10 Things
I’m so glad Austin Kleon highlighted Ecclesiastes 1:9: “There is nothing new under the sun”[1] in Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Therefore, in the spirit of Kleon, I’m going to follow suit. Here’s 10 things that stood out to me upon a thorough, every-word-read reading of the book. Really, it was super short, and so much fun. I’m guessing many of you read the entire book, too.
- “You’re only going to be as good as the stuff you surround yourself with.”[2] If I don’t surround myself or the organization I serve with talented people and different ideas – ideas that challenge me/us – then we run the risk of organizational atrophy. Perhaps what’s needed is a healthy sense of System 2 feedback in a room full of System 1 errors.[3]
- “We learn by copying.”[4] I leaned heavily on a few scholar-theologian types in the biblical and theological foundations surrounding my NPO. As I explored my framework, I pondered just how much a group of authors in a particular tradition have influenced my thinking. Kleon also writes, “Imitation is about copying. Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.”[5] I need to wrestle with this as I figure out my own voice around the subject of my NPO.
- “Sitting in front of a computer all day is killing you, and killing your work. We need to move, to feel like we’re making something with our bodies, not just our heads.”[6] Okay, so I feel good about going analog instead of ONLY digital in the mornings as I plan my day and capture my ideas and notes with pen and paper. Many thanks to Cal Newport and his digitally-minimalistic-world-without-email influence.[7] But I really need to use my whiteboard, more. I need to walk around my office and draw out concepts, more. I’ve got to push against using the computer to generate ideas.[8] I’ve done this before. I need to do this again.
- “Side Projects…Are Important.”[9] I thought about the podcast I launched in 2021. Literally, while mowing the lawn today, I thought to myself, “I’ve got to continue to move toward a season 3 of the podcast, even if my doctoral work is consuming much of my ‘extra’ time.” Really, I need to continue several of my side-projects and hobbies.
- “You want attention only after you’re doing really good work.”[10] Maybe this is why many authors wait to publish, later in life. The more I reflect on the first three decades of my career, the more I see how much I did NOT know in my earlier years. I think I’ll have something better to say when I’m done with this doctorate. Perhaps even “a handy tip (I) discovered (in my work and research).”[11]
- “To say that geography is no longer our master isn’t to say that place isn’t important.”[12] Technology has made it possible for many people to live where they want to live and still do their work. I do think that “place” matters, though. There is something about being made in the image of God and the subject of place. God placed the human community in a place. That’s part of the human experience. Craig Bartholomew writes, “God intends for humans to be at home in, to indwell, their places. Place and implacement is a gift and provides the possibility for imaging God in his creation.”[13]
- “If you ever find that you’re the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.”[14] This sort of speaks for itself. In this doctoral program, I often feel like one of the least talented in the room. Especially the zoom room. Every week, I’m super thankful to be around a group of people who are “smarter and better than”[15] me, evidenced in part by these weekly blog posts.
- “Instead of keeping a rejection file, keep a praise file.”[16] I can’t remember who first told me to keep an “encouragement file,” but that is indeed what I started doing, decades ago. It’s not a digital file. It’s a collection of encouraging written notes, printed emails, cards, etc. that I’ve received from time to time throughout my career. These notes are filed in an old green hanging-file folder in the bottom drawer of one my ancient industrial-looking file cabinets.
- “The trick is to find a day job that pays decently, doesn’t make you want to vomit, and leaves you with enough energy to make things in your spare time.”[17] YES. This resonated in so many ways. Sort of like the chapter on side-projects. I can’t imagine that I’d be working on this doctorate, or pursuing ANY of the side projects I’ve pursued, were it not for my “day” job.
- “Start a business without any start-up capital.”[18] Several years ago, I picked up Eric Ries’s book, The Lean Startup.[19] His premise greatly influenced our thinking when we were developing our small business. Stay lean. Create/respond to feedback loops. Iterate. Create a product or service that people actually need or want. “Embrace your limitations and keep moving.”[20] So important. I’m still figuring this out.
[1] Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative, (New York: Workman, 2012, 2022), 7.
[2] Kleon, 13.
[3] See Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011).
[4] Kleon, 33.
[5] Kleon, 38.
[6] Kleon, 54.
[7] See Cal Newport’s books, Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World and A World Without Email.
[8] Kleon, 58.
