Steal Like an Artist
by Austin Kleon
★ Top 25 book of 2012 · #16 on Best Books of 2012
Austin Kleon turned a list of ten pieces of advice he gave to students into a short illustrated guide to the creative life. It mixes anecdotes and mini-exercises with practical actions for anyone making things in the digital age.
Best for: Writers, artists, designers, and other makers seeking brief, practical creative inspiration
Steal Like an Artist is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 2012, out of 58 2012 books that cleared our data bar.
What Steal Like an Artist is about
Austin Kleon's guide starts from a simple belief: making things is not reserved for geniuses. His advice is to be yourself and to borrow openly from the work you admire. The ten ideas include using your hands, starting side projects, being nice, being boring, and treating creativity as a matter of cutting away what you do not need.
The book began as a talk to students at a community college in upstate New York in 2011. Kleon posted the text and slides of his talk to his blog, where it quickly went viral, and he then expanded it into this illustrated book, published by Workman Publishing in 2012. It has short anecdotes and small exercises that turn each idea into something you can try that afternoon. Writers, designers, photographers, musicians, and anyone who makes things in the digital age will find a friendly, witty nudge to stop waiting for inspiration and get started.
Steal Like an Artist on the Best Books of 2012
Steal Like an Artist came out in 2012. Of the 58 books first published in 2012 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #16 on our Best Books of 2012 list.
Why it made the list: 828 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (48 ratings); 29 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2012 list
- Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Benjamin Alire Sáenz, #14
- The Dragonet Prophecy Tui T. Sutherland, #15
- Exile Shannon Messenger, #17
- Shadow and Bone Leigh Bardugo, #18
See all Best Books of 2012 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2011 Best Books of 2013.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 732 want to read it, 29 are reading it now and 67 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 from 48 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 76 | 55% |
| Reader love | 60 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 67 | 20% |
Questions about Steal Like an Artist
When was Steal Like an Artist published?
Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon was first published in 2012.
Was Steal Like an Artist one of the best books of 2012?
Steal Like an Artist is #16 on BookWard's Best Books of 2012, out of 58 2012 books that cleared our data bar. 828 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (48 ratings); 29 are reading it right now.
Why is Steal Like an Artist on the Best Books of 2012 list?
828 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.1 out of 5 (48 ratings); 29 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2012
- Wonder R. J. Palacio, #1
- The Fault in Our Stars John Green, #2
- The Selection (the Selection #1) Kiera Cass, #3
- Drama Raina Telgemeier, #4
- Throne of Glass Sarah J. Maas, #5
- The Power of Habit Charles Duhigg, #6
See the full Best Books of 2012, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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