Book Review - Steal LIke an Artist

I'm an artist.

There, I said it.

It's been a long time coming for me.  It's been hard for me to embrace this label because I'm not Degas, Van Gogh or Georgia O'Keefe.  I'm a perfectionist and have never felt worthy of the title because what I produce (to my mind) is not perfect.

Here is a small example of something I recently created.  It's a mixed media cuff bracelet for my daughter.  I painted the miniature in water color, glazed it with modge podge and then banged out the words on my vintage typewriter.  It was a labor of love..and I guess it could be considered "art".

What Big Eyes You Have!

I paint murals on the walls in my home, doodle whenever I have a chance and carry a sketchbook in my purse to draw design ideas for new things to sew or make as they come to me.

Still, I've always just thought of it as a quirk of my character..like loving vintage clothes and my tendency to stick my bare feet out the window when riding in the passenger seat of the car.

Enter "Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative" by Austin Kleon.

Credit

I've been a follower of Austin's blog for a while now.  My favorite thing about his site (besides his creative blackout poems) is that he writes like he's talking to a friend.  This book is no exception. 

The premise of the book is twofold.  One - Be yourself.  Two - Nothing is original, so embrace the ideas that have come before you, mix them up with your own ideas and create something that is uniquely "you".

The concept that resounded with me the most (and refers back to the beginning of this post) was "Don't wait until you know who you are to get started."  I had been waiting..and waiting..and waiting to "feel" like an artist before I considered myself one.  This liberating idea that I could just create (and sometimes create badly) and be an artist set free about a thousand ideas for projects this weekend, many of which you will see in the ConstantlyAlice shop along side my vintage items...because, as another idea from the book explains, I don't have to be limited to "just" selling vintage, or "only" being an artist, they are all valid parts of who I am.

Hugs and Smooches,
D