Selling Art, Not Selling Out
Austin Kleon | ISBN: 0761169253 & 978-0761169253 | Finished: 11/2014 | Rating: 10/10
Austin Kleon is a New York Times bestselling author for Steal Like an Artist. He is known for his wonderful Newspaper Blockout art and his books on art and creativity. In this review, I will give my take on the different sections of Steal Like an Artist.
“If we don’t know what we’re looking for, we’re never going to find it.” – Scott Dinsmore
Print available on Society6.
How often do we go through life expecting good things to happen to us? We know we want everything to be better, less blasé. We feel entitled to a better life.
That’s all well and good, but how do you make it happen? There’s no easy answer to this question, but there are some things you can do to make it happen.
[bctt tweet=”Having a purpose in life makes everything fall into place much easier”]
Having a purpose in life makes everything fall into place much easier. Sure there will be obstacles, but if you find purpose, you will overcome them no matter what.
[bctt tweet=”The only thing we can control is the amount of effort we put in”]
There is nothing better than achieving a goal. All that hard work you put in finally pays off. Even if you fail, you will learn countless lessons on the way. There are things in life that are out of our control. The only thing we can control is the amount of effort we put in.
When you find your purpose, and set goals for yourself, it is much easier to commit to self-improvement. You can put your energy towards things that will make you better. If you want more sales, find out what makes your audience buy, and tailor your message towards that. If you want to improve your writing, read books on writing and deconstruct what your favorite writers do.
[bctt tweet=”If you want to succeed and achieve your goals, don’t give up”]
Finding a purpose creates a unique sense of self. You tie your emotions and life to that purpose. When things don’t go your way, it may feel like a pointless endeavor, but you shouldn’t give up. It’s not the smartest people who succeed, it’s the people who pursue their goals relentlessly. If you want to succeed and achieve your goals, don’t give up.
It is rare to know exactly what your purpose in life is. If you are able to find it, life will be much more enjoyable. Sure, there will be ups and downs, but there is nothing better than setting out a goal and actually achieving it.
“There is nothing that makes its way more directly to the soul than beauty.” – Joseph Addison
Print available on Storenvy:
Picture the most amazing sunrise, a waterfall coursing over a cliff, or the night sky being lit by millions of stars. Your mouth is open wide taking in the splendors of the world right down into your soul.
That is the kind of reaction you want to have with your art. You want to be able to grab the viewer and make them think “Wow”.
No one knows better than an artist the type of impact a beautiful scene, sculpture, song, or performance can have on a person. After all, what else could have driven us to create like we do? There is something inside of us that makes us want to share the beauty of the world with others.
[bctt tweet=”If our art can change the course of someone’s life, it will be worth all those long hours toiling over our work”]
If our art can change the course of someone’s life, it will be worth all those long hours toiling over our work. That is why we need to get our work in front of anyone who might be affected by it. My challenge to you is to go out there and have your work touch someone’s soul.
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” – Leonardo da Vinci
Print available on Society6.
“Why didn’t my message connect?” “Why didn’t they understand me?” These questions come up so often, it’s a wonder we haven’t all figured it out yet.
We are all guilty of this mistake, but we do it over and over again. That mistake is making things too complex.
How often have you tried to fluff up your writing with complicated or technical words? Who doesn’t want to sound smart when they are writing or talking?
The problem with this line of thinking is complexity adds too many layers of thought. The greatest orators and writers in the world simplify their message. How else could you get so many people behind your message?
[bctt tweet=”The last thing you want to do when telling your story is make it hard to understand”]
Look no further than the Harry Potter series or speeches made by US presidents. Their messages are clear and easy to understand. The last thing you want to do when telling your story is make it hard to understand.
[bctt tweet=”When you write, make sure your message is simple enough for everyone to understand”]
The next time your message falls flat, think to yourself, “Is my message simple enough?” If it isn’t, try framing it in a way that makes sense to a five year old. When you write, make sure your message is simple enough for everyone to understand.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ― Maya Angelou
Print available on Society6.
Maya Angelou’s quote on creativity is a wonderful example of an abundance vs scarcity mindset. Too often, we go through life trying to preserve rather than create. We say things like “How can I cut costs to afford my next vacation?” instead of saying “What can I do to make some extra money to go on my next vacation?”
We have this same mindset when it comes to creativity. “I don’t why to use up all my good ideas.” “I’ll save that one for later.” We are taught to think of everything as a scarce resource. If you think this way when it comes to creativity, you will create very few good ideas.
[bctt tweet=”Creativity is not something you should utilize once in a blue moon.”]
Creativity is not something you should utilize once in a blue moon. It builds up like an avalanche. If you are constantly coming up with ideas, you will never run out. Instead of treating creativity like something that will diminish, think of it like something that can grow stronger the more you use it.
What are your thoughts on creativity? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Bob Baker has a movement. It’s not just some idea he came up with to make money or become famous. It’s a vision to change the world and how the world view artists. He wants to inspire artists and creatives of all types to “express themselves, hone their skills, and share their talents with the world!” That’s a mission and vision worth fighting for.
Bob was kind enough to provide immense value to artists everywhere with his free Youtube video series “30 Ways to Become an Empowered Artist.” I’m just doing my part to spread the word about this lofty and empowering creative revolution. You can check out part one here and part two here. In the final part of this three part series, I will give my thoughts on the videos twenty-one through thirty of his Youtube series.
Bob Baker has a movement. It’s not just some idea he came up with to make money or become famous. It’s a vision to change the world and how the world view artists. He wants to inspire artists and creatives of all types to “express themselves, hone their skills, and share their talents with the world!” That’s a mission and vision worth fighting for.
Bob was kind enough to provide immense value to artists everywhere with his free Youtube video series “30 Ways to Become an Empowered Artist.” I’m just doing my part to spread the word about this lofty and empowering creative revolution. You can check out part one here. In the second part of this three part series, I will give my thoughts on the videos eleven through twenty of his Youtube series.
Ryan Holiday | ISBN: 1591846358 | Finished: 7/2014 | Rating: 9/10
Ryan Holiday is one of those people you read about and can’t help but admire. He dropped out of college to work with Robert Greene and has advised some extremely successful authors including Tim Ferriss and Tucker Max. He also served as the director of marketing for American Apparel. He owes much of his success to the ideas and lessons he learned from stoicism.
Bob Baker has a movement. It’s not just some idea he came up with to make money or become famous. It’s a vision to change the world and how the world view artists. He wants to inspire artists and creatives of all types to “express themselves, hone their skills, and share their talents with the world!” That’s a mission and vision worth fighting for. Bob was kind enough to provide immense value to artists everywhere with his free Youtube video series “30 Ways to Become an Empowered Artist.” I’m just doing my part to spread the word about this lofty and empowering creative revolution. In this first part of a three part series, I will give my thoughts on the first ten videos of his Youtube series. Continue reading
James Altucher, Dick Costolo ISBN: 1490313370 | Finished: 7/2014 | Rating: 9/10
I want to thank Derek Sivers for this idea of sharing Kindle highlights for books I’ve read. The first in the series is James Altucher’s Choose Yourself!
This book is one of the easiest to read motivational/self-help books there is. James is an entrepreneur of numerous companies that have both failed and succeeded. He is also a best selling author and has two great radio shows in The James Altucher Show and Ask Altucher, which fit right in to his idea of Choosing Yourself.
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