A New Way of Operating1. You Don’t Have to Be a Genius.2. Think Process, Not Product.3. Share Something Small Everyday.4. Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities.5. Tell Good Stories.6. Teach What You Know.7. Don’t Turn Into Human Spam.8. Learn to Take a Punch.9. Sell Out.10. Stick Around.
A New Way of Operating
够好是不够的，还得让别人能找到你，认识到你的好。
But it’s not enough to be good. In order to be found, you have to be findable.
Almost all of the people I look up to and try to steal from today,regardless of their profession, have built sharing into their routine. Thesepeople aren’t schmoozing at cocktail parties; they’re too busy for that.They’re cranking away in their studios, their laboratories, or theircubicles, but instead of maintaining absolute secrecy and hoarding theirwork, they’re open about what they’re working on, and they’reconsistently posting bits and pieces of their work, their ideas, and whatthey’re learning online.
把分享放进工作流程里
Almost all of the people I look up to and try to steal from today,regardless of their profession, have built sharing into their routine.
I’mgoing to try to teach you how to think about your work as a never-endingprocess, how to share your process in a way that attracts people whomight be interested in what you do, and how to deal with the ups anddowns of putting yourself and your work out in the world.
If Steal Like anArtist was a book about stealing influence from other people, this book isabout how to influence others by letting them steal from you.
1. You Don’t Have to Be a Genius.
“Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare tothink.”—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
There’s a healthier way of thinking about creativity that the musicianBrian Eno refers to as “scenius.” Under this model, great ideas are oftenbirthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers,theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.”
天才俱乐部--天才不是独立存在的，他需要一群跟他一样聪明的人。
There’s a healthier way of thinking about creativity that the musicianBrian Eno refers to as “scenius.” Under this model, great ideas are oftenbirthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers,theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.”
If you look back closely at history, many of the people who we think of aslone geniuses were actually part of “a whole scene of people who weresupporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from eachother, stealing ideas, and contributing ideas.”
天才不是独立存在的，而是与一伙子人相互激发，共同成长才能成为天才的。
If you look back closely at history, many of the people who we think of aslone geniuses were actually part of “a whole scene of people who weresupporting each other, looking at each other’s work, copying from eachother, stealing ideas, and contributing ideas.”
good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and thatcreativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mindconnected to other minds.
Wecan stop asking what others can do for us, and start asking what we cando for others.
“That’s all any of us are: amateurs. We don’t live long enough tobe anything else.”—Charlie Chaplin
Because they have little to lose, amateurs are willing to try anything andshare the results. They take chances, experiment, and follow their whims.
业余爱好者没有专业，但可以凭着兴趣前进，并将探索过程和结果分享出来。
Because they have little to lose, amateurs are willing to try anything andshare the results. They take chances, experiment, and follow their whims.
“In the beginner’s mind, there are manypossibilities,” said Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki. “In the expert’s mind,there are few.”
业余爱好者的优势是不被已经存在的“专业知识”所禁锢，反倒有可能有很多新的想法。
“In the beginner’s mind, there are manypossibilities,” said Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki. “In the expert’s mind,there are few.”
The real gap is between doingnothing and doing something.
Amateurs know that contributingsomething is better than contributing nothing.
Amateurs might lack formal training, but they’re all lifelong learners, andthey make a point of learning in the open, so that others can learn fromtheir failures and successes.
Amateurs fit the same bill: They’re justregular people who get obsessed by something and spend a ton of timethinking out loud about it.
Sometimes, amateurs have more to teach us than experts.
分享自己初始阶段的经验教训是有意义的，因为专家可能已经忘了自己小白阶段的经验，所以更多想要入门的人需要水平跟自己差不多的人经验来指导自己。
Sometimes, amateurs have more to teach us than experts.
This is yet another trait ofamateurs—they’ll use whatever tools they can get their hands on to tryto get their ideas into the world.
