Book Review - Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

A teen entrepreneurs book review of Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

Intro

In Show You Work! by Austin Kleon, the author showcases ten ways to show your work. Kleon laments that many people try to “get discovered” and want to push their work out there. He recommends simply doing what you love and people will find you because of that. Kleon walks us through ten steps on how to show your work.

1. You Don’t Have to be a Genius

The author highlights how we often think of the creative genius as an isolated person with a massive deposit of natural gifts. A lone superstar. Kleon argues that while each of us have our own unique gifts, they only blossom through consistent work and effort.

The reality is that it is a journey to become a Master. Kleon encourages the reader to show his work despite the fear of not being good enough. We will all fail or put something stupid out there, but failing is one of the best ways to learn.

2. Think Process not Product

There is a common misconception that we must show the perfected finished product, but the reality is that people like to see the process. It can be scary, showing a less than perfect piece of work. The process is messy, but when you show your process, you allow people to connect with your work. The consistent connection with your fans will allow you to build a a community who loves your work.

You do not have to show something extraordinary, just document your work. It might seem like the everyday same-old, same-old to you, but to others it will be fascinating.

3. Share Something Small Every Day

People are interested on what’s happening right now. They do not want to know what you were working on three years ago. That is old news. They want to know what you are doing now. An effective way to showcase what you are doing currently is to share something every day.

It does not have to be something huge, but by sharing something every day, you will keep people interested and involved in your work.

Another positive effect of this is that you will discover what work is really valuable. Many great masterpieces started out as “stupid ideas.” The founder of Nike called his dream a “Crazy Idea.” You never know what people will love unless you show them your work.

4. Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities

In the 16th and 17th centuries, it was fashionable to have a “wonder chamber” where you would keep any interesting objects that you had acquired over the years. Every one of us has some form of a wonder chamber.

Do you collect things?

Do you have a personal library?

What do you take photos of?

Opening up your cabinet of curiosities and sharing them with your audience will help them to realize the passions that fuel your work. It will strengthen their connection with your work.

Do not be afraid that your curiosities are dumb. If you like something, you do not have to apologize for it. If you strictly like the things that you “ought to like,” you will not flourish. collector

5. Tell Good Stories

What is the difference between a forgery and an authentic piece of work? The story. If you were simply interested in having a beautiful picture, then it would not matter whether it was a forgery or not, but people connect with stories. A piece of artwork has more value when it has a story behind it.

Good stories have good structure. The structure of a good story goes something like this: The character is in his comfort zone → the character wants something outside of his comfort zone → he leaves it and gets what he wants, but pays a heavy price →he returns to changed comfort zone having changed and enlarged it.

You can use this to your advantage by telling the story behind your work. The trouble is that we are in the middle of our stories, so we so not know the outcome. One way to use this to our advantage is to construct our stories in such a way that it makes the consumer the hero. Do not tell stories that are not true, but tell the right story in the right way and you will reap results. story

6. Teach What You Know

Share your secrets. There is a famous BBQ joint that was renowned for its meat. Then the company started telling its secrets. At first glance, this might seem like a bad idea, but telling the world how they smoked their meat did not make the world capable of smoking their meat. It takes years to be able to perfectly cook BBQ. This company was able to build connection and trust with their customers.

You do not have to worry about sharing your knowledge. It will connect and bond people to your work. In addition, by teaching you will become more adept at your work.

7. Don’t Turn Into Human Spam

There is a scale of sharing. One one end you have the hoarder, who holds onto his information for dear life; in the middle you have the contributor who creates value; and on the other end you have the spammer, who will create content, but never interact with others’ content.

You want to add value to others lives and share your work, but you also need to interact with others’.

Kleon emphasis that the quality of your followers is more important than the quantity. He says that too many creators worry about how many followers they have and not about being someone worth following. Get good at what you are doing, and followers, connections, etc. will come.

8. Learn to Take a Punch

There will be haters. Sometimes, whatever you are doing will not be for everyone. Do not let negative feedback stop you from doing your work. One way for us to build up negativity endurance, Kleon states, is to put out massive amounts of work. Get used to it.

“The more criticism you take, the more you realize that it can’t hurt you.” - Show Your Work

9. Sell Out

Kleon encourages us to avoid the romanticized idea that artists should avoid money, and that money corrupts creativity. He encourages artists to use tools like crowdfunding and “DONATE NOW” buttons.

Selling your work means that it is valuable to others. It is the ultimate test for whether people like your work or not. If someone is willing to pay you or your work, you have a committed fan.

10. Stick Around

Do not think that one “hit it big” moment means your work is over. Kleon encourages everyone to take momentum from success to catapult you into your next task. Your work is never done. There is always more that you can do or learn.

Another piece of advice is to take time off. This prevents burnout and gives you time for creative thinking. Many people note that some of their best thoughts come when they are taking a sabbatical or simply a weekend away. Rest and recuperation are essential for Mastery.

“All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

Thank you for reading!