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Show Your Work! is a book by Austin Kleon about how he believes that sharing your work is the best way to get better at it and to build an audience.

Austin Kleon begins by explaining why sharing your work is important. It's a way to connect with other people who share your interests, to get feedback on your work, and to build a community. Sharing your work can also lead to new opportunities, such as job offers, speaking engagements, and book deals.

One of the most important things that Kleon emphasizes is the importance of being generous with your work. He writes that "the more you give away, the more you get back." This means being willing to share your knowledge and expertise, even with people who you don't know.

The book is divided into chapters:

• Chapter 1: You Don't Have to Be a Genius

• Chapter 2: Think Process, Not Product

• Chapter 3: Share Something Small Every Day

• Chapter 4: Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities

• Chapter 5: Tell Good Stories

• Chapter 6: Teach What You Know

• Chapter 7: Don't Turn Into Human Spam

• Chapter 8: Learn to Take a Punch

• Chapter 9: Sell Out

• Chapter 10: Stick Around

Let’s look at each one of them.

You Don't Have to Be a Genius

You don't have to be a genius to share your work with the world. Everyone has something to share, and it's more important to be interesting than to be perfect.

Kleon introduces the concept of the "scenius," which is a group of people who support each other and share ideas. He writes that everyone should be part of a scenius and that we can all learn from each other.

Be an amateur. Amateurs are more willing to take risks and to experiment. They're also more likely to share their work, which can be helpful for others who are learning.

Here are some of the key takeaways from Chapter 1:

• Everyone has something to share.

• It's more important to be interesting than to be perfect.

• Don't be afraid to show your work in progress.

• Be an amateur.

• Be part of a scenius.

The more you share, the more you learn, and the more opportunities you create for yourself. Sharing your work today, even if it's not perfect.

Think Process, Not Product

We should focus on sharing our process, not just our finished products. People are more interested in how you do something than in the final result.

Sharing our process helps people to learn from us and to feel connected to us. It also helps us to develop a better understanding of our own work.

Some practical tips for sharing our process:

• Share your mistakes and your failures as well as your successes.

• Share the details of your process, step-by-step.

• Be yourself and share your unique perspective.

• Share your process on a regular basis.

Sharing your process is a great way to connect with people and build an audience.

Share Something Small Every Day

Should share something small every day. Even small things can be interesting and valuable.

Sharing something small every day is a great way to build a habit of sharing. It also helps us to stay consistent and to keep our work in front of people.

Some practical tips for sharing something small every day:

• Share a sketch, an idea, or a behind-the-scenes photo.

• Share something small every day, or at least several times a week.

• There are many different ways to share your work. Experiment and find what works best for you.

• Share things that you're passionate about.

Sharing something small every day is a great way to build an audience and to make a difference. He encourages readers to start sharing something small today, even if it's not perfect.

Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities

We should open up our cabinets of curiosities. Sharing your interests and the things that you're passionate about is a great way to connect with people and to build an audience.

Our cabinets of curiosities are the things that make us unique. They're the things that we're interested in, the things that we learn about, and the things that we collect.

Sharing our cabinets of curiosities helps people to get to know us as people and to see what makes us tick and also helps us to attract people who share interests same as us.

Some practical tips for opening up our cabinets of curiosities:

• Share the things that you're truly interested in.

• Don't just say that you're interested in books. Share the specific books that you're reading and the authors that you admire.

• Share photos and videos of your interests.

• Ask questions and learn from others.

• Share your knowledge and expertise with others.

Opening up your cabinet of curiosities is a great way to make a difference in the world.

Tell Good Stories

People love stories and sharing stories about your work, your process, and the people you meet is a great way to connect with people on a deeper level.

Stories help us to make sense of the world around us. They also help us to connect with each other on a human level.

Some tips for telling good stories:

• Share your own personal stories and experiences.

• Use details and examples to make your stories come to life.

• Don't be afraid to share your mistakes and failures.

• Let people see the real you.

• Share stories on a regular basis.

Telling good stories is one of the best ways to connect with people and build an audience.

The most important thing is to share stories that are meaningful to you and that you think your audience will find interesting and engaging.

Teach What You Know

We should teach what we know. Don't be afraid to share your knowledge and expertise with others. This is a great way to give back to the community and to attract new opportunities.

Teaching what we know helps us to learn and grow ourselves. It also helps us to build relationships with others and to make a difference in the world.

Some tips for teaching what we know:

• Find a way to teach that is authentic to you.

• Be passionate about what you're teaching.

• Be clear and concise in your communication.

• Be open to feedback and questions.

• Be patient and persistent. It takes time to become a good teacher.