表达自己不一定要精通，用自己不熟悉的工具依然可以表达自己。
This is yet another trait ofamateurs—they’ll use whatever tools they can get their hands on to tryto get their ideas into the world.
The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to thinkabout what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it infront of others.
Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing,and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing.
找到一个组织，看他们在分享什么，然后记录他们没有分享的东西。
Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing,and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing.
Share what youlove, and the people who love the same things will find you.
“Find your voice, shout it from the rooftops, and keep doing it untilthe people that are looking for you find you.”— Dan Harmon
But now I realize that the only way to find your voice is touse it. It’s hardwired, built into you. Talk about the things you love. Yourvoice will follow.
It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn’tonline, it doesn’t exist.
If you want people to knowabout what you do and the things you care about, you have to share.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important toolI’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fearof embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face ofdeath, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you aregoing to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking youhave something to lose. You are already naked.”—Steve Jobs
If all this sounds scary or like a lot of work, consider this: One day you’llbe dead. Most of us prefer to ignore this most basic fact of life, butthinking about our inevitable end has a way of putting everything intoperspective.
Flaming Lips, was 16 when he was held up while working at a Long JohnSilver’s. “I realized I was going to die,” he says. “And when that getsinto your mind . . . it utterly changed me . . . I thought, I’m not going tosit here and wait for things to happen, I’m going to make them happen,and if people think I’m an idiot I don’t care.”
真切的感受到“我总有一天会死”，真的会改变一个人，如果死亡不可避免，那就让我们过好拥有的每一天吧。
Flaming Lips, was 16 when he was held up while working at a Long JohnSilver’s. “I realized I was going to die,” he says. “And when that getsinto your mind . . . it utterly changed me . . . I thought, I’m not going tosit here and wait for things to happen, I’m going to make them happen,and if people think I’m an idiot I don’t care.”
Thinking about death every morning makes me want to live.
2. Think Process, Not Product.
“A lot of people are so used to just seeing the outcome of work. Theynever see the side of the work you go through to produce theoutcome.”—Michael Jackson
take people behind the scenes, think progree, not prodouct!
“A lot of people are so used to just seeing the outcome of work. Theynever see the side of the work you go through to produce theoutcome.”—Michael Jackson
But human beings are interested in other human beings and what otherhuman beings do.
Audiences not onlywant to stumble across great work, but they, too, long to be creative andpart of the creative process.
By letting go of our egos and sharing ourprocess, we allow for the possibility of people having an ongoingconnection with us and our work, which helps us move more of ourproduct.
分享过程可以使我们与他人形成持续的联系，这能帮助我们在自己的作品上更加精进。
By letting go of our egos and sharing ourprocess, we allow for the possibility of people having an ongoingconnection with us and our work, which helps us move more of ourproduct.
“In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to beseen—really seen.”—Brené Brown
In fact, sharing your process mightactually be most valuable if the products of your work aren’t easilyshared, if you’re still in the apprentice stage of your work, if you can’tjust slap up a portfolio and call it a day, or if your process doesn’tnecessarily lead to tangible finished products.
如果结果很难分享，那就分享过程。
In fact, sharing your process mightactually be most valuable if the products of your work aren’t easilyshared, if you’re still in the apprentice stage of your work, if you can’tjust slap up a portfolio and call it a day, or if your process doesn’tnecessarily lead to tangible finished products.
How can you show your work even when you have nothing to show? Thefirst step is to scoop up the scraps and the residue of your process andshape them into some interesting bit of media that you can share.
什么都没有怎么分享呢？把你的工作过程中的点滴变成一个有趣的东西分享出去。
How can you show your work even when you have nothing to show? Thefirst step is to scoop up the scraps and the residue of your process andshape them into some interesting bit of media that you can share.
“Youhave to make stuff,” said journalist David Carr when he was asked if hehad any advice for students. “No one is going to give a damn about yourrésumé; they want to see what you have made with your own littlefingers.”
