41 pages • 1 hour read
Austin KleonSteal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Austin KleonNonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 8Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 8 Summary: “Be Nice. (The World Is a Small Town.)”
Kleon encourages artists to ignore their enemies and say nice things to people they want to be their friends. Try to be friends with the “most talented person in the room” (104). While it can be easy to grow frustrated by online discourse, Kleon encourages artists to “stop picking fights” (105) and use that energy in their work.
When it comes to receiving validation for one’s own work, internal validation should take precedence over external validation, which might never come. He encourages artists to keep a “praise file,” where they keep nice emails and feedback to revisit when they feel lonely or isolated.
Chapter 8 Analysis
This chapter is the first of two that advises creatives to turn inward and assess how their own behavior affects and is affected by creative processes and community. As such, it represents a shift toward a reflective approach, which serves to conclude the book’s progression of step-by-step concepts, following the established pattern common in self-help and advice literature.
Kleon alludes to something called the “golden rule,” addressing Creativity in the Digital Age when he says that in “our hyperconnected world,” this rule “is even more golden” (101). Drawing on a tenet of moral philosophy that asks that people treat others as they would like to be treated, here Kleon moves into the field of ethics in the community, addressing how best to engage with others online to foster positivity and limit negativity. His argument is that treating others well can be a source of personal happiness as well as a means to foster positive relationships. This section is the furthest Kleon gets from addressing directly creative concerns. Kleon also addresses reputational concerns as the age of digital technology and the internet has introduced a new level of visibility to behaviors that might previously have gone unnoticed or unseen. Kleon’s argument is influenced by the understanding that nothing can be deleted from the internet and so negative impulses should be avoided: “[I]f you talk about someone on the Internet, they will find out” (101). As such, it is better for artists to ignore their detractors while saying “nice things” about people they would like to connect with.
Kleon suggests an action of positive agency, writing “public fan letters” (109) that engage productively with something made by an artistic hero. This is a way to engage online by making an entrance into a community or conversation, or adding a new voice and presence into the concept of Art as a Genealogy of Ideas. This suggestion is indicative of the book’s emphasis on practical action and the concept of the artist as someone with agency and control, even in the vastness of the internet age.
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