Now that I have finished reading this book it is time to look back at some of the recommended reading that I talked about in earlier blogs. the big one that I talked about back in February was reading the book Ignore everybody by Hugh Macleod.

This was a very interesting book that had a lot of great information not only to graphic designers but also other artist or even musicians as well. it talks about a lot of good points one of the first is good ideas hold a heavy burden and that is why very few people execute them. I also relay liked that a idea does not have to be a big one it just has to be yours and if your business plan depends on being discovered by a big shot to get you far, your plan will most likely fail. this also goes with what he says if there is someone in your industry that is more successful than you, it is probably because they are working harder and putting in more hours than you. another thing to keep in mind that he talks about is remember the world is changing so keep that in mind. and the last thing i want to bring up is he says keep blogging so that is what i am doing right now even though I am done reading the book I have to keep blogging

I was thinking that because Austin said that you should write letters to your role models in the book that I would write a letter to him as well because of how much I have enjoyed reading and learning from his book so here it is:

Austin Kleon,

Hello, my name is Dusting and I am currently going to Parkland College which is located in central IL for graphic design. This semester is my last full semester before i graduate and one of my assignments was to read your book "Steal like an Artist" and to blog about it each week chapter by chapter. At first I just looked at is as another reading and writing assignment to do for class but as I started I got into it a lot more than that.

This book not only is it a very easy read, which is a huge plus for me, but it is full of great information that really started to make me rethink about graphic design and also understand a little more about the life of a graphic designer. All of the information you presented in this book really had me thinking in ways that I have not before which brought out more creativity as I read thru as well as got me engaged with reading other books as well that otherwise I would not have. the two things I got out of your book that stood out to me more than anything else was first to have not just a digital desk but also an aniloug desk as well. sense I started this program everything I have done has all been digital and i got away from some of the hand crafted stuff that got me started in design in the first place, so by having the two separate desk space it helps me utilize both with work and creativity. the other thing that stood out to me as well is the last chapter when you talk about choosing what to do by importance and leving out stuff that is not needed or don't have time for. this really helps with making deadlines as well as simplifying my work.

I thank you for writing this book and sharing your information, tips, techniques, and experience not only to me but to everyone that makes the time to pick up this book to further their knowledge and become a better graphic designer

Thanks
Dustin

So I just finished reading the last chapter of the book this week which was chapter ten. It also was the shortest chapter of the book and I am thinking it is because of what it was talking about. This chapter was talking about having constraints on your projects and leaving things out. It reminds me of the saying, less is more.

By putting limitations or trying to make something out of the minimal materials adds a whole new creativity to your work, being able to do something with what you have! It gets your mind to think differently than how it has been and with less it is less junk or clutter for people to have to filter out.

I am currently working on a project that has to do a lot with restraints. It is not necessarily graphic design related but we still had to be very creative with it. This year we are putting together a hydroponic U-Pick strawberry patch out at the farm. We bought it used over the winter and spent most of the time tearing it down and moving it. Our timeline got shorted with other projects coming up and two weeks ago we realized we needed to start rebuilding the system so we can plant before it’s too late. So Time was a huge limiting factor. The system we bought will hold up to 8,500 strawberry plants. Well the first thing we did was cut that in half so we started figuring how to build half the system next is we wanted to build and put it inside a 100x40 foot greenhouse to hold it all but again due to time we couldn’t. Long story short we ended up assembling the system to make it temporary so next year we could move it into a new green house. This was not as easy as you would think when dealing with a hydroponic system that delivers water and nutrients to over 4,000 plants in a two week time. But yesterday we had the system framed up and the plants came in today so this weekend we will be filling the pots with the medium and plants.

Here is a picture of what we have up.

This week, I was reading chapter 8 of "Steal Like an Artist" which is titled Be Nice ( The World is a Small Place).  I usually sum up the chapter but the title says it all. I myself am a very optimistic happy guy and will always try to make a friend with anyone. Life is so much better when you look at the positives and are friendly to others after all it is the old golden rule we all learned in elementary school. One thing I have heard before and is mentioned in this chapter is always ind the most talented person in the room and stand next to them. If you find that person is ever you, its time to find a new room.

The author says that you should always follow people that are smarter than you, which I completely agree. I try to follow and question as many people. That being said I am not going to follow a science professor with a PHD if i need help with a graphic design project obviously. I say this because he asks to make a list of people who you follow that are smart. I have a lot of people on that ist but in their own respected categories. 

The last thing the author mentions in this chapter is that you write fan letters to your heroes. and if possible link it to their website. He did mention that you should do it out of respect and not hope for a response in return. I think this is a good idea to always let people know how they inspire you, and who knows someday it could potentially lead to connections