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Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again
Rediscover the joy of creating – with kid-inspired insights from the bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist
Feeling burnt out, distracted, and out of fresh ideas? In every creative person's life, there are times when you lose the energy, joy, and freedom you had when you were first starting out. From the recent art school graduate to the retiree searching for their creative third act, we all need help returning to the excitement, the sense of discovery, and the raw creativity of a child at play. Don't Call It Art is a creative liberation handbook for looking at the world with fresh eyes, unlearning what you've learned, and making new leaps in your life and work.
Since his breakout New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon has been one of the world's leading teachers of creativity. His books have sold nearly two million copies and translated into 30 languages. Now, in his most encouraging and inspiring book yet, Kleon shares ten rejuvenating lessons he learned from being a studio assistant to the artists closest to his his two young sons. Kleon discovered that nurturing his kids taught him how to create the conditions under which his own – and everyone's creativity – can thrive.
Don't Call It Art offers inspiring advice for readers looking to free their creative spirit
Permission to be bad
Believe in magic
Throw out the instructions
You don’t need a vision
Think outside your head
Narrated in Kleon's signature style of quotes, stories and examples, Don't Call It Art is a blast of creative energy that will give you permission to play, make a mess, and venture beyond your imagination – and ultimately, to feel the unbridled joy of creating in your own unique way.
Feeling burnt out, distracted, and out of fresh ideas? In every creative person's life, there are times when you lose the energy, joy, and freedom you had when you were first starting out. From the recent art school graduate to the retiree searching for their creative third act, we all need help returning to the excitement, the sense of discovery, and the raw creativity of a child at play. Don't Call It Art is a creative liberation handbook for looking at the world with fresh eyes, unlearning what you've learned, and making new leaps in your life and work.
Since his breakout New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon has been one of the world's leading teachers of creativity. His books have sold nearly two million copies and translated into 30 languages. Now, in his most encouraging and inspiring book yet, Kleon shares ten rejuvenating lessons he learned from being a studio assistant to the artists closest to his his two young sons. Kleon discovered that nurturing his kids taught him how to create the conditions under which his own – and everyone's creativity – can thrive.
Don't Call It Art offers inspiring advice for readers looking to free their creative spirit
Permission to be bad
Believe in magic
Throw out the instructions
You don’t need a vision
Think outside your head
Narrated in Kleon's signature style of quotes, stories and examples, Don't Call It Art is a blast of creative energy that will give you permission to play, make a mess, and venture beyond your imagination – and ultimately, to feel the unbridled joy of creating in your own unique way.
Audible Audio
Published June 2, 2026
About the author
Austin Kleon
31 books6,958 followersI’m a writer who draws. I make art with words and books with pictures. Author of
Steal Like An Artist
and other bestsellers. Visit my website: http://austinkleon.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
June 3, 2026
*Thank you Tarcher Books for the review copy*
This is actually a one star book for me but I want to be nice since I was given a free copy. Put simply, I am not the audience for this book. On paper, one would think so: lifelong multifaceted artist who has been making a living full time as such for the last seven years, painter, award-winning filmmaker, musician & published author. (pretentious much? jesus christ we get it)
This book is for those who would *like* to make cool things, but have never actually done so. This book is for the normies, the uncreative, for those who have never had an original idea in their life & who think that reading a book will provide them with one. This book is for the bored stay at home housewife who makes fuzzball and hot glue crafts to sell at the flea market, or for the Instagram makeup influencer who buys this at the airport to skim through on a flight because she dreams of deeming herself an artist.
Any true artist, and by that all I simply mean is someone who is currently, actively making things that are even remotely interesting or unique, already knows the majority of the extremely generic information in this book. This is like the Sesame Street version of Rick Rubin‘s book on Art, except even that is too generous because *that* book would still have some interesting points.
I can’t help but notice that the author just seems to be making derivatives of his first work, and from a cursory glance, all four of his books look essentially the same in content and substance. But hey, 2 million sold copies don’t lie, and if I had struck gold on something, I would probably keep mining that vein as well. Flannery O’Connor once talked about how you can make an extraordinary amount of money if you write badly enough.
I know I’m being extra mean, but books like this just make me bristle in particular because they feel like such a network TV version of trying to get at something so deep, beautiful and profound that words fail to describe it—we’re talking about the source essence of life itself here and the inexpressible wonder of this mysterious existence, and the ability to create tiny little moments of meaning that make us feel more joy and less alone and like someone out there understands us because we witness what they made. Now distill all that down for the lowest common denominator human and make it into a generic ass cliffnotes.
The good parts: I recognize that he was inspired by and made this with his kids, which is sweet. As a father myself, I get it, it’s cute, and yes kids are genuinely a great reminder to be wild and unabashed in our expressions, and it would serve us all well to be more childlike, curious and playful in all areas of our lives. There are a few interesting observations and points, and a few reminders or words of encouragement that were pretty solid.
I can see a world in which a person, creative or not, could find useful, inspiring and empowering messages in this book that spur them to make something cool, or at the very least to get them past their own blocks and limitations in hesitating to do so—that, of itself, is a good thing and an admirable intent of the book.
Lastly, the unique formatting & integration of art throughout is a nice touch, I always appreciate an unconventional approach and the work that goes into laying out every single page differently.
I hope to god the author doesn’t read these and if you do Austin, god bless you brother and I’m glad you seem to be having fun in this life, I’m glad that a lot of people like your books even though I am not one of them, and I mean shit you’re doin better than me financially probably, so i mean you got the upper hand in a sense. All the best (and getting a handmade print from you with the book was a supremely nice touch, hella respect for that).