[9] Kleon, 62-63.
[10] Kleon, 78.
[11] Kleon, 85.
[12] Kleon, 94.
[13] Craig G. Bartholomew, Where Mortals Dwell: A Christian View of Place for Today, (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2011), 31.
[14] Kleon, 104.
[15] Kleon, 102.
[16] Kleon, 115.
[17] Kleon, 125.
[18] Kleon, 138.
[19] See Eric Ries, The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, (New York: Crown Business, 2011).
[20] Kleon, 140.
About the Author
Travis Vaughn
6 responses to “10 Things”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hi Travis, I liked how you did this.
1. “You’re only going to be as good as the stuff (people) you surround yourself with.”[2] When I left Hungary (www.goodsportsinternational.org) to take care of my in-laws in Texas, I was concerned the little organization we built would fall apart. God is faithful! He brought not one, but two country directors who carried on the programs for Hungarian orphans. We now have a Hungarian Director, that is constantly searching for Christian volunteers that believe in James 1:27. This group has expanded our program to 10 orphanages. I guess the bottom line is, God is in control, especially if you make space for Him to bring amazing and wonderful people into your ministry.
2. “We learn by copying.”[4] What I really loved was “Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.”[5], This month, I am meeting with people who have been researching immigration issues for years. I want to hear, record and learn from them. (perhaps 1/3 of my NPO is their research). I will steal like a super villain! Then comes the “me” part. Coming up with something Novel that will contribute to the integration process of International Newcomers into local US communities.
4 , “Side Projects…Are Important.”[9] I remember when I first interviewed for the program. I was going to drop some of my teaching gigs. I remember Michael Simmons suggesting that I hold onto some other “side projects.” I am eternally grateful to him. Despite the large academic tasks we have, the side gigs are keeping me sane. I can leave the Heuristic jargon behind and focus on working with the people I love working with “international newcomers.” This interaction keeps focused on the NPO in a different way. It keeps me connected to the people that matter in my NPO.
Russ, I would imagine the “me” part you referred to, once your “copying” (really, emulating) season of listening to prior voices is ready for more of your own voice, you are going to be quite prepared. I talked with my wife this afternoon about your app project. Your “novel” project has the potential to help many newcomers, and it has me thinking that I want to tweak my own NPO a bit. If anything, you have made me think about the development of a product that others can use once I’m done with the program. Who knows, maybe I’ll steal a sliver of your idea. I wonder…will this be more of a “side project” for you in the next phase of your life/ministry, and will you integrate this into your teaching?
Travis,
I love how you approached your blog. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I especially connect with this:
“Instead of keeping a rejection file, keep a praise file.”[16] I can’t remember who first told me to keep an “encouragement file,” but that is indeed what I started doing, decades ago. It’s not a digital file. It’s a collection of encouraging written notes, printed emails, cards, etc. that I’ve received from time to time throughout my career. These notes are filed in an old green hanging-file folder in the bottom drawer of one my ancient industrial-looking file cabinets.
I do not do this but I know that I should. How often do you look through the folder?
Thank you, Jonita. I enjoy top 10 lists, and Kleon’s book provided an easy excuse to come up with ten personal reflections. I “stole” the idea from him. Ha! I loved the book and it made me wonder what else he has written.
As for the “encouragement file,” I know that I do not look through the folder enough. I want to say that MAYBE I look through it once a year, but that may be too generous? I moved that old filing cabinet recently, like maybe three or four weeks ago, and I remember thinking that I really need to pause and peruse it. I know I used to review it more when I was younger. I think I’ve also narrowed it down to two names — one of two people who probably recommended that I develop the file — two people I haven’t connected with in many, many years. I should probably thank them. And YES, if you haven’t started your own file, you should!
Great reflections, Travis-
1. I am curious about your approach to analog, and want to challenge myself to work more towards this. We received news last week that today they would be interrupting our internet service, and I had to do MAJOR planning to maintain any sort of productivity. Maybe this is an obvious statement, but it never used to be this hard to step away! I will be looking into Newport’s work.
2. I want affirm your inner lawn-mowing voice regarding a season 3!
Check out calnewport.com and you’ll find a number of things that speak toward analog.
Regarding the podcast…Ha! We shall see. I actually reached out to the media group I partnered with and told them that I’d like to shoot for June to do some new recording.