We're always being told 'find your voice.' When I was younger, I never really knew what this meant. I used to worry a lot about voice, wondering if I had my own. But now I realize that the only way to find your voice is to use it. It's hardwired, built into you. Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow.

Austin Kleon

Categorized in : Writing Love You Voice

The only way to find your voice is to use it. It’s hardwired, built into you. Talk about the things you love. Your voice will follow.

Austin Kleon

voice use love-you

Not everybody will get it. People will misinterpret you and what you do. They might even call you names. So get comfortable with being misunderstood, disparaged, or ignored -- the trick is to be too busy doing your work to care.

Austin Kleon

misunderstood names people

Don't wait until you know who you are to get started.

Austin Kleon

who-you-are waiting knows

Usually, when we talk about creativity, it's about self-expression, which is great, but for work to be art or design, there has to be someone on the other end. The audience makes the work come alive.

Austin Kleon

creativity self art

You can’t be content with mastery; you have to push yourself to become a student again.

Austin Kleon

push-yourself mastery students

Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use – do the work you want to see done.

Austin Kleon

running book art

Write the book you want to read

Austin Kleon

want writing book

Be curious about the world in which you live. Look things up. Chase down every reference. Go deeper than anybody else--that's how you'll get ahead.

Austin Kleon

curious looks world

You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life.

Austin Kleon

mashups you-choose facts

Genealogy of ideas. You don’t get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see.

Austin Kleon

teacher book ideas

The only way to find your voice is to use it

Austin Kleon

voice use way

Be boring. (It’s the only way to get work done.)

Austin Kleon

boring done way

You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.

Austin Kleon

moved-on letting-go stuff

You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. You are the sum of your influences. The German writer Goethe said, "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love."

Austin Kleon

influence said facts

That’s the thing you have to understand about the whole process of art (or the work that we do) – you’re only half of the equation. It’s an interaction between you and the person who’s going to experience the work. The person who’s going to experience the work is bringing just as much to it and is just as important as you are.

Austin Kleon

important half art

What a good artist understands is that nothing comes from nowhere. All creative work builds on what came before. Nothing is completely original.

Austin Kleon

good-art creative artist

The thing is: It takes a lot of energy to be creative. You don't have that energy if you waste it on other stuff.

Austin Kleon

energy creative stuff

Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.

Austin Kleon

mashups remix ideas

The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others.

Austin Kleon

turns teach minutes

Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brains work harder.

Austin Kleon

hard-work brain looks