This is actually a one star book for me but I want to be nice since I was given a free copy. Put simply, I am not the audience for this book. On paper, one would think so: lifelong multifaceted artist who has been making a living full time as such for the last seven years, painter, award-winning filmmaker, musician & published author. (pretentious much? jesus christ we get it)
This book is for those who would *like* to make cool things, but have never actually done so. This book is for the normies, the uncreative, for those who have never had an original idea in their life & who think that reading a book will provide them with one. This book is for the bored stay at home housewife who makes fuzzball and hot glue crafts to sell at the flea market, or for the Instagram makeup influencer who buys this at the airport to skim through on a flight because she dreams of deeming herself an artist.
Any true artist, and by that all I simply mean is someone who is currently, actively making things that are even remotely interesting or unique, already knows the majority of the extremely generic information in this book. This is like the Sesame Street version of Rick Rubin‘s book on Art, except even that is too generous because *that* book would still have some interesting points.
I can’t help but notice that the author just seems to be making derivatives of his first work, and from a cursory glance, all four of his books look essentially the same in content and substance. But hey, 2 million sold copies don’t lie, and if I had struck gold on something, I would probably keep mining that vein as well. Flannery O’Connor once talked about how you can make an extraordinary amount of money if you write badly enough.
I know I’m being extra mean, but books like this just make me bristle in particular because they feel like such a network TV version of trying to get at something so deep, beautiful and profound that words fail to describe it—we’re talking about the source essence of life itself here and the inexpressible wonder of this mysterious existence, and the ability to create tiny little moments of meaning that make us feel more joy and less alone and like someone out there understands us because we witness what they made. Now distill all that down for the lowest common denominator human and make it into a generic ass cliffnotes.
The good parts: I recognize that he was inspired by and made this with his kids, which is sweet. As a father myself, I get it, it’s cute, and yes kids are genuinely a great reminder to be wild and unabashed in our expressions, and it would serve us all well to be more childlike, curious and playful in all areas of our lives. There are a few interesting observations and points, and a few reminders or words of encouragement that were pretty solid.
I can see a world in which a person, creative or not, could find useful, inspiring and empowering messages in this book that spur them to make something cool, or at the very least to get them past their own blocks and limitations in hesitating to do so—that, of itself, is a good thing and an admirable intent of the book.
Lastly, the unique formatting & integration of art throughout is a nice touch, I always appreciate an unconventional approach and the work that goes into laying out every single page differently.
I hope to god the author doesn’t read these and if you do Austin, god bless you brother and I’m glad you seem to be having fun in this life, I’m glad that a lot of people like your books even though I am not one of them, and I mean shit you’re doin better than me financially probably, so i mean you got the upper hand in a sense. All the best (and getting a handmade print from you with the book was a supremely nice touch, hella respect for that).
Read
May 30, 2026This was quick to read - the pages and illustrations zip along - but it'll take time for all its wisdom to percolate and become part of my creative practice. It's also a book I'll be returning to, to remind myself of its pearls! Especially the importance of playtime (so that I don't fall into a play-deficit, which I now see could hinder my creative life just as much as a sleep-deficit); permission to be an amateur, not a master (I never thought about the literal meaning of the word 'amateur' until reading this book! The etymology links it to 'lover'); and the potential of third spaces. On the latter, I particularly enjoyed the discussion of diners and libraries, and the suggestion to Parent Like a Librarian - yes! That's exactly how the book works on both levels: on one level for our inner kid, and on another as a really helpful guide to nurturing the creativity of the kids in your life. Kleon's past work is a hard act to follow, but I'd say he's been successful, and I'll be drawing upon his philosophy to inform my own approach to creative work.
July 27, 2026
I like this book enough to read it all over again—one of the things the author says he learned to do from his kids. Don’t Call it Art appealed to me because I’ve recently taken up a new creative outlet I’m obsessed with but don’t feel particularly good at. This book gives me permission to play, to waste time, to copy, to throw out the instructions and to create without expectation or judgment. Freedom!! Okay, enough about the book, time to go make stuff.
August 16, 2026
I need to save my notes from this book. I need to write them down in my commonplace book. I need to blow them up into posters for my walls.
Trying to make art is the easiest way to keep yourself from actually making art.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 8. Kindle Edition.
In his book The Element, Sir Ken Robinson told a story about a six-year-old girl in a drawing lesson. Her teacher asked what she was drawing. “Without looking up, the girl said, ‘I’m drawing a picture of God.’ Surprised, the teacher said, ‘But nobody knows what God looks like.’ The girl said, ‘They will in a minute.’ ”
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 12. Kindle Edition.
People who are able to stay creative their whole lives know that the minute they start knowing, it is time to go back to not knowing.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 15. Kindle Edition.
One way to boost your curiosity about the world is to assume that everything in life is a clue left from the universe for you to investigate.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 94. Kindle Edition.
When I have problems with my output, it’s often time to work on my input. When I stall out, it’s time to start taking things in: reading books, watching movies, listening to music, going to art museums, traveling, taking people to lunch, and generally soaking up what the world has to offer. I try to be open and alert and on the lookout for that thing that will get me going again.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 112. Kindle Edition.
I know that creative people aren’t just fueled by their interests, but by their obsessions. An obsession is something that calls to you, something you cannot help but be captured by. Obsession is what you can’t stop doing. What you can’t stop thinking about.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 124. Kindle Edition.
Go all in, but be ready for your obsessions to leave you as quickly as they arrived and for new ones to take their place.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 127. Kindle Edition.
There is at least one place I know of where you are completely free to search for new input, know what you like, and embrace your obsessions: the public library.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 128. Kindle Edition.
The library gives us the power to take learning into our own hands.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 131. Kindle Edition.
The library is a place to emulate when making your own creative spaces, and the librarian is a role model for how to approach your creative life. Be like the librarian: Do not spend time judging yourself. Simply give yourself the time, space, and resources to grow.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 131. Kindle Edition.
A Curious Elder is someone who manages to retain their curiosity as they age.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 149. Kindle Edition.
“Revel in your mystification,” Eno suggests.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 151. Kindle Edition.
