I found a great connection between Steal Like an Artist and Van der Leeuw's Sacred and Profane Beauty. Kleon believes that there must be a ritual element to making good art, saying:
"You need to find a way to bring your body into your work. Our nerves aren't a one-way street - our bodies can tell our brains as much as our brains tell our bodies. You know that phrase, 'going through the motions'? That's what's so great about creative work: If we just start going through the motions, if we strum a guitar, or start kneading clay, the motion kickstarts our brain into thinking"(54).
Likewise, van der Leeuw argues that it is the participation in the ritual that brings forth art, and that this happens naturally, even when it isn't necessarily desired. In his section entitled "The Work Song," he speaks of words as rhythm adding new meaning and force to whatever work is being done, saying, "words exert a force...the words generate a certain power which is fixed, controlled, and concentrated by the rhythm"(115).
These two literatures provide an interesting synthesis: that motion exerts a force on creativity, and that creativity likewise exerts a force on work and brings it new vigor. Thus, work and creative thought are in a positive, symbiotic relationship with one another.
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