Steal Like You Mean It: A Thief’s Guide to Creating on Empty

“Good artists copy, great artists steal…”
— Pablo Picasso

The best thieves don’t wear masks — they wear turtlenecks.

Steve Jobs knew it. In a moment of candor, he explained: “It comes down to trying to expose yourself to the best things that humans have done and then try to bring those things into what you’re doing.”

Then the truth: “Picasso’s saying — ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal’ — we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”

Jobs didn’t just build computers. He assembled musicians, poets, and artists who happened to be brilliant engineers. They borrowed from diverse fields and transformed that inspiration into revolutionary products.

That’s what creators eventually learn: true innovation isn’t born in isolation — it comes from recognizing valuable ideas and reshaping them into something new.

The Originality Myth

Picasso said it first. Maybe. “Good artists copy, great artists steal.”

Words to get tattooed on your forearm when the blank page has been staring back at you for hours. Mocking you. Daring you to make something worth a damn.

Here’s the truth nobody wants to admit: there’s no such thing as original. None. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Everything’s been done before by some forgotten soul who probably died broke and unappreciated.

And that’s the most liberating news you’ll hear all day — especially when that cursor won’t stop its relentless blinking.

The Cursor That Won’t Stop Blinking

You know that feeling.

The empty document. The cursor pulsing like a headache. Blink. Blink. Blink. Each flash a tiny little taunt reminding you that the well’s run dry.

Austin Kleon sat there once — a writer with nothing to write. The cursor taunting him while a stack of newspapers sat in his recycle bin. “Here I am without any words,” he thought, “and right next to me are thousands of them, delivered to my doorstep every day.”

So he grabbed a marker and started blacking out newspaper articles. Left a few choice words visible. Made poetry from the spaces between.

Turns out his so called “original” idea had a 250-year history.

Didn’t stop him. Don’t let it stop you.

Your Heritage of Borrowed Inspiration

You’ve got two family trees. One you’re born with — full of titas who bring balikbayan boxes to every gathering and titos who challenge everyone to videoke competitions after too many San Miguel beers. (Titas, Titos = Aunts & Uncles in Filipino)

The other? You build it yourself.

Your influences. Your heroes. The magic that makes your heart beat faster. The dog-eared paperbacks you stole from your older brother. The vinyl records you play until the grooves wear thin. The films that taught you how to kiss, how to fight, how to cry without shame.

“You are a mashup of what you let into your life,” Kleon says.

Unlike your actual family, you get to choose this one. Choose wisely.

The Remix Manifesto: Legends Edition

Stravinsky — yep, the classical music genius — wasn’t above grand larceny. He’d pull out other composers’ manuscripts and red-line ’em with a red pen like they were his homework to correct. Borrowed the bass lines. Stole the melodies. Added his own twist.

Critics lost their minds. “How dare you do this to the classics? Leave them alone!”

His response? “You ‘respect,’ but I love.”

Damn. That’s the difference between a tourist and a thief who knows what he’s after.

How to Rob a Bank (of Ideas)

Every great heist needs a plan. Here’s yours:

1. Case the Joint

Hoarders grab everything. Artists only take what makes their fingers itch.

Look around. Ask yourself: “What’s worth stealing?” Not the shiny stuff. The meaningful stuff. The things that won’t let you sleep.

Build a collection that feels like you, even before you touch it. Like a bank robber who knows exactly which vault holds the real treasure.

2. The Cleaners

T.S. Eliot knew the score: “Immature poets imitate, great poets steal.”

But there’s stealing and there’s steeling. “Bad poets take what they steal and deface it. Good poets turn it into something better, or at least something different.”

Don’t just wear the clothes you stole. Cut them up. Sew them into something new. Something that could only have come from your hands.

The greatest thieves don’t display their loot — they melt down the gold and reshape it until its origin is just a ghost of a memory.

3. Mixology (But Know Your Recipe)

One influence is just copying. Two is a comparison. Three or more? Now you’re cooking something nobody’s tasted before.

Draw one line. Draw another beside it. What do you get? Two lines, sure. But also the space between them. One plus one equals three.

That’s where the magic hides — in the collision between your stolen goods. Like how Tarantino steals from kung fu flicks, spaghetti westerns, and blaxploitation films to make something that screams his name from every frame.

The mixture is the message. And the mixture is all yours.

Getting Past the Mental Barriers

Your mind’s got more security systems than Fort Knox. Here’s how to break through them:

The “Nothing New” Fear

“This has all been done before.” Yeah, no shit. Of course it has.

But not by you. Not with your scars and your particular way of seeing the world through cracked glass.