The artist’s job is to take us all beyond our wildest imaginations. To show us things we’ve never seen and to boldly go where none of us has even thought about going before. If you’re going to do that, you have to venture into unknown territory, to explore what’s not on any map, to go places you might not even want to go. Forget whatever you had in mind. Go back to that childlike mode of not knowing. Give yourself the time, space, and materials you need. Play hide-and-seek with the world and all its burdens and responsibilities. Make a big pile of imperfect things. Believe in magic. Think outside your head. Feed your obsessions. Borrow a kid if you need to. Pretend it’s a comedy. Keep your sense of humor. Don’t call it art: just make stuff.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 184. Kindle Edition.
Trying to make art is the easiest way to keep yourself from actually making art.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 8. Kindle Edition.
In his book The Element, Sir Ken Robinson told a story about a six-year-old girl in a drawing lesson. Her teacher asked what she was drawing. “Without looking up, the girl said, ‘I’m drawing a picture of God.’ Surprised, the teacher said, ‘But nobody knows what God looks like.’ The girl said, ‘They will in a minute.’ ”
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 12. Kindle Edition.
People who are able to stay creative their whole lives know that the minute they start knowing, it is time to go back to not knowing.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 15. Kindle Edition.
One way to boost your curiosity about the world is to assume that everything in life is a clue left from the universe for you to investigate.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 94. Kindle Edition.
When I have problems with my output, it’s often time to work on my input. When I stall out, it’s time to start taking things in: reading books, watching movies, listening to music, going to art museums, traveling, taking people to lunch, and generally soaking up what the world has to offer. I try to be open and alert and on the lookout for that thing that will get me going again.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 112. Kindle Edition.
I know that creative people aren’t just fueled by their interests, but by their obsessions. An obsession is something that calls to you, something you cannot help but be captured by. Obsession is what you can’t stop doing. What you can’t stop thinking about.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 124. Kindle Edition.
Go all in, but be ready for your obsessions to leave you as quickly as they arrived and for new ones to take their place.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 127. Kindle Edition.
There is at least one place I know of where you are completely free to search for new input, know what you like, and embrace your obsessions: the public library.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 128. Kindle Edition.
The library gives us the power to take learning into our own hands.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 131. Kindle Edition.
The library is a place to emulate when making your own creative spaces, and the librarian is a role model for how to approach your creative life. Be like the librarian: Do not spend time judging yourself. Simply give yourself the time, space, and resources to grow.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 131. Kindle Edition.
A Curious Elder is someone who manages to retain their curiosity as they age.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 149. Kindle Edition.
“Revel in your mystification,” Eno suggests.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 151. Kindle Edition.
The artist’s job is to take us all beyond our wildest imaginations. To show us things we’ve never seen and to boldly go where none of us has even thought about going before. If you’re going to do that, you have to venture into unknown territory, to explore what’s not on any map, to go places you might not even want to go. Forget whatever you had in mind. Go back to that childlike mode of not knowing. Give yourself the time, space, and materials you need. Play hide-and-seek with the world and all its burdens and responsibilities. Make a big pile of imperfect things. Believe in magic. Think outside your head. Feed your obsessions. Borrow a kid if you need to. Pretend it’s a comedy. Keep your sense of humor. Don’t call it art: just make stuff.
Kleon, Austin. Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again, p. 184. Kindle Edition.
May 28, 2026
This book, I think, is for people who are creative, maybe drawing, painting or writing, and who probably have young children. This is my entirely judgemental judgement. Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book for my consideration, this is all my own rambling, honest and personal opinion. Ok this request was an error. I thought it would be about creativity, I think it actually is but not the type of creativity I enjoy. I enjoy, dancing, gardening, knitting and reading and I’m not sure I felt seen by this book. It annoyed the hell out of me. At times it was chilled and then it would talk about your “work”. It sort of felt like an emotional support book for an artist who has had a breakdown and can’t paint anymore. There are many contradictory statements which was so annoying. There are pages with shouting, chapters are introduced with full capital letters and I wonder if it’s a UK thing but I found it annoying. There was cute drawings throughout and I wonder if I’d have enjoyed it more if I had young children. At times, when there was mention of the getting the child to use a pencil properly before they got to school and ruining their writing and drawing I was incandescent with rage. It felt like the author was intrinsically going against their own ethos!
So many of the suggests felt banal. On reflection this book is not for me, it’s not going to help me become more creative… and yet I’m thinking no I am creative dam you just because I don’t fit into your narrow concept of creativity and art. I will show you. Then I wonder actually is this actually not a 1 ⭐️book maybe actually it is 4 ⭐️ because whilst annoying I’ve come out of it thinking I’m creative and wanting to actually go with my own creativity rather than a book that tells me how to draw a cat. 🐈⬛
On reflection, make sure you understand what this book is like, it shouts, it has quotes throughout out from a wide range of people. It talks a lot about “kids”, to me it feels American but I’m guessing if you are American that’s not a bad thing. I, foolishly, thought there were 10 exercises to help build my creativity, this was not true but I’m going out now to be creative in my garden so it seems to have achieved its aim… although it also might not have had one. 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
So many of the suggests felt banal. On reflection this book is not for me, it’s not going to help me become more creative… and yet I’m thinking no I am creative dam you just because I don’t fit into your narrow concept of creativity and art. I will show you. Then I wonder actually is this actually not a 1 ⭐️book maybe actually it is 4 ⭐️ because whilst annoying I’ve come out of it thinking I’m creative and wanting to actually go with my own creativity rather than a book that tells me how to draw a cat. 🐈⬛
On reflection, make sure you understand what this book is like, it shouts, it has quotes throughout out from a wide range of people. It talks a lot about “kids”, to me it feels American but I’m guessing if you are American that’s not a bad thing. I, foolishly, thought there were 10 exercises to help build my creativity, this was not true but I’m going out now to be creative in my garden so it seems to have achieved its aim… although it also might not have had one. 🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
July 5, 2026
Thanks, Jules & Owen, for this super great book!!!!!
