Reference No.: 1
Title: Show Your Work! - 10 Ways To Share Your Creativity And Get Discovered
Author: Austin Kleon
Primary Topic: Psychology
Year: 2014
URL: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18290401-show-your-work
My notes on this reference #
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Share Processes, Not Just Products
- Kleon emphasises that people are interested in the behind-the-scenes journey. Show your thinking, experiments, and learning process rather than waiting until you have a polished, final piece.
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Document as You Go
- Keep track of your progress in real time (through notes, sketches, photos, or journal entries). Later, you can decide what’s worth sharing publicly.
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Teach What You Know
- Sharing knowledge, tips, or tutorials fosters goodwill and positions you as a resource. Teaching also helps solidify your own understanding of your craft.
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Share Something Small Every Day
- Frequent, consistent sharing helps you stay engaged and allows others to follow your progress. It can be simple: a quick photo, a short note, or a brief reflection on what you learned.
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Storytelling Over Self-Promotion
- Instead of spamming people with “buy my stuff,” weave your personal story and creative process into what you share. Authentic storytelling resonates more than traditional ads.
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Embrace Being an Amateur
- You don’t have to be a recognised expert to share your work. Often, a beginner’s perspective can be fresh and relatable to others.
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Be Open to Feedback (Positive and Negative)
- Critique—when constructive—can help you grow. Kleon suggests you learn to handle (and even welcome) criticism, while ignoring blatant hostility or trolling.
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Build a Supportive Network
- Seek out likeminded individuals and communities. Engage genuinely with others’ work, cheer them on, and be open about your own process.
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Don’t Turn into ‘Human Spam’
- Maintain sincerity and generosity. Continuously pushing your own agenda without real engagement is off-putting and unproductive.
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Stick to Your “Knitting”
- Keep returning to the core of what you love doing. Consistency and passion over time build trust with your audience.