简历太单薄了，还是得用作品说话！
“Youhave to make stuff,” said journalist David Carr when he was asked if hehad any advice for students. “No one is going to give a damn about yourrésumé; they want to see what you have made with your own littlefingers.”
Whether you share it or not, documenting and recording your process asyou go along has its own rewards: You’ll start to see the work you’redoing more clearly and feel like you’re making progress.
制作“工作的纪录片”，不论分享不分享，都会让我们更清楚的看到自己的工作进程以及取得的进步。
Whether you share it or not, documenting and recording your process asyou go along has its own rewards: You’ll start to see the work you’redoing more clearly and feel like you’re making progress.
3. Share Something Small Everyday.
“Put yourself, and your work, out there every day, and you’ll startmeeting some amazing people.”—Bobby Solomon
So forgetabout decades, forget about years, and forget about months. Focus ondays.
The day is the only unit of time that I can really get my head around.
Once a day, after you’ve done your day’s work, go back to yourdocumentation and find one little piece of your process that you canshare.
每天分享你工作的一个小小的piece
Once a day, after you’ve done your day’s work, go back to yourdocumentation and find one little piece of your process that you canshare.
Ifyou’re in the very early stages, share your influences and what’sinspiring you. If you’re in the middle of executing a project, write aboutyour methods or share works in progress. If you’ve just completed aproject, show the final product, share scraps from the cutting-room floor,or write about what you learned. If you have lots of projects out into theworld, you can report on how they’re doing—you can tell stories abouthow people are interacting with your work.
不同阶段可以分享的东西
Ifyou’re in the very early stages, share your influences and what’sinspiring you. If you’re in the middle of executing a project, write aboutyour methods or share works in progress. If you’ve just completed aproject, show the final product, share scraps from the cutting-room floor,or write about what you learned. If you have lots of projects out into theworld, you can report on how they’re doing—you can tell stories abouthow people are interacting with your work.
A daily dispatch is even better than a résumé or a portfolio, because itshows what we’re working on right now. When the artist Ze Frank wasinterviewing job candidates, he complained, “When I ask them to showme work, they show me things from school, or from another job, but I’mmore interested in what they did last weekend.”
Don’tworry about being on every platform; pick and choose based on what youdo and the people you’re trying to reach.
Don’t show your lunch or your latte; showyour work.
Science fictionwriter Theodore Sturgeon once said that 90 percent of everything is crap.The same is true of our own work. The trouble is, we don’t always knowwhat’s good and what sucks. That’s why it’s important to get thingsin front of others and see how they react.
Of course, don’t let sharing your work take precedence over actuallydoing your work.
“One day at a time. It sounds so simple. It actually is simple but itisn’t easy: It requires incredible support and fastidious structuring.”—Russell Brand
As publicist Lauren Cerand says, “Post asthough everyone who can read it has the power to fire you.”
公开发表任何东西都要深思熟虑！
As publicist Lauren Cerand says, “Post asthough everyone who can read it has the power to fire you.”
Put it in a drawerand walk out the door. The next day, take it out and look at it with fresheyes. Ask yourself, “Is this helpful? Is it entertaining? Is it something I’dbe comfortable with my boss or my mother seeing?” There’s nothingwrong with saving things for later.
分享的东西要让领导和妈妈看了都舒服，真是个绝妙的测试指标。
Put it in a drawerand walk out the door. The next day, take it out and look at it with fresheyes. Ask yourself, “Is this helpful? Is it entertaining? Is it something I’dbe comfortable with my boss or my mother seeing?” There’s nothingwrong with saving things for later.
“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan hasadapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the posts andthe tweets. It’s the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that remindpeople you exist. Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the content you producethat’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’swhat people discover via search. It’s what spreads slowly but surely,building fans over time.”
