# 690: Austin Kleon - Why Activated Leaders Win, The Analog Desk, Don't Call it Art, Stay Light, Professional Noticers, Lead with Curiosity, and How To Steal Like an Artist

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learning-leader-show-with-ryan-hawk-467929/690-austin-kleon-why-activated-leaders-win-the-analog-desk-don-t-call-it-art-stay-light-professional-noticers-lead-with-curiosity-and-how-to-steal-like-an-artist
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Podcast: [The Learning Leader Show With Ryan Hawk](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learning-leader-show-with-ryan-hawk-467929)
Published: 2026-05-31T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://learningleadershow.libsyn.com/690-austin-kleon-why-activated-leaders-win-the-analog-desk-dont-call-it-art-stay-light-professional-noticers-lead-with-curiosity-and-how-to-steal-like-an-artist
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/learningleadershow/LLP_-_690_Austin_Kleon_FINAL.mp3?dest-id=259291
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Duration seconds: 3657

## Resource

The Learning Leader Show with Ryan Hawk www.LearningLeader.com New Book -- The Price of Becoming www.LearningLeader.com/Becoming Austin Kleon is the NYT bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist , Show Your Work , and Keep Going . He's a writer who draws, a former librarian, and one of the most original thinkers on creativity working today. His new book is Don't Call It Art: 10 Ways to Create Like a Kid Again . This is brought to you by Insight Global . If you need to hire one person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global's team of 30,000 people around the world has the hustle and grit to deliver. Key Learnings Stay light. Bill Murray told ballplayers that if you stay light, loose, and relaxed, you can play at the highest level. Same with acting, writing, anything. Austin keeps a photo of Bill in his studio as a reminder. Play is the work. A lot of Austin's best work requires a sense of play. It's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Go to the analog desk first. Austin has a digital desk and an analog desk. Nothing electronic is allowed at the analog desk. He starts there with nothing and sees what comes. Most people never give themselves the time, space, and materials to make something of what's swirling inside them. People want to watch someone who is activated. "People will pay every night to show up and see somebody believe in themselves." (Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth) The market for something to believe in is infinite. (Hugh MacLeod) The world is full of people just doing their thing. They're hungry to see someone on fire for something. The writer's job: take what everyone is thinking and put it into words. "You gave me the words" is the highest compliment a reader can give. Effortless is e…

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