July 11, 2026
It was my favorite of his books. I can’t really pinpoint why but it seemed to speak to my soul. I love children’s illustration and the talk about the library and children’s books just sparked so much creativity for me.
These little books are so good!
These little books are so good!
June 22, 2026
I am both a sucker for picking up and reading this sort of book (creativity/self-helpy, etc) and am also almost always disappointed in them. This one really worked for me though. I've definitely at times been stuck in my creativity by ideas about what it should be, so the suggestions and the reframing of making resonated with me.
I've already put the advice of the book to good use. I got extremely bored camping, then started drawing the lichen and plants around me and have been on a roll with collecting specimens and drawing since them (also shout out to the book Let's Botanize for getting me looking real closely at plants in a way I haven't before). I borrowed a kid and had a great time making weird things in clay together without any big ideas about what i was going to make or how it should turn out. This book also made me rein in some of my inclination to show her how to do everything and mostly let her explore, but giving tips when it seemed actually helpful.
There were some other things, but you get the point. I'll probably return to this book in the future.
I've already put the advice of the book to good use. I got extremely bored camping, then started drawing the lichen and plants around me and have been on a roll with collecting specimens and drawing since them (also shout out to the book Let's Botanize for getting me looking real closely at plants in a way I haven't before). I borrowed a kid and had a great time making weird things in clay together without any big ideas about what i was going to make or how it should turn out. This book also made me rein in some of my inclination to show her how to do everything and mostly let her explore, but giving tips when it seemed actually helpful.
There were some other things, but you get the point. I'll probably return to this book in the future.
August 1, 2026
[2.5]
The author is well known for these mini creative books that are a compilation of tips, quotes,and blackout poetry, sprinkled with a few drawings. This one reads like a curated commonplace book on the topics, and my fave parts were actually the included quotes. Some good tips for living a creative life that are applicable to adults and kiddos. Rounding down would more accurately reflect my feelings but am in a generous mood today.
Rating for Austin Kleon books
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - 4
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad - 4
Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered- 3
Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again -3
The author is well known for these mini creative books that are a compilation of tips, quotes,and blackout poetry, sprinkled with a few drawings. This one reads like a curated commonplace book on the topics, and my fave parts were actually the included quotes. Some good tips for living a creative life that are applicable to adults and kiddos. Rounding down would more accurately reflect my feelings but am in a generous mood today.
Rating for Austin Kleon books
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative - 4
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad - 4
Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered- 3
Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again -3
September 17, 2026
Feelings are symptoms that show you're really alive in the world.
Tai apie tai ir knyga. Pilna puikių praktiškų patarimų, pilna menininko (nes tik menininkas geba taip preciziškai pjaustyti savo vidinius demonus ir juos tyrinėti) įžvalgų apie vaikiškumą, naivumą ir tyrumą dar nepaliestą susiformavusio suaugėliško nuobodulio.
Tai apie tai ir knyga. Pilna puikių praktiškų patarimų, pilna menininko (nes tik menininkas geba taip preciziškai pjaustyti savo vidinius demonus ir juos tyrinėti) įžvalgų apie vaikiškumą, naivumą ir tyrumą dar nepaliestą susiformavusio suaugėliško nuobodulio.
July 18, 2026
The input section is a solid 5, while the rest of this book is a 3 for me, but because I appreciate and admire Austin Kleon’s voice so much, I’m going to average that as a 4. I’m just not his audience for this one. I hope those who need this message, this advice, find it and hear it!
September 23, 2026
Austin Kleon's latest is a delightful take on what he's learned about creativity from his kids. Being willing to make imperfect things, throwing out the instructions, and not waiting until you have a "vision" are just a few topics he covers in his conversational voice. Fun and inspiring. Subscribe to his weekly newsletter for more. Actual rating: 4.5
June 24, 2026
LOOOOOOOOVED!! Another amazing homerun by Austin! Great for any age to read. Incredibly inspiring.
July 28, 2026
I found a lot of inspiration and ideas from this.
August 14, 2026
Kleon does it again with this fun book filled with pictures and drawings by his boys. As always, he encourages anyone to get out of their own way and just have fun with art, however one defines it.
August 18, 2026
Not always a fan of his books but this one was kind of sweet and inspiring.
September 4, 2026
Kleon always spurs on my creativity!
September 4, 2026
Thank you, Austin, for this great, beautifully illustrated and thought out reminder. Go be a kid. Create with abandon. Mission accepted.
August 21, 2026
The perfect quick read to get me out of a creative slump. Itching to dig out my art supplies now.
June 12, 2026
4.5 stars
September 6, 2026
Just when I was thinking it seemed a bit cliched, he surprised me a couple of times. Subscribe to his newsletter.
June 30, 2026
This book has applications far beyond creating art. Excellent read for the artist and non artist alike
Did Not Finish
July 8, 2026Based on his own advice: YOU ARE FINE WITHOUT ANY ADVICE OR SUGGESTIONS,
so I stopped reading and moved on.
so I stopped reading and moved on.
June 26, 2026
I really like Kleon’s newsletter, and Steal Like an Artist is truly a great book. The trouble is, and I almost hate saying this, it feels like he’s just writing the same book over and over again. Same shape and size, same format, same basic ideas, just a different color. I’m giving this one 3 stars because I like his writing style, and because the third chapter inspired me to clear off the table in my spare room and set up a creative space. He said in his newsletter, “the sentence I want to hear after a reader reads one of my books: ‘[it] made me want to make things again.’” Which this book did for me.
I have bought all 4 of his books (Steal Like an Artist, I’ve bought 4 times, and given 3 away) as a way of supporting his work, since I don’t pay for a subscription to his newsletter. But this might be the last book of his I buy. Might be time to pay for the newsletter.
