SM : In your mind , what ’ s the difference between creativity and originality ? Should we be seeking one over the other ?
AK : Creativity is just a tool — it ' s the ability to put existing things together in a way that creates something new , or solves a problem .
Originality is more of a quality used to describe something as being new , or novel . It ’ s also based on the observer : As Jonathan Lethem has said , when something is referred to as “ original ,” 9 times out of 10 the people calling it so just don ' t know the sources involved .
The trouble with originality is isn ' t
Austin at work at his desk . Photo credit : http :// austinkleon . com always the smartest thing to shoot for : often when faced with a problem , the smartest , most efficient thing to do is to find out whether any one else has ever solved that problem , and see if you might steal their solution .
SM : In Steal like an Artist , you share that we ’ re all stealing each others ' ideas all the time . Why should we even bother to create if it ’ s all been done before ?
AK : Andre Gide said everything ' s been said before , but no one was listening , so we have to say it again . Poets , for example , have been writing love songs for thousands of years , but we always need new poets to put the love songs in our own language .
And the world is always changing . Humans will always need creativity , because there will always be new problems to solve .
SM : You have a new journal out - how is it different from other journals ? Why did you decide to introduce this now instead of another book ?
AK : The Steal Like An Artist Journal is the notebook I wish existed when I was first starting out . It takes the material from my books and turns it into a kind of interactive creativity workshop . Each page has a prompt designed to give you the right nudge so that you ' re compelled to fill the page .
STEAMed Magazine
24
January 2016 Edition