Austin Kleon

"Always be reading. Go to the library. Theres magic in being surrounded by books. Get lost in the stacks. Read bibliographies. Its not the book you start with, its the book that book leads you to."

"A wonderful flaw about human beings is that were incapable of making perfect copies. Our failure to copy our heroes is where we discover where our own thing lives. That is how we evolve."

"The best advice is not to write what you know, its to write what you like. Write the kind of story you like best— write the story you want to read. The same principle applies to your life and your career. Whenever youre at a loss for what move to make next, just ask yourself, "What would make a better story?"

"Dont worry about a grand scheme or unified vision for your work. [...] What unifies your work is the fact that you made it. One day, youll look back and it will all make sense."

"If there was a secret formula for becoming known, I would give it to you. But theres only one not-so-secret formula that I know: Do good work and share it with people."

"If you ever find that youre the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room."

"Establishing and keeping a routine can be even more important than having a lot of time. Inertia is the death of creativity. You have to stay in the groove."

"In this age of information abundance and overload, those who get ahead will be the folks who figure out what to leave out, so they can concentrate on whats really important to them. Nothing is more paralyzing than the idea of limitless possibilities."

"The way to get over creative block is to simply place some constraints on yourself. It seems contradictory, but when it comes to creative work, limitations mean freedom."

"The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others. [...] Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you."

"Be open, share imperfect and unfinished work that you want feedback on, but dont share absolutely everything. [...] The act of sharing is one of generosity— youre putting something out there because you think it might be helpful or entertaining to someone on the other side of the screen."

"The great thing about dead or remote masters is that they cant refuse you as an apprentice. You can learn whatever you want from them. They left their lesson plans in their work."