(Personal aside: the first bookstore where I looked for this book, I had to ask the guy at the counter. He looked it up on the computer, and then told me, "Yeah, we don't have it. That guy married my ex-girlfriend." No idea if the two things were related.)
I have bought all 4 of his books (Steal Like an Artist, I’ve bought 4 times, and given 3 away) as a way of supporting his work, since I don’t pay for a subscription to his newsletter. But this might be the last book of his I buy. Might be time to pay for the newsletter.
(Personal aside: the first bookstore where I looked for this book, I had to ask the guy at the counter. He looked it up on the computer, and then told me, "Yeah, we don't have it. That guy married my ex-girlfriend." No idea if the two things were related.)
Read
July 27, 2026Read parenting books to learn how to parent yourself
Were we to meet our inner critic socially, we would think there was something wrong with them - Adam Phillips
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” -Ernest Hemingway
Our world is awash in information. What it is lacking is wonder. We need to spend more time figuring things out on our own.
“The most mature human beings living are also childlike. That is not as contradictory as it sounds. The most mature people are the ones that can have the most fun.” - Abraham Maslow
Pretend life is a comedy (vs tragedy). We try, we fail, we improvise, we learn.
Anyone who’s spent time with little kids knows that if they ask “Why?” more than two or three times, the world suddenly becomes very strange and unknown to you.
When approaching a problem, try asking Why five times in a row - Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota
The idea your brain serves up to you when you finish the question “Wouldn’t it be funny if…?” is a gift.
"The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression." - play researcher Stuart Brown. When we deny ourselves play, we develop a "play deficit" that takes awhile to catch up. Our mood darkens.
You might discover that working out in the world is better for you than working in your own space. Amy Daws, novelist, noticed that she got a lot of writing done when waiting at the tire shop for her tire change so she began to take her friends' cars. Finally, the tire shop managers invited her to come in and write anytime.
A lot of creative work has been done at fast food restaurants and diners.
Story with ceramics challenge - quantity vs. quality - the students that made quantity ended up with the pieces of highest quality (Art & Fear book).
"Magic circle" of time and space that all creative work takes place in - Homo Ludens (book about play) by Johan Huizinga
Everyone needs a weekly Sabbath. You need a day off when you rest and relax and don't do anything related to art-making. A day away from the studio can be enough to make you want to go back.
Problems of output are problems of input.
The output/input ratio is different for every person and can be seasonal (seasons of input, seasons of output) and also change throughout life.
"If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting." - Ray Bradbury
More search, less feed.
Know what you like. Discover what you like.
Go offline as much as possible. Radio shows, library, books at thrift shops, museums.
Creative people aren't just fueled by their interests, but by their obsessions. Part of the creative person's service to the world is to spend way more time than an average person thinking about a particular topic.
You don't know why an obsession shows up or what it means. That's part of the obsession. Go all in, but be ready for your obsessions to leave you as quickly as they arrived and for new ones to take their place.
The librarian never asks you to be anything other than what you are - they just put you in touch with what you need. I've often joked that if I was going to write a parenting book, I'd call it Parent Like a Librarian.
Lynda Barry (cartoonist, professor at University of Wisconsin at Madison) started a program called Drawbridge that pairs graduate students with four-year-olds as coresearchers.
Learn how to look through the eyes of a child. Borrow a kid and let them teach you how to be alive in the world.
Let a child guide you around an art museum. Children look at art the way the most sophisticated museumgoers do - ignoring the labels, looking at what catches their eyes. And maybe not looking at the art at all, but other things they notice.
Talking to your kids about art helps you clarify and articulate your thinking.
Instead of asking kids (or anyone), What do you want to be when you grow up? Ask, What do you love to do?
Instead of, What is it? Ask, Tell me about it!
Instead of, I don't like this. Ask, Tell me what you like about this!
Instead of, You should just... Ask, That sounds hard. How can I help?
Visit the children's section of the library (yay!)
Katherine Rundell - "Read a children's book to remember what it was to long for impossible and perhaps-not-impossible things."
Read children's reference books to learn about new topics.
Be a Curious Elder. The Curious Elder remains connected to the future by connecting with the youth of the present.
Let yourself be bored.
"At some point, you're going to want to throw the baby out the window, and that's okay. The important thing is that you don't." - Austin Kleon's FIL's parenting advice
Werner Herzog - "I've never planned anything. I haven't had a career at all. I only have a life."
Visions can be powerful, but vision can create a kind of inflexibility in us. Your visions can blind you to what's actually in front of you.
Whenever you think you have things figured out, you can be sure that bewilderment lies ahead.
You may have to venture into unknown territory, to explore what's not on any map, to go places you might not even want to go.
Were we to meet our inner critic socially, we would think there was something wrong with them - Adam Phillips
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” -Ernest Hemingway
Our world is awash in information. What it is lacking is wonder. We need to spend more time figuring things out on our own.
“The most mature human beings living are also childlike. That is not as contradictory as it sounds. The most mature people are the ones that can have the most fun.” - Abraham Maslow
Pretend life is a comedy (vs tragedy). We try, we fail, we improvise, we learn.
Anyone who’s spent time with little kids knows that if they ask “Why?” more than two or three times, the world suddenly becomes very strange and unknown to you.
When approaching a problem, try asking Why five times in a row - Sakichi Toyoda, founder of Toyota
The idea your brain serves up to you when you finish the question “Wouldn’t it be funny if…?” is a gift.
"The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression." - play researcher Stuart Brown. When we deny ourselves play, we develop a "play deficit" that takes awhile to catch up. Our mood darkens.
You might discover that working out in the world is better for you than working in your own space. Amy Daws, novelist, noticed that she got a lot of writing done when waiting at the tire shop for her tire change so she began to take her friends' cars. Finally, the tire shop managers invited her to come in and write anytime.
