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Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again

by Austin Kleon

A playful reset for creative practice

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A playful reset for creative practice

Austin Kleon organizes this creativity handbook around ten lessons he says grew from watching his two young sons make things and play. The advice includes allowing room for imperfect work, setting aside instructions, and creating without a fully formed vision. Illustrations, quotations, stories, and examples give the lessons several ways into the subject. The book frames creativity not just as a matter of producing finished work, but as a practice that can involve curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to make a mess.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Adults seeking fresh approaches to their creative work or hobbies
  • Readers interested in practical, lesson-based books about creativity
  • Those who enjoy illustrated nonfiction combining advice with stories and examples

Themes

Creativity and playExperimentationLetting go of perfectionFresh perspectives

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

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 heart: 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 including:

- Permission to be bad
- Believe in magic
- Throw out the instructions
- You don't need a vision
- Think outside your head

Illustrated in Kleon's signature style of illustrations, 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.
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