You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with. — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
Unless you are actually a ninja, a guru, or a rock star, don't ever use any of those terms in your bio.… — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“Surround yourself with books and objects that you love. Tape things up on the wall. Create your own world.” — Austin Kleon Books Copy Share Image
You'll either find the answer or you'll come up with a better question. — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where our own thing lives. That is how we evolve.” — Austin Kleon Failure Copy Share Image
“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs.” — Austin Kleon Amateurs Copy Share Image
“Dalí said, “Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“Ironically, really good work often appears to be effortless. People will say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” They won’t see the… — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“In the first act, you get your hero up a tree. The second act, you throw rocks at him. For the third… — Austin Kleon Austin-kleon Copy Share Image
“The world is changing at such a rapid rate that it’s turning us all into amateurs. Even for professionals, the best way… — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“Step 1: Wonder at something. Step 2: Invite others to wonder with you. You should wonder at the things nobody else is wondering about.” — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
“When you get rid of old material, you push yourself further and come up with something better. When you throw out old… — Austin Kleon Push yourself Copy Share Image
Find the most talented person in the room, and if it's not you, go stand next to him. Hang out with him.… — Austin Kleon Hanging out Copy Share Image
School is one thing. Education is another. The two don’t always overlap. Whether you’re in school or not, it’s always your job… — Austin Kleon Education Copy Share Image
“If you just mimic the surface of somebody’s work without understanding where they are coming from, your work will never be anything… — Austin Kleon Art Copy Share Image
“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 Austin-kleon Copy Share Image
“Human beings want to know where things came from, how they were made, and who made them. The stories you tell about… — Austin Kleon Austin-kleon Copy Share Image
Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in… — Austin Kleon Brain Copy Share Image
Art is theft”) and Igor Stravinsky (“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal”), I’ve always stolen from the people I admire – not… — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
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 Copy Share Image
“You might be scared to start. That’s natural. There’s this very real thing that runs rampant in educated people. It’s called “impostor… — Austin Kleon Educated people Copy Share Image
“There is a kind of fallout that happens when you leave college. The classroom is a wonderful, if artificial, place: Your professor… — Austin Kleon Classroom Copy Share Image
“I think it’s good to have a lot of projects going at once so you can bounce between them. When you get… — Austin Kleon Procrastination Copy Share Image
“These days, most of us carry a fully functional multimedia studio around in our smartphones.” — Austin Kleon Multimedia Copy Share Image
“You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.” — Austin Kleon Hero Copy Share Image
The people who get what they’re after are very often the ones who just stick around long enough. — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
If you’re worried about giving your secrets away, you can share your dots without connecting them. — Austin Kleon Copy Share Image