A lot of creative work has been done at fast food restaurants and diners.
Story with ceramics challenge - quantity vs. quality - the students that made quantity ended up with the pieces of highest quality (Art & Fear book).
"Magic circle" of time and space that all creative work takes place in - Homo Ludens (book about play) by Johan Huizinga
Everyone needs a weekly Sabbath. You need a day off when you rest and relax and don't do anything related to art-making. A day away from the studio can be enough to make you want to go back.
Problems of output are problems of input.
The output/input ratio is different for every person and can be seasonal (seasons of input, seasons of output) and also change throughout life.
"If you stuff yourself full of poems, essays, plays, stories, novels, films, comic strips, magazines, music, you automatically explode every morning like Old Faithful. I have never had a dry spell in my life, mainly because I feed myself well, to the point of bursting." - Ray Bradbury
More search, less feed.
Know what you like. Discover what you like.
Go offline as much as possible. Radio shows, library, books at thrift shops, museums.
Creative people aren't just fueled by their interests, but by their obsessions. Part of the creative person's service to the world is to spend way more time than an average person thinking about a particular topic.
You don't know why an obsession shows up or what it means. That's part of the obsession. Go all in, but be ready for your obsessions to leave you as quickly as they arrived and for new ones to take their place.
The librarian never asks you to be anything other than what you are - they just put you in touch with what you need. I've often joked that if I was going to write a parenting book, I'd call it Parent Like a Librarian.
Lynda Barry (cartoonist, professor at University of Wisconsin at Madison) started a program called Drawbridge that pairs graduate students with four-year-olds as coresearchers.
Learn how to look through the eyes of a child. Borrow a kid and let them teach you how to be alive in the world.
Let a child guide you around an art museum. Children look at art the way the most sophisticated museumgoers do - ignoring the labels, looking at what catches their eyes. And maybe not looking at the art at all, but other things they notice.
Talking to your kids about art helps you clarify and articulate your thinking.
Instead of asking kids (or anyone), What do you want to be when you grow up? Ask, What do you love to do?
Instead of, What is it? Ask, Tell me about it!
Instead of, I don't like this. Ask, Tell me what you like about this!
Instead of, You should just... Ask, That sounds hard. How can I help?
Visit the children's section of the library (yay!)
Katherine Rundell - "Read a children's book to remember what it was to long for impossible and perhaps-not-impossible things."
Read children's reference books to learn about new topics.
Be a Curious Elder. The Curious Elder remains connected to the future by connecting with the youth of the present.
Let yourself be bored.
"At some point, you're going to want to throw the baby out the window, and that's okay. The important thing is that you don't." - Austin Kleon's FIL's parenting advice
Werner Herzog - "I've never planned anything. I haven't had a career at all. I only have a life."
Visions can be powerful, but vision can create a kind of inflexibility in us. Your visions can blind you to what's actually in front of you.
Whenever you think you have things figured out, you can be sure that bewilderment lies ahead.
You may have to venture into unknown territory, to explore what's not on any map, to go places you might not even want to go.
September 20, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican, Penguin Classics for a copy of this book for review.
In Don’t Call it Art by Austin Kleon we explore the idea of seeing creative work as play and not something to be held down by rules.
Kleon says that in just ten steps he can suggest a way to approach creativity that will stop it feeling like a task and more like play.
1) Throw out the instructions
2) Don’t take thing too seriously
3) Give yourself time, space, and materials
4) Permission to be bad
5) Believe in magic
6) Think outside your head
7) Problems of output are problems of input
8) Borrow a kid
9) Nothing is wasted
10) You don’t need a vision
I think this book may end up being overlooked by a lot of people. This book is not just a guide for creative people who want to rediscover the fun side of art. This book is a guide on how to live life.
While as an artist and writer I may seem biased, I honestly think this book could help people see a new perspective on their attitude to life and not just art.
The book itself is mainly upbeat but as someone who grew up with a perfectionist parent some of the passages were emotional for me. Particularly as the book also deals with parenthood.
(As someone who is not a parent and does not wish to become one, I felt the book managed to keep an open mind about readers who are like me.)
The unusual shape of the book, use of photographs, diagrams and drawings help to break up the text, so reading the book is also fun.
Prier to reading this book I had inadvertently experienced what Kleon says. A sister and her two children came to live with me for a short time. During this period my 7 year old niece was fascinated with my making art and often demanded we “craft.”
With in the first week alone she and I made more things than I had done in months. Unfortunately, my 16 year old nephew wasn’t interested but you can’t win them all.
That is how I know Kleon is right, that and since they have moved out, I’ve fallen into old habits. And almost at once went right back to taking my work too seriously.
If my perfectionist parent was alive, I would gift them this book and say “See! It can be fun too, and it doesn't have to be perfect.”
There are so many passages I want to write down and stick to my wall. I felt so many of Kleon’s words were exactly how I felt.
If you struggle with perfectionism, or imposter syndrome this book is for you.
I was ready to give this book 5 stars (6 if I could) but then just one passage stopped me. Kleon probably said this in the nicest way you could but as a disabled person I was saddened by the words: “Like many differences, in the right context, aphantasia becomes a superpower.” I think the book would have been just as powerful without that sentence.
The only other fly in the ointment was some of his chosen quotes were from problematic people. Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, D.H. Lawrence, and mentions of Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few.
On the whole, it is worth reading, and for those who can overlook the two problems I had, it could be your favourite book of the year.
In Don’t Call it Art by Austin Kleon we explore the idea of seeing creative work as play and not something to be held down by rules.
Kleon says that in just ten steps he can suggest a way to approach creativity that will stop it feeling like a task and more like play.
