[Austin Kleon] Show Your Work: a review
I have been following a few YouTubers I look up to (blog on who I follow is going to come soon in the productivity blog section), suggest me a few books that I have added to my digital library - follow my reading journey on GoodReads. From the bunch, the first self-help book I read this year was Show Your Work by Austin Kleon. This is one of the 3 Bestselling books from the authors. The remaining two are Steal Like an Artist and Keep Going. I am going to be reading these two as well and put up a review on this blog.
I think all self-help books are useful however only some information resonates with you when you read them. For me, I am just starting out on my blogging journey, I soon want to add newsletters and podcasts, etc. There were 3 topics that Austin touched upon in this book that resonated with me (at this point) while I share my journey on the internet with this website. Hence, this post is going to be a short one. I will list the 3 things that resonated with me, a beginner in sharing my work online, and hope it would resonate with someone like me who is just starting out.
3 things to take away from Show Your Work
You don’t have to be a Genius
Austin mentions that great ideas and creativities are always a product of collaboration i.e a mind connected to other minds. If we take a look at history, who we think of as geniuses were actually “scenius”. They were scenes of people who supported each other, looked and copied from each other’s work, stole, and contributed ideas.
Austin encourages us to be amateurs and mentioned that in a beginner’s mind, there are endless possibilities. He pushes us to find our voices in different areas; it can be in any or all areas - social media, website, podcast, YouTube anywhere you think you can share your content.
My WHY factor: What I love about this section of the book is that it takes away the fear that your work should be perfect and an absolute genius to share your work to the outside world. However, being a beginner you have a fresh eye on what is missing when a genius is sharing and you can jump in to fill that gap. It makes me feel empowered to show all my creativities, irrespective of being smart or talented I have something to contribute.
Share something small every day
In this section, Austin mentions that building a substantial body of work takes a long time of hard work and perseverance. It is easy to look at a person who is already successful and forget the amount of work they put in each day to reach where they are. Austin encourages us to share one little piece of our processes (not over-sharing). He calls this “the daily dispatch”. The outcome of this will be that you will get immediate feedback on your work and that could dictate your next move.
My WHY Factor: What I love about this section of the book is that it empowers me to share my work openly, with a conscious thought that my work is still imperfect and unfinished. This can not only help or entertain someone on other side of the screen but also make myself accountable to finish the work I started, as people are seeing and following my progress. Also, I feel once I am mildly successful, I have a nice trail behind me to see how I started out.Stick Around
The final section of the book talks about why people generally quit their show (or work) in the middle. Austin mentions that, this is because they hit a roadblock, are uncertain of the work they put out or have high expectations on the outcome of their work which might not turn out the way they hoped. He states that the people who get what they’re after are ones who stick around long enough. Also, he says that one work leads to another and it is almost like a chain reaction. You never know which subject you work on would become “trending” or “viral”.
My WHY Factor: What I love about this section of the book is that it motivates me to not give up on the pursuit of my work - through ups and downs. Although at this time, my work is not well thought through, by just sticking with it I promise my future self that I did my part - I was present.
I will keep using my website to document every small part of my journey in the hopes of just sticking with it will motivate me or anyone like me trying to find their voice. I found this book to be practical and motivating enough for me to come here and write this blog. In the future when I have a personal library at my house, I am definitely going to have a copy of this book in my closet! =)
Cheers!
