Austin Kleon

First, you figure out what’s worth stealing, then you move on to the next thing

French writer André Gide put it, “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But, since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”

The artist is a collector.

“Every two or three years, I knock off for a while. That way, I’m constantly the new girl in the whorehouse.”

—Robert Mitchum

Be so good they can’t ignore you.

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.

Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow.

Remember what the author George Orwell wrote: “Autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful.”

“Whatever we say, we’re always talking about ourselves.”
—Alison Bechdel

Strike all the adjectives from your bio. If you take photos, you’re not an “aspiring” photographer, and you’re not an “amazing” photographer, either. You’re a photographer. Don’t get cute. Don’t brag. Just state the facts.

One more thing: Unless you are actually a ninja, a guru, or a rock star, don’t ever use any of those terms in your bio. Ever.