1) Throw out the instructions
2) Don’t take thing too seriously
3) Give yourself time, space, and materials
4) Permission to be bad
5) Believe in magic
6) Think outside your head
7) Problems of output are problems of input
8) Borrow a kid
9) Nothing is wasted
10) You don’t need a vision
I think this book may end up being overlooked by a lot of people. This book is not just a guide for creative people who want to rediscover the fun side of art. This book is a guide on how to live life.
While as an artist and writer I may seem biased, I honestly think this book could help people see a new perspective on their attitude to life and not just art.
The book itself is mainly upbeat but as someone who grew up with a perfectionist parent some of the passages were emotional for me. Particularly as the book also deals with parenthood.
(As someone who is not a parent and does not wish to become one, I felt the book managed to keep an open mind about readers who are like me.)
The unusual shape of the book, use of photographs, diagrams and drawings help to break up the text, so reading the book is also fun.
Prier to reading this book I had inadvertently experienced what Kleon says. A sister and her two children came to live with me for a short time. During this period my 7 year old niece was fascinated with my making art and often demanded we “craft.”
With in the first week alone she and I made more things than I had done in months. Unfortunately, my 16 year old nephew wasn’t interested but you can’t win them all.
That is how I know Kleon is right, that and since they have moved out, I’ve fallen into old habits. And almost at once went right back to taking my work too seriously.
If my perfectionist parent was alive, I would gift them this book and say “See! It can be fun too, and it doesn't have to be perfect.”
There are so many passages I want to write down and stick to my wall. I felt so many of Kleon’s words were exactly how I felt.
If you struggle with perfectionism, or imposter syndrome this book is for you.
I was ready to give this book 5 stars (6 if I could) but then just one passage stopped me. Kleon probably said this in the nicest way you could but as a disabled person I was saddened by the words: “Like many differences, in the right context, aphantasia becomes a superpower.” I think the book would have been just as powerful without that sentence.
The only other fly in the ointment was some of his chosen quotes were from problematic people. Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, D.H. Lawrence, and mentions of Arnold Schwarzenegger to name a few.
On the whole, it is worth reading, and for those who can overlook the two problems I had, it could be your favourite book of the year.
August 12, 2026
I think this book really aligns with my philosophy when it comes to making art.
My key takeaways from this book:
- It takes 10,000 hours to become boring and mediocre. The moment you master something is the moment you stop being creative. "I'd rather go amateur interesting than master boring."
- Don't think about whether what you're making is or isn't art. Let others decide if it's good or bad. Meanwhile, make more.
- Nobody knows anything, and nobody can tell you what to do.
- We don't need more information, we need more time to figure things out on our own.
- The most mature people are the ones that can have the most fun.
- Keep a sense of humor and think of your life as a comedy rather than a tragedy.
- Play the fool so you can keep yourself wide open for anything that could be of help or of use.
- "Wouldn't it be funny if..."
- Fight the urge to do things the "right" way.
- The opposite of play is depression.
- Playing with materials can bring forth ideas.
- It's no fun trying to be good. It's more fun to be bad. Keep making bad art so eventually some people will find your art to be good.
- Don't worry about wasting your precious supplies. Don't worry about being perfect.
- Work with your feelings.
- Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write. The rest is about having rich input. Search for input, don't be fed.
- Learn from kids' art and read children's book.
- You will not always look busy when being creative. If you can check in on creative people in different moments of the day, they may look like they're absolutely doing nothing or daydreaming, doodling, staring out a window.
- Leave yourself twice as much time as you think you need for a project, knowing that half of that may not look like "making" anything at all.
- You don't have to love or like yourself all the time.
- The future is behind us.
My key takeaways from this book:
- It takes 10,000 hours to become boring and mediocre. The moment you master something is the moment you stop being creative. "I'd rather go amateur interesting than master boring."
- Don't think about whether what you're making is or isn't art. Let others decide if it's good or bad. Meanwhile, make more.
- Nobody knows anything, and nobody can tell you what to do.
- We don't need more information, we need more time to figure things out on our own.
- The most mature people are the ones that can have the most fun.
- Keep a sense of humor and think of your life as a comedy rather than a tragedy.
- Play the fool so you can keep yourself wide open for anything that could be of help or of use.
- "Wouldn't it be funny if..."
- Fight the urge to do things the "right" way.
- The opposite of play is depression.
- Playing with materials can bring forth ideas.
- It's no fun trying to be good. It's more fun to be bad. Keep making bad art so eventually some people will find your art to be good.
- Don't worry about wasting your precious supplies. Don't worry about being perfect.
- Work with your feelings.
- Three hours a day will produce as much as a man ought to write. The rest is about having rich input. Search for input, don't be fed.
- Learn from kids' art and read children's book.
- You will not always look busy when being creative. If you can check in on creative people in different moments of the day, they may look like they're absolutely doing nothing or daydreaming, doodling, staring out a window.
- Leave yourself twice as much time as you think you need for a project, knowing that half of that may not look like "making" anything at all.
- You don't have to love or like yourself all the time.
- The future is behind us.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Getting down on the floor and playing with a kid will give you a fresh perspective on life - Borrow a kid and let them teach you how to be alive in the world"
The idea of an adult that stuck in life and gain inspiration and learn from kids is so heart-warming. I feel lots wiser and happier whenever I spent time with my nephews, they bring lots of new perspectives towards life. This is my fourth book from Austin Kleon and I first started reading "Steal Like an Artist" years ago when I just began my adult life and it feels nostalgic to finally read his book again.
When I was a kid, I promised myself I will not become a dull and bitter adult, I want to keep my child like wonder and see the world as a wonderful place full of possibilities, that's the only way to know if I wins life. Sometimes its an easy thing to do but sometimes its a very hard challenge to do so. What's with the war going on, problematic government, some dreams that's not realized some disappointment towards people we once loved, how to maintain that wonder and love towards life?
