Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered

This book eliminates the myth that you must be a master to share your work. You don’t need to be an expert. You can start at any stage.

Quite frankly, I didn't understand how a 10-part list could make a full book. But I saw the reviews, it was on sale, and I thought, "Heck. Why not?" Now, I can join the countless others who whole-heartedly recommend this book. It's filled with both inspiration and actionable advice. It's an easy/enjoyable read, and because of how it's structured, it's easy to eat a "potato chip" section and put down. For someone who reads before bed, having short sections and easy stopping points is a real mercy. I've finished the first read-through for joy. Now, I'm planning to go through it again and practice the actionable steps. So happy to have found this. Thanks Austin!

This little book packs a lot of great information and ideas on sharing your work while simultaneously providing a bit of inspiration get and stay creative.

Simple (but not so simple to execute - as any wise advice) guidelines for you to grow! Just skip some snack you buy somewhere and purchase this (much more valuable and efficient) book.

I liked this book a lot. Why? Because Austin got me to think about my own creative process, where I am lax or lazy, and what I could be doing better. I told my creative-genius daughter about it and she bought one too. Pure inspiration. A ton of great quotes. You can tell this writer reads a lot too. The writer is part philosophical, spiritual, a tiny bit theological, and very practical.

I am an aspiring author, publishing consultant, and speaker. Author and creator of Quick Jabs: Stories that Slap. This book shows the immense power of our God given duty to create, inspire, and share. Cuz, let's face it, if you're looking into buying this book, you are among those of like minds! In other words, you are our family, like it or not! And ask yourself, do you charge your family for your books and art? I recently published my blog through the substack platform. That is the hands down greatest tool I have ever found in ten straight years of publishing and outreach. So, see! We all share great and useful things! I mean, we only have each other after all. This book gave me my tag line for my website (and of course, I cited the source). It's important that we show respect to our families. We have probably all learned this lesson in a variety of ways over the years. I mean, it's apparent (no pun intended), when you fall who is always there to pick you up? I know my Dad is the only one that showed up to bail me out once or twice! Okay, so has my wife. But, hey it's family! With that thought, remember we bail each other out, us critics. It's love. Sometimes tough, but it is love. And we all love art and creation. 5 stars on this one. He inspired me to be more open and to be smart enough to keep my eyes open for opportunities! Bravo! Must buy.

I really loved "Steal Like an Artist". I felt like it was inspiring and super helpful. This book, not as much. I don't have a problem with sharing my work, and process and giving credit to other artists. Those are all great ideas. I got stuck on the notion that I should be sharing what I'm doing every day. I also don't like the idea of showing works in progress and talking about my process via social media. I know people that do this and unless they're a really great artist, I find this really annoying. There's a narcissistic component to this, that I think is rampant in social media. The idea that I'm such a compelling figure that everyone is interested in every little thing that I do is nauseating as far as I'm concerned. I also think that art shouldn't be talked about too much. Some should be left to mystery. Maybe it's a generational thing. Kleon is quite a bit younger than me, and over-sharing is just the norm now. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

Important book. Austin is exploring the issue of showing your work through internet, and particularly social media. An issue that is being discussed endlessly in many blogs and books (of which I’ve read many). But there is something different and unique about his discussion. In his own way, he’s coming at the subject from new angles. His way resonates with me much more than others. There’s actually no comparing at all. Austin’s approach makes me leave my hesitations behind and act, by convincing me that making mistakes is ok, as long as I make something. He then proceeds to frame those possible mistakes in manageable ways of thinking. He gives me the simple and pure feeling that there is an abundance of possibilities, and I can deep into them. that it’s actually no big deal to deep into them. Austin has a way of showing what to do and how to do it, without a boring To-do list. Through examples, inspiring quotes, and his own experience, he is SHOWING us, but not telling us. He is bringing it all down to earth, and very convincingly. Some examples to the uniqueness of the book: It’s giving good advice about the need to compromise between perfectionism and neglecting quality or over-sharing. I find that very useful advice as I engage in social media everyday-sharing. The atmosphere in this book brings the power to YOUR hands: “Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine. Online, you can become the person you really want to be.” For me personally, this book has been a real creative thinking teaser. In direct ways, and some indirect ones, it made me jump out my seat with new ideas, or sometimes, a new angle of an idea I was already working on, and feeling stuck. Coming to the end of the book, though, I seem to be running into problems with chapter 10: “Stick around”. Mostly, I don’t think this chapter belongs in this book, because mostly it’s not about “SHOW your work” but about DO your work. It gives fantastic advice, but I think it belongs in a separate book.

Mr. Kleon’s premise for the book is that artists do not need to actively self-promote. Instead an artist can create conditions where their work is findable. He believes the best approach to being findable is to generously share your work and, in particular, your process of working, with others. In a world of social media and the Internet, the barrier to establishing a place to share one’s work is low and therefore, quite doable for any artist. What I liked about his book is Mr. Kleon provides an approachable method for becoming findable. As I read through the pages, I felt his encouragement and permission to share; to put art out into the world. I particularly liked his advice about dealing with criticism: focus on feedback from the people who have done this type of work or from those people whose opinion you value and ignore the rest. The drawings and illustrations are unique and quirky, making the book a pleasure to read. He calls himself a writer who draws - which is an apt description. What did I dislike? Perhaps my criticism is more of a difference in opinion. As someone with a background in marketing, I disagree with Mr. Kleon when he says you should not ask for likes or for friends on social media. If the artist won't ask or at least invite people to look at their work, how can anyone know about what the artist does? Social currency in the form of "Like" or "Retweet" in social media is a powerful influencer. It means more people will come see the work. Creatives send invitations to book launches and art show openings all the time and not always to people they know. As Mr. Kleon notes it is not about becoming human spam but once in a while the artist should extend the invitation. Folks may not know there is a party going on if they are not invited. I’d recommend this book to anyone who does the hard work of creating art.

This is a simple but inspiring book on why to show your work. If you’re like me, a Gen-Xer… you were told: - Show your answers not your workings - Always put your best foot forward - Never show your weakness The world has changed, people want to know the the process, the behind the scenes, the outtakes and bloopers. A great little book to challenge one to show their work!

Bardzo dobra książka

Any person, in any field, who creates for themselves and others would benefit from this book. It's the push and encouragement you need to remove all self doubt when imposter syndrome strikes.

Great book!!! This was super insightful and gave me a lot of good tips. Now I want the other 2 in the “trilogy”