每天分享一点点，以提醒别人你的存在，慢慢的积累成“库存”，就成为了一个整体的东西，别人就可以通过搜索发现你。
“Stock and flow” is an economic concept that writer Robin Sloan hasadapted into a metaphor for media: “Flow is the feed. It’s the posts andthe tweets. It’s the stream of daily and sub-daily updates that remindpeople you exist. Stock is the durable stuff. It’s the content you producethat’s as interesting in two months (or two years) as it is today. It’swhat people discover via search. It’s what spreads slowly but surely,building fans over time.”
Once you make sharing part of your daily routine,you’ll notice themes and trends emerging in what you share. You’ll findpatterns in your flow.
Small things, over time, can get big.
小小的想法积累下来就能变得更大！
Small things, over time, can get big.
Online, you can become the person you reallywant to be. Fill your website with your work and your ideas and the stuffyou care about.
Patti Smith got this advice fromWilliam Burroughs: “Build a good name. Keep your name clean. Don’tmake compromises. Don’t worry about making a bunch of money orbeing successful. Be concerned with doing good work . . . and if you canbuild a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.”
4. Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities.
Somehow the more you give away, the more comesback to you.”
A lot of the writers I know see the act of reading and the actof writing as existing on opposite ends of the same spectrum: The readingfeeds the writing, which feeds the reading.
Where do you get your inspiration? What sorts of things do you fill yourhead with? What do you read? Do you subscribe to anything? What sitesdo you visit on the Internet? What music do you listen to? What moviesdo you see? Do you look at art? What do you collect? What’s inside yourscrapbook? What do you pin to the corkboard above your desk? What doyou stick on your refrigerator? Who’s done work that you admire? Whodo you steal ideas from? Do you have any heroes? Who do you followonline? Who are the practitioners you look up to in your field?
Your influences are all worth sharing because they clue people in to whoyou are and what you do—sometimes even more than your own work.
那些影响我的东西塑造了我是谁，所以可以分享那些我喜欢的东西，影响我的东西。
Your influences are all worth sharing because they clue people in to whoyou are and what you do—sometimes even more than your own work.
“Dumpster diving” is one of the jobs of the artist—finding the treasurein other people’s trash, sifting through the debris of our culture, payingattention to the stuff that everyone else is ignoring, and taking inspirationfrom the stuff that people have tossed aside for whatever reasons.
Don’t feel guilty about the pleasure you take inthe things you enjoy. Celebrate them.
Being open and honest about what you likeis the best way to connect with people who like those things, too.
5. Tell Good Stories.
“When shown an object, or given a food, or showna face, people’s assessment of it—how much they like it, how valuable itis—is deeply affected by what you tell them about it.”
知道的信息越多，我们会越认为这个东西有价值。名作与复刻品的区别就在于背后承载的故事不一样。
“When shown an object, or given a food, or showna face, people’s assessment of it—how much they like it, how valuable itis—is deeply affected by what you tell them about it.”
The stories you tell about the work you do have a huge effecton how people feel and what they understand about your work, and howpeople feel and what they understand about your work effects how theyvalue it.
our audience is a human one, and humans want to connect.
Your work doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Whether you realize it or not,you’re already telling a story about your work.
If you want to be more effective whensharing yourself and your work, you need to become a better storyteller.You need to know what a good story is and how to tell one.
“‘The cat sat on a mat’ is not a story. ‘The cat sat on the dog’smat’ is a story.”—John le Carré
The most important part of a story is its structure. A good story structureis tidy, sturdy, and logical.
If you study the structure of stories, you start to see how they work,and once you know how they work, you can then start stealing storystructures and filling them in with characters, situations, and settings fromyour own life.
学习一些写故事的结构，然后把自己的生活套进这个结构。就像英雄之旅的故事可以套进任何一个冒险过程中。
If you study the structure of stories, you start to see how they work,and once you know how they work, you can then start stealing storystructures and filling them in with characters, situations, and settings fromyour own life.
“Once upon a time, there was _____. Every day, _____. One day, _____.Because of that, _____. Because of that, _____. Until finally, _____.”
