Steal like an artist, feel like a taoist

Bram Donkers

Human Created by {{author}} · Created: 2026-03-10 · History

Overview

Key Ideas

steal like an artist, feel like a taoist

“Steal Like an Artist, Feel Like a Taoist” combines Austin Kleon’s creativity manifesto with Taoist principles of effortless flow. It suggests approaching artistic creation through bold borrowing (like Kleon’s “steal”) while embodying Taoism’s wu wei—non-striving harmony.12

Steal Like an Artist

Austin Kleon’s 2012 book urges creators to “steal” ideas ethically: collect inspirations from diverse sources, copy heroes to internalize their thinking, then transform into something authentic. Nothing is truly original; remix what resonates to fuel your work, avoiding plagiarism by making it your own.34561

Feel Like a Taoist

Taoism, from Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, teaches wu wei: act without force, flowing like water around obstacles for natural creativity. Embrace simplicity, balance (yin-yang), and non-attachment to let ideas emerge organically, fostering inner peace amid chaos.7829

Creative Synthesis

Pairing them: “Steal” actively by curating influences, then “feel Taoist” by releasing ego for intuitive remixing—turn theft into effortless art. For a UX strategist like you, this means drawing from GenAI tools and systemic designs while staying human-centered through flow states. As a designer solving societal challenges, experiment by “stealing” Taoist practices like mindful breathing to enhance innovative sessions.108211 1213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Further Reading

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  1. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13099738-steal-like-an-artist ↩︎ ↩︎

  2. https://www.taoistwellness.online/blog/taoism-and-creativity-unlocking-your-inner-artist-with-taoist-practices ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎

  3. https://melyssagriffin.com/lessons-learned-from-steal-like-an-artist/ ↩︎

  4. https://austinkleon.com/2010/02/10/25-quotes-to-help-you-steal-like-an-artist/ ↩︎

  5. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13099738 ↩︎

  6. https://fallmuse02.hunter.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Steal_Like_an_Artist_10_Things_Nobody_To.pdf ↩︎

  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrLU1mGdBws ↩︎

  8. https://bookoftao.com/blog/5-daily-practices-for-living-the-tao-te-ching ↩︎ ↩︎

  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bauafJjD1Lc ↩︎

  10. https://www.vivekarvind.com/steal-like-an-artist-summary/ ↩︎

  11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22I-KHvcWmI ↩︎

  12. https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/f/steal-like-an-artist/9300000037165712/ ↩︎

  13. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFRFhYNjTrw ↩︎

  14. https://themindfulmuslim.com/home/steal-like-an-artist ↩︎

  15. https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtistLounge/comments/iqphm8/what_does_steal_like_an_artist_mean_have_you_done/ ↩︎

  16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steal_Like_an_Artist ↩︎

  17. https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7340051-every-artist-gets-asked-the-question-where-do-you-get ↩︎

  18. https://mister-chad.com/creativity/books+on+creativity/Steal+Like+An+Artist ↩︎

  19. https://fee.org/articles/five-ways-to-steal-like-an-artist/ ↩︎

  20. https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/10vjsk1/forget_originality_steal_like_an_artist/ ↩︎

  21. https://www.reddit.com/r/taoism/comments/1n20b9/tell_me_what_its_like_to_be_a_taoist/ ↩︎

  22. https://www.reddit.com/r/taoism/comments/8x5hhx/considered_myself_a_taoist_lost_my_inner_peace/ ↩︎

  23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jFNiYV-z2E ↩︎

  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMoqiKYi1Cw ↩︎

  25. https://www.reddit.com/r/taoism/comments/1xpgr5/can_a_person_with_my_personality_follow_the_tao/ ↩︎

  26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oww7oB9rjgw ↩︎

  27. https://node2.wickedlocal.com/pdf/form-signup/wp-content:E3M1/download/Ursula_Le_Guin_Tao_Te_Ching.pdf ↩︎

  28. https://austinkleon.com ↩︎

  29. https://www.facebook.com/groups/2788777944712613/posts/3943459442577785/ ↩︎

  30. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Kleon ↩︎

  31. https://tohuvabohu.org/2019/05/steal-like-an-artist/ ↩︎

Tags: creativity, epistemology, philosophy