Thursday, January 23, 2014

"Steal Like An Artist..." by Austin Kleon

I really like our book, Steal Like An Artist - 10 things nobody told you about being creative, for Graphic Design III. The size, layout, and even the way it is written appeals to me. I especially like the way that it has quotes from such a variety of people that are in so many diverse careers. Plus, I LOVE the stock used for the cover - it's sweet!

When asked "How do you feel about stealing other people's ideas?" I believe that the way they mean to steal in this instance, isn't the literal sense of stealing. Because, if you give 10 people the same idea and tell them to come up with a design for it, no 2 designs will be the same. So, as long as you aren't copying somebody's design exactly, without permission, it's perfectly legal. Therefore, I don't feel that there's anything immoral about it at all.

Originality is valued in art, but, it comes in many different forms. You can be original in the way you convey your ideas and designs. For example, our Typography posters, some people did the same font as previous years, but the design was completely different.

To be a better collector you need to keep your eyes open and always a pencil and paper handy to jot notes or ideas down. Don't be afraid to tear things out of magazines (hopefully your own magazines) or to take pictures of things you see. I have a home office where I keep most of my reference material. I'm also an avid reader and have a huge number of books, in bookcases and closets throughout my house. I have also added to my art/design type of books by going to garage sales and even getting from friends that are moving or downsizing. You never know where you might find something useful.

I keep folders, in my bookmark menu, for different things like fonts, web design, clip-art, etc. I am also a big Pinterest user - Check out my boards.

Before I can pick someone to use as a mentor I'm going to have to do some more research. Once I've decided on someone, I'll come back here and add their name and a sample of their work.

There were a couple of quotes that really stood out for me in the first chapter.

"The only art I'll ever study is stuff I can steal from."
 ~ David Bowie 

"It is better to take what does not belong to
you than to let it lie around neglected."
 ~ Mark Twain

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