How to Steal Like an Artist (and 9 other things nobody told me) is a condensation of a talk given at Broome Community College in Binghamton, New York, by artist and author Austin Kleon. It was hard for me to select just one good idea from this post to quote.
Link -via b3ta
Update: You can also hear an interview with Kleon about this essay. Link
My mom used to say to me, “Garbage in, garbage out.”
It used to drive me nuts. But now I know what she means.
Your job is to collect ideas. The best way to collect ideas is to read. Read, read, read, read, read. Read the newspaper. Read the weather. Read the signs on the road. Read the faces of strangers. The more you read, the more you can choose to be influenced by.
Link -via b3ta
Update: You can also hear an interview with Kleon about this essay. Link
11. Nothing weakens a speaker's credibility more than using quotes. Speak your mind plainly. Support your arguments with facts, not the opinions of others.