Original doesn’t mean creating from nothing. It means creating from everything, filtered through you.

The “Not Good Enough” Curse

That voice telling you you’re a copycat, a fake, a phony? It’s got everybody’s number. Even the greats hear it.

Here’s the secret: if all of us are borrowing, then what matters isn’t whether you stole — it’s how you transform the stolen goods into contraband that has your fingerprints all over it.

When Hemingway stole from Gertrude Stein, he didn’t become Stein. He became more Hemingway.

The “Empty Well” Drought

Don’t wait for inspiration to find you. It ain’t come’ng to your door with flowers and chocolate.

Go out and GET it. Like Kleon with his newspapers — sometimes the words you need are already written. They just need you to find them and cut away everything that isn’t yours.

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own…”
—Bruce Lee

Creativity isn’t about waiting for permission. It’s about breaking and entering.

The “Success Panic” Attack

Success scares some folks more than failure. What if I can’t do it again? What if this is as good as it gets? What if…?

Stop thinking of creativity as lightning strikes and start seeing it as a conversation that’s been going on since the first cave paintings. You’re just adding your verse. Then another. Then another.

The bank of ideas never runs dry. There’s always another vault to crack.

Your Creative Heist Playbook

Here’s how you start robbing banks tomorrow:

1. Build your lookbook. Collect everything that makes your soul vibrate. Not digital bookmarks that you’ll never see again. Physical stuff. Pages torn from magazines. Notes scribbled on bar napkins. Lines stolen from books you love. A real thief’s catalog of potential scores.
   (Physical collections of inspiration stay visible — digital ones get forgotten.)

2. Play mad scientist. Take something from column A, something from column B. Bukowski’s grit with Austen’s social commentary. Delta blues with Japanese minimalism. Neon signs with ancient prayers. Create collisions no one saw coming.
   (Mix and match unexpected influences to create something fresh and inspiring.)

3. Transform until it’s unrecognizable. The work isn’t done until it has your DNA all over it. Push it until your influences are like bourbon in cookie dough — present but transformed. Keep working until what you’ve stolen no longer belongs to anyone but you.
   (Rework borrowed elements until they become uniquely yours.)

4. Box yourself in. Freedom isn’t helpful when you’re stuck. Give yourself rules. Three chords. Black and white film. Six-word stories. The tighter the box, the more creative the escape. Houdini was never more impressive than when the chains seemed impossible.
   (Constraints force creative solutions — limitations are catalysts, not obstacles.)

5. Tip your hat. Don’t hide your influences. Celebrate them. Thanking the people you steal from isn’t just good karma — it’s how you find your people. Your fellow thieves. Your crew for the next heist.
   (Acknowledge influences — it builds connections and shows respect.)

Takes What’s Yours — And Own It

This isn’t about plagiarism. That’s for hacks who need training wheels.

This is about having the guts to see something beautiful in the world— and say, “I need that. I’m taking it home. I’m going to live with it until it becomes part of me.”

Your voice isn’t something you find like a seashell on the beach. it’s a blade forged in the fire of every artist, thief, and rebel who ever shook the world before you.

Next time you’re stuck — when the words won’t come and the ideas seem tapped out — remember: you’re just one good heist away from breaking through. Look around at all the raw material just waiting for your hands. Take what speaks to you. Mix it with your own masterful recipe. Make something that could only exist because you of you.

Then, place it on a park bench, a note attached: “For the next tormented visionary questioning their life’s choices.”

Honestly, if we’re not plagiarizing, are we even trying? Or just lying to ourselves?

📝 A Brief Note:

These are just my observations, not universal truths. I share ideas that have worked for me — take what resonates, leave what doesn’t. As Bruce Lee 🐉said,

“Life is your Teacher and you are in the state of constant learning…
Absorb what is useful; discard what is not; add what is uniquely your own.”

Goals Like Bamboo: Rooted, Resilient, Ever-Growing

“We set goals based on who we are today, not who we’ll be when we reach them. It’s no surprise we end up disappointed — the person you’ll become might not care about the things you care about now.” (Inspired by Dan Gilbert’s insight on future desires)

The quote above is my rendition Dan Gilbert’s (author of ‘Stumbling on Happiness’) quote:

“We often set our goals based on who we are currently rather than who we will be when we achieve them, leading to dissatisfaction because our future selves may not find the same things fulfilling that we do now…”

Book Notes

We’re not as good at predicting happiness as we think. We make decisions based on what we want now, assuming our future selves will feel the same way — spoiler: they won’t. Bad things don’t hurt as much as we expect, and we’re great at adapting, even finding unexpected happiness when things don’t go as planned (blessings in disguise). The catch? Too much freedom and too many options often leave us feeling less satisfied (decision fatigue). And, comparing ourselves to others is the fastest way to ruin a good thing. In the end, happiness is less about getting what we want and more about learning to appreciate what we’ve got (gratitude, be in the present moment).

