Key Takeaways.
I finished the book ‘Show Your Work’ by Austin Kleon because I enjoyed his other book ‘Steal Like an Artist’. I expected this book to be a repetitive message asking me to show my work to the public, but it was so much more than that. In this post, I’m going to summarize the key takeaways from the book!
1. You don’t have to be a genius.
You don’t get creativity all of a sudden, alone. It is healthier to think of creativity as a form of collaboration when you support one another, and connected with the minds of other creatives. Being creative is not about being a genius in isolation, but rather about the ideas you contribute and the conversations you start. It is about being an amateur, creating and learning out in the open, without expectation. If your work is not online and out in the open, it does not exist.
2. Think Process, Not Product
This point is about showing viewers not just the finished artwork or product, but the process it took to get there, such as sketches and works in progress. It suggests documenting everything you do, from journaling, keeping a scrapbook, shooting videos of you working, etc. People connect more to the story behind making the product than just the product itself.
3. Share something small everyday
It takes a long time to have a good body of work so the author suggests developing it daily, little by little. He suggests sharing something daily, whether it progresses, writing about your influences, what you learned, etc. Just something. People tend to care more about the daily, and what you are working on right now instead of a curated, glossed-over final version. The author calls this daily content flow, and on occasion, stock is the interesting content that shows up that people discover months later. It is like those successful Medium articles we happen to write in the midst of our other daily articles. He also suggests thinking about sharing your work online not as a place to sell yourself, but as a place to invent and discover yourself.
4. Open your cabinet of curiosities
Don’t take and consume without sharing. Talk about everything, from what inspires you, what you read, what you subscribe to, what music you listen to, who you look up to, etc. Talk about what influences you and the content that fuels the work you do.
5. Tell good stories
Work by itself is not as impactful if you don’t share the story behind the work. For example, the author gives an example of 2 identical paintings, except one has a story about the author, when and how it was made, and what inspired it. Which painting are you more attracted to? The one with the story, of course! Human beings care about stories and origins so it is important to be a good storyteller. Learn to talk about yourself at parties and social gatherings to practice storytelling skills.
6. Teach what you know
Keeping things a secret won’t help you as much as you think. In fact, it is people who share their craft, from recipe books, painting techniques, or tutorials who people pay more attention to. They feel closer to who you are as a person and your process, and they learn something too.
7. Don’t turn into human spam
Don’t just share/create. Consume and listen too. Something I love is that the author states — ‘if you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first be a good citizen of that community.’ If you want followers, be someone worth following. Meet up and collaborate with fellow creators beyond just the online space.
8. Learn to take a punch
Learn to not take feedback and criticism personally. You can control how you react to it. Understand that you are so much more than your work. The key is paying attention to the feedback and approval from the right people that you care about, not everyone.
9. Stick Around
Don’t quit early in the middle of your journey before you even had the chance to succeed. Stick long enough and you will get what you want. Just keep going, publishing more articles and creating more work. If you have reached mastery, go find something else new to master, and on to the next dream.
This advice applies to anyone — not just writers, artists, poets, photographers, etc. Everyone creates some type of work, whether you define it that way or not.
I personally realized that I need to keep sticking around with my creative activities — I am sharing but I have not yet gotten to success. I also need to gather more inspiration and consume more. Perhaps I have created more than consumed lately!
I recommend you read a copy of this book if you want more in-depth insights!