Teaching what you know is one of the best ways to give back to the community and to make a difference in the world.

Here are some additional tips for teaching effectively:

• Start by identifying your target audience.

  • What do they already know? What do they need to know?

• Develop a clear and concise learning objective for each lesson or module.

• Use a variety of teaching methods, such as lectures, discussions, activities, and assessments.

• Make your teaching interactive and engaging.

• Provide opportunities for feedback and questions.

• Be patient and supportive. Everyone learns at their own pace.

The most important thing is to share your knowledge and expertise with others in a way that is helpful and engaging.

Don't Turn Into Human Spam

It's important not to turn into human spam. There's a fine line between sharing your work and being annoying.

Human spammers are people who constantly bombard their followers with self-promotional content. They don't provide any value or engagement. They just want to sell you something.

Number of tips for avoiding becoming a human spammer:

• Be mindful of how often you share your work.

  • Don't flood your followers with content.

• Be generous with your time and expertise.

  • Answer questions and help others.

• Be yourself.

  • Don't try to be someone you're not.

• Be respectful of your followers' time and attention.

The best way to avoid becoming a human spammer is to focus on providing value to your audience. Share their work in a way that is helpful, informative, and engaging.

Remember, the goal is to build relationships with your audience and to provide them with value. If you're doing that, you won't have to worry about becoming a human spammer.

Learn to Take a Punch

It's important to learn to take a punch. Not everyone is going to like your work. Be prepared for criticism and don't take it personally.

Criticism is a natural part of the creative process. It's important to remember that not everyone is going to like your work, and that's okay.

The important thing is to learn from criticism and to keep creating.

Here are some tips for learning to take a punch:

• Don't take it personally.

  • It's important to remember that criticism is not about you personally. It's about the work.

• Try to understand where the criticism is coming from.

  • Is the person giving you constructive feedback? Are they just trying to be mean?

  • Once you understand where the criticism is coming from, you can decide how to respond.

• Don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

  • If you don't understand the criticism, ask the person to explain it to you in more detail.

• Consider the source.

  • If the criticism is coming from someone you respect, then it's probably worth listening to.

  • But if the criticism is coming from someone who is just trying to be mean, then you can ignore it.

• Don't let criticism stop you from creating.

  • The best way to deal with criticism is to keep creating.

  • The more you create, the better you will become, and the less you will care about what other people think.

The best way to learn to take a punch is to keep putting your work out there. Not let criticism stop them from creating and sharing their work with the world.

It's important to remember that everyone experiences criticism at some point in their creative journey. The important thing is to learn from criticism and to keep creating.

Sell Out

It's okay to sell out. There's nothing wrong with making money from your creativity. In fact, it's important to be able to support yourself so that you can continue to create.

There is a common misconception that selling out means compromising your artistic integrity. However, he argues that this is not the case. It is possible to make money from your creativity without sacrificing your values.

Here are some of the benefits of selling out:

• It allows you to support yourself and continue to create.

• It gives you a platform to reach a wider audience.

• It can help you to build relationships with other creatives and professionals.

• It can lead to new opportunities, such as book deals, speaking engagements, and film and television projects.

Some tips for selling out in a way that is authentic and ethical:

• Be honest and transparent with your audience about your intentions.

• Only work with brands and companies that you believe in and that align with your values.

• Don't compromise your artistic integrity.

• Stay true to yourself and your work.

There's no shame in selling out. It's just another way to make a living from your creativity. Not be afraid to monetize their work and to build a sustainable career as a creative professional.

Remember, the goal is to build a sustainable career as a creative professional. Selling out can be a way to achieve that goal, but it's important to do it in a way that is authentic and ethical.

Stick Around

It's important to stick around. Sharing your work is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to build an audience and to develop your voice.

It's easy to get discouraged when you're not seeing results immediately. But it's important to remember that it takes time to build a successful career as a creative professional.

Here are some tips for sticking around:

• Be patient.

  • It takes time to build an audience and to develop your voice.

  • Don't get discouraged if you don't see results immediately.

• Be consistent.

  • Share your work on a regular basis.

  • This will help you to stay top-of-mind with your audience and to build momentum.

• Be persistent.

  • Don't give up if you don't get the results you want right away.

  • Keep creating and sharing your work, and eventually, you will achieve your goals.

Kleon also provides some encouragement for readers who are feeling discouraged:

The best way to stick around is to find a community of people who support your work. Connect with other creatives and to build relationships with them.

Remember, the goal is to build a sustainable career as a creative professional. This takes time, patience, and persistence. But if you're willing to put in the work, you can achieve your goals.

You can buy the book from Amazon

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