot shows, all of that is getting absorbed, and it's only going to be for the better in the long run. Absolutely, absolutely.
00:45:21:11 - 00:45:45:10
Unknown
Now, you mentioned inspiration a lot there from the collection. The bigger question right now on everybody's minds is which of those four clips are going into Mike's homework activity? Which one? Well, look, I think the I think we've really made the case and I hope our, listeners, viewers and members agree. I think we've made the case that stealing like an artist is a behavior and a habit that can herald brand new ideas.
00:45:45:12 - 00:46:07:05
Unknown
I think for me, Mike, the idea of subtraction. So the clip that we had from clerk breaking down, a complicated idea or complicated, insight into something that is very, very clear cut and and small and simple to communicate is going to be the key thing that I can work on, and that I would like to work a little bit more diligently within.
00:46:07:07 - 00:46:32:15
Unknown
What are the areas for you to that? I mean, all of these clips were pretty unique and interesting today. But what stands out to you, Mike? when I take a look at the list and think, like, I want to do more remixing by taking two old ideas, but that not from the same family, right? So take something from business and architecture and combine or creativity and food.
00:46:32:17 - 00:46:55:01
Unknown
Right? Or, you know, like the like making different combinations. For some reason he makes me want to be like an creative remix or something. So, you know what I mean? Yeah, I absolutely know what you mean. But what a fun job that would be. The creative remix. Oh yes. Yes. Well, Mike, you've been my creative remixing buddy today, so I want to say thank you to you.
00:46:55:03 - 00:47:22:16
Unknown
I want to say thank you to our listeners, viewers and members for show 257 of The Moonshots podcast, where we studied the work of Austin Kleon. Still like an artist and boy, did we do some stealing today. We learned that, number one, nothing comes from nowhere. Nothing is original. Everything comes iteratively from history, and great creativity is not about just randomly collecting.
00:47:22:18 - 00:47:47:21
Unknown
It's not about hoarding. It's about creativity. Is subtraction. The hardest thing is the simplicity, but that is where the great creativity comes from. And to do that, you need to sink into it. You need to go deep into it and remember, don't hoard, collect, find the inspiration and you will be able to unlock your creative ideas, which is such a great part of what we do here on the Moonshots podcast.
00:47:47:23 - 00:47:50:21
Unknown
That's a wrap!