Like a Choose Your OwnAdventure book, this story shape effectively turns your listener into thehero who gets to decide how it ends.
Whether you’re telling a finished or unfinished story, always keep youraudience in mind. Speak to them directly in plain language.
Everybody loves a good story, but good storytelling doesn’t come easyto everybody. It’s a skill that takes a lifetime to master. So study thegreat stories and then go find some of your own. Your stories will getbetter the more you tell them.
Bios are notthe place to practice your creativity. We all like to think we’re morecomplex than a two-sentence explanation, but a two-sentenceexplanation is usually what the world wants from us. Keep it short andsweet.
“Whatever we say, we’re always talking about ourselves.”—Alison Bechdel
6. Teach What You Know.
The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others.
7. Don’t Turn Into Human Spam.
As every writer knows, if you want to be a writer, you haveto be a reader first.
These artistsacknowledge that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that theexperience of art is always a two-way street, incomplete without feedback.
If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted bya community, you have to first be a good citizen of that community.
You have to be a connector.
If you want to get, you have to give. If you want to be noticed,you have to notice.
If you want followers, be someone worth following.
To put it more simply: Ifyou want to be interesting, you have to be interested.
“being good at things is the onlything that earns you clout or connections.”
与别人建立联系是以自己做的事情为基础的，你足够优秀才能给别人东西，从而与别人建立联系。
“being good at things is the onlything that earns you clout or connections.”
Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love and you’ll attractpeople who love that kind of stuff. It’s that simple.
Don’t be creepy. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t waste people’s time. Don’task too much. And don’t ever ever ask people to follow you. “Followme back?” is the saddest question on the Internet.
获取关注的唯一方式是：成为一个值得关注的人。
Don’t be creepy. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t waste people’s time. Don’task too much. And don’t ever ever ask people to follow you. “Followme back?” is the saddest question on the Internet.
“Whatever excites you, go do it. Whatever drains you, stop doingit.”—Derek Sivers
I like asking my artist friends to takeme to their favorite art museums and asking my writer friends to take meto their favorite bookstore.
Meeting people online is awesome, but turning them into IRL friends iseven better.
8. Learn to Take a Punch.
Here’s how to take punches:Relax and breathe.
Bad criticism is not the end of the world.As far as I know, no one has ever died from a bad review. Take a deepbreath and accept whatever comes.
The morecriticism you take, the more you realize it can’t hurt you.
Every piece of criticism is anopportunity for new work.
But rememberwhat writer Colin Marshall says: “Compulsive avoidance ofembarrassment is a form of suicide.” If you spend your life avoidingvulnerability, you and your work will never truly connect with otherpeople.
You have to remember that your work is somethingyou do, not who you are. This is especially hard for artists to accept, as somuch of what they do is personal. Keep close to your family, friends, andthe people who love you for you, not just the work.
Youwant feedback from people who care about you and what you do.
要获取反馈，但不要全盘接受，要接受那些真正在意你的人的反馈。
Youwant feedback from people who care about you and what you do.
Nasty comments are the same—they should be scooped up and thrown inthe trash.
9. Sell Out.
We all have to get over our “starving artist” romanticism and the ideathat touching money inherently corrupts creativity. Some of our mostmeaningful and most cherished cultural artifacts were made for money.
Everybody says they want artists to make money, and then when they do,everybody hates them for it. The word sellout is spit out by the bitterest,smallest parts of ourselves.
作为艺术家，一定要把自己的作品卖出去！
Everybody says they want artists to make money, and then when they do,everybody hates them for it. The word sellout is spit out by the bitterest,smallest parts of ourselves.
Whether you ask for donations, crowdfund, or sell your products orservices, asking for money in return for your work is a leap you want totake only when you feel confident that you’re putting work out into theworld that you think is truly worth something.
Don’t be afraid to chargefor your work, but put a price on it that you think is fair.
