Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

This chapter signals a move away from advice for idea creation and toward the physical and mental process of making art. Unlike the previous chapters, which mostly focused on reorienting readers’ preconceptions about art or guiding their intellectual processes, this chapter suggests physical practices that aid creativity. It introduces the tone of practical advice that will continue throughout the book.

One of the largest presences in Kleon’s novel is digital technology and Creativity in the Digital Age, which can either aid or hamper the creative process. Kleon suggests that in the process of making art, digital technology usually hampers creativity: “You don’t need a scientific study (of which there are a few) to tell you that sitting in front of a computer all day is killing you, and killing your work” (54). While looking at a computer all day can contribute to eye strain and tired eyes, the demonstrated medical risk to health is from prolonged sitting, not the computer itself. Kleon encourages artists to use their creative practice to break sedentary habits. This section therefore supports Kleon’s message that art and creativity are directly and indirectly good for health. He proposes that analog work has the added benefit of making creativity feel like “play” rather than “work.” Kleon uses this initial proposal about The Difference Between Work and Play to segue into his next piece of advice about maintaining a robust set of hobbies and side projects.