Here’s a quick and descriptive breakdown of the quote

Setting Goals for the Current Self: “Goals are like polaroids — they capture a moment, but by the time they develop, the moment’s gone.”

The Mismatch Between Evolved Identity and Original Goals: “Some goals wear you like old sweaters: stretched out, too tight in the wrong places, but you keep them on out of habit.”

Goals Should Evolve with You: “A good goal knows how to breathe. The real trick isn’t holding your breath; it’s knowing when to exhale and take another breath.”

Real-Life Application: “What felt urgent yesterday can feel foreign today. Stay loose. Stay open. Let your priorities catch their breath.”

In a Nutshell: “Don’t chase a static version of yourself. Who you’re becoming is always a little further down the road — and that’s where the real story is.”Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

📝 A Brief Note:

These are just my observations, not universal truths. I share ideas that have worked for me — take what resonates, leave what doesn’t. As Bruce Lee 🐉said,

“Life is your Teacher and you are in the state of constant learning…
Absorb what is useful; discard what is not; add what is uniquely your own.”

Back to Basics: Why Simple is King

In today’s fast-moving world, the instinct to do more — add more features, introduce more processes, and chase endless customization — feels like the natural path to success. But the truth is, sustainable growth and efficiency thrive on one core principle: simplicity.

Complexity vs. Simplicity: The Human Dilemma

Despite our universal desire for simplicity, we often sabotage ourselves with complexity. It creeps in subtly — more rules, more systems, more moving parts — until suddenly, we’re drowning in unnecessary complications. Why? Because complexity appears to be sophistication. We assume that bigger problems demand bigger solutions. But the reality? More complexity breeds confusion, inefficiency, and failure to execute.

As businesses grow, so does their self-importance. Large organizations often convince themselves their challenges are unique, leading them to adopt costly, overengineered solutions. But in most cases, their problems remain fundamentally simple — it’s their perception that distorts reality.

Simplicity Requires Courage

Simplicity is not easy. Brevity is even harder.

It’s one thing to say you want simplicity; it’s another to commit to it. The world looks at simplicity with being basic, a perception that makes many uncomfortable. The desire to feel special drives individuals and businesses to overcomplicate. Yet true sophistication lies in reducing problems to their most essential form.

Simplicity demands focus. It’s far easier to layer on tools and processes than to strip things down to what truly matters. Achieving simplicity takes discipline — and the courage to resist unnecessary complexity.

The Trap of Custom-Built Solutions

Many businesses fall into the bespoke solution trap, believing their issues require tailor-made tools. But custom solutions often introduce more inefficiencies than they solve. The problem isn’t a lack of tools — it’s a lack of clear frameworks.

Custom systems create an illusion of progress while silently adding layers of friction. In reality, off-the-shelf solutions often meet business needs with less overhead and greater reliability. Simplicity isn’t about stripping everything away — it’s about knowing what to keep.

Simplicity ≠ Basic

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” — Albert Einstein

Simplicity doesn’t mean stripping away depth — it means refining. A simple solution is often the most sophisticated one. Whether in business, design, or technology; clarity creates impact.

Writing, for example, follows the same rule: it’s easy to hide behind jargon and lengthy explanations, but it takes skill to communicate with clarity. The same applies to business. Simple solutions require intelligence, insight, and an ability to see through the noise.

Real-Life Lessons in Simplicity

Pinkberry: Simplicity Lost
Pinkberry’s initial success stemmed from its minimalist approach — two frozen yogurt flavors, no excess. This streamlined model fueled their rapid rise. But as they expanded, they introduced more flavors, toppings, and choices, diluting their original appeal. Complexity took over, and with it, their market dominance faded.

Southwest Airlines: Simplicity Wins
Southwest Airlines built a thriving business on simplicity. They operate a single type of aircraft — the Boeing 737 — drastically reducing training and maintenance costs. By eliminating assigned seating and meals, they kept operations lean and efficient. While competitors chased luxury, Southwest focused on what mattered: getting passengers from A to B on the cheap and reliably.

Simplifying Business Operations

Businesses accumulate processes, tools, and policies over time — often without questioning their necessity. The result? Digital hoarding. Successful companies regularly purge what no longer serves them. Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it should be.

Bigger Isn’t Always Better

“Sunflowers aren’t better than violets.” — Edna Ferber

Small businesses often mimic large corporations, assuming success comes from complexity. But what works for a 10,000-person company doesn’t necessarily work for a team of ten.

