Daily Writing #27: Imitate, Then Innovate
What to copy is a little bit trickier. Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes. The reason to copy your heroes and their style is so that you might somehow get a glimpse into their minds. That’s what you really want—to internalize their way of looking... See more
Austin Kleon • Steal Like An Artist - a book by Austin Kleon
Look at how the writers you love are doing things, and then copy them. I’m such a believer in copying. When I was teaching writing, I used to say: “Leave off this paragraph of an Elizabeth Bowen story; write the next paragraph.” And they all thought that they were copying Elizabeth Bowen. It didn’t sound like her at all. It sounded like them, but b... See more
Mason Currey • Seek funny leaps
The way you establish your authority in a certain field is by mastering the techniques of those who are already authorities. And what eventually emerges over time is your own style.
Jeff Goins • Real Artists Don't Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age
We tend to worship inventors and originators, designers who were trailblazing and innovative. And we copy them.
This oxymoron of a craft can drive a person crazy. There’s lots of space between originality and industry, authorship and acknowledgement, riffing and ripping. I wrote this very short book to explore that space.
Some people have been frus... See more
This oxymoron of a craft can drive a person crazy. There’s lots of space between originality and industry, authorship and acknowledgement, riffing and ripping. I wrote this very short book to explore that space.
Some people have been frus... See more
Copying is the way design works
When you compete to be the best, you imitate. When you compete to be unique, you innovate.