Why stealing other people’s ideas can be a good thing (w/ Austin Kleon)

How to Be a Better Human

TED

Self-improvement, Personal Growth, Better Human, Chris Duffy, Interviews, Emotional Awareness, Self-help, Education

4.2 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 June 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Austin Kleon thinks stealing inspiration is a good thing — because it requires you to pay attention to the world. Austin is a self-proclaimed “creative kleptomaniac” and the author of five books, including Steal Like An Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. In his conversation with Chris, they discuss “scenius,” or the creative genius of a group, how children are invaluable creative teachers, and why he thrives in the tension between discipline and spontaneity.

Follow

Host: Chris Duffy (Instagram: @chrisiduffy | chrisduffycomedy.com)

Guest: Austin Kleon (Instagram: @austinkleon | Website: https://austinkleon.com/)

Links

Austin Kleon’s Substack

Steal Like an Artist (Book)

Subscribe to TED

Instagram: @ted

YouTube: @TED

TikTok: @tedtoks

LinkedIn: @ted-conferences

Website: ted.com

Podcasts: ted.com/podcasts

For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts

Want to help shape TED's shows going forward? Fill out our survey!

For a chance to give your own TED Talk, fill out the Idea Search Application: ted.com/ideasearch.

Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey, it's Adam Grant from Worklife, a podcast from TED.
0:05.3	This episode is brought to you by FreshWorks.
0:08.0	FreshWorks believes the complexity is the enemy of efficiency.
0:11.2	So stop wrestling with bloated expensive service software that takes forever to implement an update,
0:16.4	where ROI is someday, not today.
0:19.1	You've been overcharged and underserved for way too long.
0:22.7	Uncomplicate with fresh service for IT and fresh desk for customer support.
0:27.9	And with FreshWorks AI-assisted service software, you'll work smarter, not harder.
0:33.0	FreshWorks uncomplicates.
0:35.2	Learn more at freshworks.com.
0:38.4	I'm not switching my team to some fancy work platform that somehow knows exactly how we work.
0:45.8	And its AI features are literally saving us hours every day. We're big fans.
0:51.6	And just like that, teams all around the world are falling for Monday.com.
0:56.5	With intuitive design, seamless AI capabilities, and custom workflow, it's the work
1:01.6	platform your team will instantly click with.
1:04.2	Head to Monday.com.
1:05.5	The first work platform you'll love to use.
1:09.3	Right now we are living through some of the most tumultuous political times our country has ever known.
1:15.5	I'm David Remnick and each week on the New Yorker Radio Hour, I'll try to make sense of what's happening,
1:20.6	alongside politicians and thinkers like Cory Booker, Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney, Tim Walts,
1:26.1	Katanji Brown Jackson, Newt Gingrich, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Charlemagne
1:30.8	the God, and so many more. That's all in the New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from TED, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of TED and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.