Being small is an advantage. Agility and simplicity allow smaller businesses to outmaneuver larger, red-tape heavy competitors. Instead of scaling complexity, small businesses should lean into their flexibility.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

“Ignorance isn’t not knowing — it’s believing something that isn’t true.” — Mark Twain

Some of the greatest innovations come from outsiders who don’t know “the rules.” Uber and Lyft weren’t created by taxi industry veterans — they were built by entrepreneurs who saw a simpler way.

“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities. In the expert’s, there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki

Overcomplicated industries get disrupted by those who embrace simplicity. Sometimes, not knowing how things are supposed to work allows you to create something better.

Final Thoughts: Simplicity as a Strategy

Simplicity isn’t just a design philosophy — it’s a business strategy. By focusing on the essentials and eliminating distractions, businesses can innovate faster, execute more efficiently, and provide better experiences for their customers. But achieving simplicity requires intention. It’s not the easy path — it’s the right path.

Whether you’re leading a business, building a product, or organizing your workday, commit to simplicity. It may take discipline, but the payoff is undeniable.

Simplicity is the ultimate competitive advantage.

📝 A Brief Note:

These are just my observations, not universal truths. I share ideas that have worked for me — take what resonates, leave what doesn’t. As Bruce Lee 🐉said,

“Life is your Teacher and you are in the state of constant learning…
Absorb what is useful; discard what is not; add what is uniquely your own.”

Time Blocking OR Time Boxing?

“Busyness is not a proxy for productivity. What you pay attention to matters more than how hard you work.” –Cal Newport

Time Blocking and Time Boxing are actually two different things.

Wait…wait…wait 🤔

You’re telling me they’re not the same thing?

🤯…..💥…..🫨

The obvious answer: you should use both methods!

Simply put:

🕒 Time Blocking — Carving your day into intentional chunks where specific tasks own specific hours.

The art of carving your day into intentional chunks of focused attention. You’re not just working — you’re assigning specific hours (blocks of time) to specific tasks (work to be done). It’s the difference between saying:

“I’ll answer emails today.”

and

“From 9 — 10 AM, I’m fully focused on emails — nothing else.”

The calendar becomes your canvas; the hours, your medium.

🕒 Time Boxing — Setting a timer on your work and walking away when it rings — done or not. The rebellious cousin of time management. She’s always pushing back and can be hard to control at time.

• You set a timer ⏲️

• Do the work until the bell rings 🔔

• Then walk away — finished or not 🚶🏽‍➡️…🚶🏽‍➡️…🚶🏽‍➡️

It’s drawing a line | in the sand between “perfect” and “done.” When the clock strikes your predetermined hour, you lift your hands from the keyboard (or what ever you’re working on) whether the work feels complete or not. It’s the best antidote to perfectionism’s slow poison.

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying ‘I don’t want to…” — Lao Tzu

Let’s Stop Saying ‘I Don’t Have Time’ — Master Your Moments

In a world where everyone has the same 168 hours each week, the difference isn’t in having more time — it’s in how we choose to use it. Time scarcity is often a perception, not a reality. Instead of feeling like we’re always racing against the clock, we should focus on making better use of the time we already have.

“What works: decide what’s important, block uninterrupted time for it, and protect that time like it’s sacred…”

We’ve all been there — hours vanish in a binge-watching session or endless scrolling on social media. The key isn’t to eliminate these entirely but to balance them with intentional time use. By implementing proven time management frameworks and leveraging the right tools, we can reclaim our schedules and achieve more with less stress.

The Unfinished Email

On Tuesday evenings, I run and listen to various focus music playlists on Spotify. For me, running focuses the mind like watching rain slide down a window.

While my body moves through the city, I think about the Trello board on my laptop. Each task sits in its own digital rectangle, neat as the apartments I pass. People live inside those rectangles too, arranging their lives in columns: To Do, Doing and Done.

My neighbor, Vesper, believes in the Pareto Principle, religiously. She wears precisely ironed shirts and sets a timer when she brushes her teeth. Her snake watches from its glass enclosure, coiled in timeless thought.

Strange things happen when you divide time into boxes. When my timer for emails buzzed, I stopped mid-sentence. The unfinished thought hung in my mind all night, like a jazz note that never resolves.

Elon Musk timeboxes his day; so, they say. I imagine him moving through life in perfect five-minute increments, never pausing to wonder about the woman in the green dress at the convenience store.

My Pop’s owned a pocket watch that kept perfect time. I sometimes hold it while using ToDoist, wondering if efficiency is how we hide from the deep dark that waits under our day plans.