你的工作值得money，收到钱会让自己觉得自己的工作是有价值的。
Don’t be afraid to chargefor your work, but put a price on it that you think is fair.
“We don’t make movies to make money, we make money to makemore movies.”—Walt Disney
Try new things. If an opportunity comes along that will allow you todo more of the kind of work you want to do, say Yes. If an opportunitycomes along that would mean more money, but less of the kind of workyou want to do, say No.
先选自己想做的事，再考虑钱。
Try new things. If an opportunity comes along that will allow you todo more of the kind of work you want to do, say Yes. If an opportunitycomes along that would mean more money, but less of the kind of workyou want to do, say No.
Extol your teachers, your mentors, yourheroes, your influences, your peers, and your fans. Give them a chance toshare their own work. Throw opportunities their way.
帮助那些曾经帮助过你的人。
Extol your teachers, your mentors, yourheroes, your influences, your peers, and your fans. Give them a chance toshare their own work. Throw opportunities their way.
Once a month, I make myself available so that anybody can ask meanything on my website, and I try to give thoughtful answers that I thenpost so anyone can see.
每个月留一天回答问题，任何问题都可以，如果有价值的问题就分享出来。
Once a month, I make myself available so that anybody can ask meanything on my website, and I try to give thoughtful answers that I thenpost so anyone can see.
“Above all, recognize that if you have had success, you have also hadluck—and with luck comes obligation. You owe a debt, and not just toyour gods. You owe a debt to the unlucky.”—Michael Lewis
10. Stick Around.
Every career is full of ups and downs, and just like with stories, whenyou’re in the middle of living out your life and career, you don’t knowwhether you’re up or down or what’s about to happen next.
It’s very important not to quit prematurely.
“You gotta play till the ninth inning, man.” Good advice for both the parking lot and life in general.
一直前进，直到出现那个机会。
“You gotta play till the ninth inning, man.” Good advice for both the parking lot and life in general.
A successful or failed project is no guarantee of another success or failure. Whether you’ve just won big or lost big, you still have to face the question “What’s next?”
They all have been able to persevere, regardless of success or failure.
不论成功或失败，都要一直坚持
They all have been able to persevere, regardless of success or failure.
Just do the work that’s in front of you, and when it’s finished, ask yourself what you missed, what you could’ve done better, or what you couldn’t get to, and jump right into the next project.
结束一个项目后不要等反馈，立马着手下一个项目，并对上一个的遗憾进行修改。
Just do the work that’s in front of you, and when it’s finished, ask yourself what you missed, what you could’ve done better, or what you couldn’t get to, and jump right into the next project.
“The minute you stop wanting something you get it.”—Andy Warhol
Thankfully, we can all take practical sabbaticals—daily, weekly, or monthlybreaks where we walk away from our work completely.
• Exercise. Using our body relaxes our mind, and when our mind getsrelaxed, it opens up to having new thoughts.
• Nature. Go to a park. Take a hike. Dig in your garden. Get outside in thefresh air. Disconnect from anything and everything electronic.
When you feel like you’ve learned whatever there is to learn from whatyou’re doing, it’s time to change course and find something new tolearn so that you can move forward.
ou can’t be content with mastery;you have to push yourself to become a student again.
我总想成为一个游刃有余的人，但其实这种想法完全是妄想，永远不应该期望自己成为“大师”，而要永远保持学生的状态。
ou can’t be content with mastery;you have to push yourself to become a student again.
When you get rid of old material, you push yourself further andcome up with something better. When you throw out old work, whatyou’re really doing is making room for new work.
So don’t think of it as starting over. Think of it as beginning again. Goback to chapter one—literally!—and become an amateur. Look forsomething new to learn, and when you find it, dedicate yourself tolearning it out in the open. Document your progress and share as you goso that others can learn along with you. Show your work, and when theright people show up, pay close attention to them, because they’ll havea lot to show you.