Austin Kleon

“Validation is for parking.”

— Austin Kleon

“Make bad art.”

— Austin Kleon

Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)

— Austin Kleon

If you want fans, you have to be a fan first.

— Austin Kleon

In order to be found, you have to be findable.

— Austin Kleon

Keep all your passions in your life.

— Austin Kleon

Be nice. (The world is a small town.)

— Austin Kleon

Obituaries are like near-death experiences for cowards.

— Austin Kleon

Do good work and share it with people.

— Austin Kleon

“Unlike a hard drive, paper doesn't crash.”

— Austin Kleon

It's in the act of making things that we figure out who we are.

— Austin Kleon

Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time.

— Austin Kleon

“What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere.”

— Austin Kleon

“When you get rid of old material, you push yourself further and come up with something better.”

— Austin Kleon

“Writing a page a day doesn't seem like much, but do it for 365 days and you have enough to fill a novel.”

— Austin Kleon

Every artist gets asked the question, 'Where do you get your ideas?' The honest artist answers, 'I steal them.'

— Austin Kleon

“Wilson Mizner said if you copy from one author, it’s plagiarism, but if you copy from many, it’s research.”

— Austin Kleon

“These days, most of us carry a fully functional multimedia studio around in our smartphones.”

— Austin Kleon

“But now I realize that the only way to find your voice is to use it. It’s hardwired, built into you. Talk…

— Austin Kleon

“People will misinterpret you and what you do. They might even call you names. So get comfortable with being misunderstood, disparaged, or…

— Austin Kleon

Collect books, even if you don't plan on reading them right away. Filmmaker John Waters has said, "Nothing is more important than…

— Austin Kleon

“Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love and you'll attract people who love that kind of stuff. It's that…

— Austin Kleon

What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely…

— Austin Kleon

“Don't just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don't want to look like your heroes, you want to…

— Austin Kleon

“The trouble with imaginative people is that we're good at picturing the worst that could happen to us. Fear is often just…

— Austin Kleon

“What Now? Talk a walk Start your swipe file Go to the library Buy a notebook and use it Get yourself a…

— Austin Kleon

“The reason to copy your heroes and their style is so that you might somehow get a glimpse into their minds. That's…

— Austin Kleon

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in…

— Austin Kleon

“Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat with only 236 different words, so his editor bet him he couldn’t write a…

— Austin Kleon

“Everybody loves a good story, but good storytelling doesn't come easy to everybody. It's a skill that takes a lifetime to master.…

— Austin Kleon

Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in…

— Austin Kleon

“Human beings want to know where things came from, how they were made, and who made them. The stories you tell about…

— Austin Kleon

We're always being told 'find your voice.' When I was younger, I never really knew what this meant. I used to worry…

— Austin Kleon

Art is theft”) and Igor Stravinsky (“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal”), I’ve always stolen from the people I admire – not…

— Austin Kleon

“Show just a little bit of what you’re working on.”

— Austin Kleon

Read deeply. Stay open. Continue to wonder.

— Austin Kleon

The only way to find your voice is to use it

— Austin Kleon

We found the future, like birds fly into windows.

— Austin Kleon

Don't wait until you know who you are to get started.

— Austin Kleon

“the worst troll is the one that lives in your head.”

— Austin Kleon