Miles Davis doesn’t care about Getting Things Done. The notes fall where they may, between frameworks and systems.

The Agile Life: Plans Are Just Pretty Lies We Tell Ourselves

Missed your alarm again; The subway delayed for the 3rd time this week; your morning in ruins. The client changed their mind overnight. Your favorite workout (yeah, it’s leg day) derailed by unexpected rain.

“Life rarely respects our plans...”

This is where Agile thinking shines beyond its coding origins. Agile isn’t about standups or Jira tickets (or, pick your poison) — it’s about acknowledging that change is constant and accepting that as reality.

Consider Melinda, a novelist. Instead of disappearing for months to write the “perfect” draft, she works in two-week cycles with clear goals: develop a character, outline chapters, refine a scene. Bi-weekly, she reviews her work, adjusts her approach, and plans the next cycle.

When her publisher requests a different angle, Maya isn’t devastated. Her process is flexible enough to pivot without wasting months of work.

“Flexible enough to pivot…”

This is Agile: breaking ambitions into manageable chunks, reflecting regularly, and embracing course corrections as the natural way of life.

“Optimize for adaptability, not predictability. Small iterations lead to big changes,” notes Henrik Kniberg.

The power lies in rhythm, not rigidity. Regular cycles of action and reflection create momentum while allowing for adaptation.

Apply this to something personal: fitness, home renovation, learning a language. Work in short cycles. Reflect honestly. Adjust based on results.

The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress through continuous learning. In an unpredictable world, adaptability always beats rigid planning.

Time Tetris: Winning the Productivity Game

Those massive ‘new you’ plans? They typically expire faster than milk in summer. They’re the New Year’s resolutions that die by February, the expensive a$$ planners that end up collecting dust by March.

“Small moves compound. That’s the secret…”

Want to actually transform how you manage time? Start with something so tiny it feels almost pointless. Maybe it’s a 60-second reflection at your desk before you head home. Or writing tomorrow’s three non-negotiables on a Post-it before bed.

“Writing by hand engages the brain more extensively than typing, leading to improved cognitive function and better memory retention…”

Vincent van Gogh knew this: “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” He didn’t paint The Starry Night in one session. It was thousands of intentional brushstrokes.

Consider habit stacking instead of habit forcing. See that morning coffee ritual you already do without thinking? That’s prime real estate. While the kettle boils or while you sip, plan your day’s top three. You’re not creating a new habit — you’re just adding a floor to an existing building. (get the drift?)

Most of us don’t really know where our time goes each day. We think we do, but we’re often wrong in ways that make us look good. Try this: for one normal week, write down how you spend each hour. Be real with yourself. What you find will shock you — and show you the holes where your time is draining away.

The changes that last aren’t the dramatic ones. They’re the quiet adjustments that become so embedded in your routine that they no longer require willpower to maintain. That’s not just time management — that’s identity transformation.

The changes that stick aren’t the big, showy ones. They’re the small shifts that become so normal in your daily life that you do them without thinking. That’s not just better time use — that’s becoming a different person.

How the Big Names Get Stuff Done

What if you scheduled like Jack Dorsey did when running both Twitter and Square? Using theme days to batch similar work, ensuring deep focus and regular reassessment of priorities.

Or what if you approached projects like Jeff Bezos does at Amazon? Breaking large initiatives into small, testable experiments and making data-driven adjustments after each iteration.

“We follow the ‘two-pizza rule’ at Amazon — if a team can’t be fed with two pizzas, it’s too large to move quickly and adapt to change…” — Jeff Bezos

Real people use these mindsets too. Take Sam, a freelance designer with too many clients. Once a week, she sits down and picks the work that will either make the most money or make clients the happiest. Everything else waits. Her stress dropped. Her income didn’t.

These aren’t fancy systems. They’re simple shifts in how you think about your day.

Final Thoughts: Owning Your Time

Mastering time isn’t about doing more — it’s about doing what matters. By shifting from a scarcity mindset to an intentional one, we can take control of our moments and create meaningful progress every day.

Time is a resource, and like any resource, its value depends on how we manage it. Whether through Agile thinking, strategic tool use, or mindful prioritization, the path to better time management is within reach. The challenge isn’t finding more time — it’s making the most of the time we already have.

📝 A Brief Note:

These are just my observations, not universal truths. I share ideas that have worked for me — take what resonates, leave what doesn’t. As Bruce Lee 🐉said,

“Life is your Teacher and you are in the state of constant learning…
Absorb what is useful; discard what is not; add what is uniquely your own.”