I think getting to know ourselves is a life long journey, we grow, we change but there are things that remain the same, and this book, to some degree, reminds me of who I used to. There's nothing new with any of this content if we are being honest, but its a gentle reminder nonetheless. While the book talking about Art, as a non-artist myself I still can learn a lot from it as Kleon talk more about life,
Thank you Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican, Penguin Classics | Particular Books and Netgalley for the ARC, this review is my honest review.
The idea of an adult that stuck in life and gain inspiration and learn from kids is so heart-warming. I feel lots wiser and happier whenever I spent time with my nephews, they bring lots of new perspectives towards life. This is my fourth book from Austin Kleon and I first started reading "Steal Like an Artist" years ago when I just began my adult life and it feels nostalgic to finally read his book again.
When I was a kid, I promised myself I will not become a dull and bitter adult, I want to keep my child like wonder and see the world as a wonderful place full of possibilities, that's the only way to know if I wins life. Sometimes its an easy thing to do but sometimes its a very hard challenge to do so. What's with the war going on, problematic government, some dreams that's not realized some disappointment towards people we once loved, how to maintain that wonder and love towards life?
I think getting to know ourselves is a life long journey, we grow, we change but there are things that remain the same, and this book, to some degree, reminds me of who I used to. There's nothing new with any of this content if we are being honest, but its a gentle reminder nonetheless. While the book talking about Art, as a non-artist myself I still can learn a lot from it as Kleon talk more about life,
Thank you Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican, Penguin Classics | Particular Books and Netgalley for the ARC, this review is my honest review.
August 13, 2026
This was actually a quick read. There's a bunch of illustrations and quotes and other things like blackout poetry, but it almost seemed more like filler, even though it was relevant to the topic. The book was cute. There were 10 general topics to spur your creativity with plenty of suggestions and I liked most of them. This is the kind of book where you can dip into it when you want to find a bit of inspiration.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this.
Quotes I liked:
...embrace imperfections - to make a mess, to court accidents and mistakes, to actively set ourselves up for failure, to fail early, and to fail often.
...checklist when I was in the studio: Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you need a change?
...the librarian never asks you to be anything other than what you are - they just put you in touch with what you need...The librarian doesn't need to know the answer to your questions; they just need to know where to look for them.
Be like the librarian: Do not spend time judging yourself. Simply give yourself the time, space and resources to grow.
If you have a preconceived notion of how something should be, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE DISAPPOINTED. If you can learn instead to just go with the flow, something even more wonderful will come out of it.
There is no winning in the creative life. You are not in a race; you are on a journey. You can go as fast or as slow as you want to. There's no stopping when you're running a race, but when you're on a journey, it's good to stop, take a break, look around, and get your bearings.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read this.
Quotes I liked:
...embrace imperfections - to make a mess, to court accidents and mistakes, to actively set ourselves up for failure, to fail early, and to fail often.
...checklist when I was in the studio: Are you hungry? Are you tired? Do you need a change?
...the librarian never asks you to be anything other than what you are - they just put you in touch with what you need...The librarian doesn't need to know the answer to your questions; they just need to know where to look for them.
Be like the librarian: Do not spend time judging yourself. Simply give yourself the time, space and resources to grow.
If you have a preconceived notion of how something should be, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE DISAPPOINTED. If you can learn instead to just go with the flow, something even more wonderful will come out of it.
There is no winning in the creative life. You are not in a race; you are on a journey. You can go as fast or as slow as you want to. There's no stopping when you're running a race, but when you're on a journey, it's good to stop, take a break, look around, and get your bearings.
September 14, 2026
Don't Call It Art comes out as a reminder that creating doesn't always have to be a serious, intimidating process.
Austin Kleon presents simple exercises and ideas that encourage you to look at creativity differently. Some are playful, some are thought-provoking, and some seem almost too simple. But that simplicity is what makes the book work.
What I particularly enjoyed was how the book takes away some of the pressure we tend to put on ourselves when we create. We often think about whether something is good enough, whether people will like it, whether it will lead somewhere, or whether the effort will eventually produce something worthwhile.
Kleon seems to suggest that perhaps we should worry about all of that a little less.
Create because you're curious. Make something because you feel like making it. Experiment. Observe. Collect ideas. Try something that might not work. And most importantly, enjoy the process.
That was probably my biggest takeaway from the book. Creativity doesn't always need to have a destination. Sometimes the act of making something is enough.
As someone who writes, I found that particularly refreshing. It's easy to get caught up in the finished article, the likes, the shares, the response, or simply whether what you've written is "good." This book is a nice reminder that there is value in the messy, imperfect process that happens before any of that.
Don't Call It Art is a short and easy book, but it leaves you with plenty to think about. More than anything, it made creativity feel a little less like a task and a little more like play.
And perhaps that's something we could all use a little more of.
Austin Kleon presents simple exercises and ideas that encourage you to look at creativity differently. Some are playful, some are thought-provoking, and some seem almost too simple. But that simplicity is what makes the book work.
What I particularly enjoyed was how the book takes away some of the pressure we tend to put on ourselves when we create. We often think about whether something is good enough, whether people will like it, whether it will lead somewhere, or whether the effort will eventually produce something worthwhile.
Kleon seems to suggest that perhaps we should worry about all of that a little less.
Create because you're curious. Make something because you feel like making it. Experiment. Observe. Collect ideas. Try something that might not work. And most importantly, enjoy the process.
That was probably my biggest takeaway from the book. Creativity doesn't always need to have a destination. Sometimes the act of making something is enough.
As someone who writes, I found that particularly refreshing. It's easy to get caught up in the finished article, the likes, the shares, the response, or simply whether what you've written is "good." This book is a nice reminder that there is value in the messy, imperfect process that happens before any of that.
Don't Call It Art is a short and easy book, but it leaves you with plenty to think about. More than anything, it made creativity feel a little less like a task and a little more like play.
And perhaps that's something we could all use a little more of.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews