As an intern

I started my creative career at Triple IT, nowadays a big international agency called HYPERSOLID. I learned more during my internship than I ever learned during my study. Learn by doing, but most of all, learned from my senior colleagues. One of these was Robert Overweg, a genius. During my internship he gave me this book in my second week; at first, I was a bit struck: as a creative you don’t copy, you make stuff yourself. Like Rembrandt painted the Nachtwacht, he also did not have anyone to copy his ideas from. 

But nowadays this book is more legit than ever. In a world where we find everything and everyone in one click: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Behance, etc., etc. As a creative you can steal from wherever whenever. BUT it’s important to stay in the lead yourself. Like a DJ: choose your own songs, make your own remix, play your own set. Make it yours.

The 10 Key Principles of the book

1. Steal Like an Artist: Don't plagiarize but REMIX. Bad thieves steal from one source and copy; good thieves steal from hundreds of sources, honor the work, and transform it.

2. Don't Wait Until You Know Who You Are to Get Started: You figure out who you are by making things. Fake it until you make it, or as Kleon says, "fake it until you make it."

3. Write the Book You Want to Read: Create the art, projects, or products you wish existed in the world.

4. Use Your Hands: Step away from the screen. Physical movement and analog tools (paper, pens, whiteboards) stimulate the brain in ways typing simply can't.

5. Side Projects and Hobbies Are Important: Hobbies keep you creative without the pressure of monetization. Don't throw away parts of yourself let your passions cross-pollinate.

6. Do Good Work and Share It with People: Curiosity + sharing your process = discovering an audience.

7. Geography Is No Longer Our Master: You don't need to live in a major creative capital to make great work. You just need connection, space, and a good digital network.

8. Be Nice (The World Is a Small Town): Make friends, ignore enemies, and surround yourself with people smarter and more creative than you.

9. Be Boring (It’s the Only Way to Get Work Done): Wild creative genius is a myth. Consistency, a routine, a day job, and staying out of debt give you the stability to make art long-term.

10. Creativity Is Subtraction: In an era of information overload, what you choose to leave out matters more than what you put in. Embrace constraints.
    
    

CORE TAKE-AWAY
Stop worrying about being original. Focus on learning from your heroes, doing the work consistently, and sharing your journey.