Steal like an Artist by Austin Kleon

One of my daily business is surfing the internet, reading the news, following some blogs and get inspired of other artists work. 

A couple of months ago I came a long an article about the writer / artist Austin Kleon and his book "Newspaper Blackout". Instead of starting with a blank page, Austin Kleon grabbed a newspaper and a permanent marker and eliminated the words he doesn’t need, to form a poet.

I was hooked up with his art and idea and visited his website. There he announced his brand new book "Steal like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative".
Amazon wrote about his book "Steel like an Artist":

"You don’t need to be a genius, you just need to be yourself. That’s the message from Austin Kleon, a young writer and artist who knows that creativity is everywhere, creativity is for everyone. A manifesto for the digital age,  Steal Like an Artist, is a guide whose positive message, graphic look and illustrations, exercises, and examples will put readers directly in touch with their artistic side."

This book inspired me a lot and kept me up while dealing with a creativity blockade. Last year I was travelling 6 months around the world. I was working permanently on my portfolio and photography skills. When I got back home I was a bit burned out living outside a suitcase and needed some rest.  After a while I was going through my portfolio... I could see a huge development I have made from years before... The way of seeing and composing has changed a lot. 

I love seeing the process I am going through - it is full filling to see that my work is improving and that the hard work I am putting through is worth it. Being an artist means you are permanently in a process of development to find your own way & style. This process can be fun, but it also can be tough.

.. well, I have to admit, I am currently dealing with the tough part. I am looking for a deeper meaning of my work and I'm trying to find out in which way it will lead me. 2 years ago I started doing street photography - I got very much inspired of the work of my friends Draycat, Rinzi Ruiz and Eric Kims Website. The first reason of becoming a street photographer was just to document life and capture "real & private moments" of people without being pushy. In the beginning I captured everything which was supposed to be interesting - but now after 2 years I can see that my work is good, but it is repeating itself in a kind of way... 

So, I am currently working on finding my path to go deeper in becoming a visual storyteller and thinking about using mixing media in the future... I just bought an analogue film camera and started to draw again... I am curious what the next months will bring.

For all of you who are currently on their own journey I highly can recommend the follow up video of Chase Jarvis Live and Austin Kleon.