Show Your Work book cover

Show Your Work! Book Summary and Review

 

Austin Kleon encourages the readers of his book Show Your Work to start sharing bits of their work online where every creator builds a supporting community and a professional reputation. You don’t have to network, but you should take advantage of the network by promoting yourself on the web. In this post you will find Show Your Work summary and review to give you a glimpse of the book’s amazing ideas on self-promotion as a daily enjoyable act, so enjoy reading!

Book Review

There are many gems to sharing your work online with people and getting discovered by the right ones, and Show Your Work book pins them out simply and directly. As I like to call it, Kleon’s book is a “light read” meaning that the ideas shared are simple but action-oriented. It boosted my self-confidence by telling me that sharing my work today will have immense benefits with time, such as finding a community, and monetizing my work on the long run.

Art and creativity are discussed heavily in Show Your Work by Austin Kleon because there’s an art to everything we do regardless of our work’s need for creativity.

One thought will stick with me forever is worth mention in this Show Your Work book review:

I share and believe in the Art of my work, want to join me? 

Who Do I Recommend This Book To?

I recommend all content creators, writers, employees who plan on freelancing independently,
artists of all kinds, painters, teachers, and any person who has a side hustle to
read Show Your Work summary or the book itself.

Information about Show Your Work by Austin Kleon:

 

·      Rate: 3.5/5
·      Difficulty: Very easy
·      Length: Very short
·      Genre: Self-help book
·      Publication Date: March 6, 2014 

 

SHOW YOUR WORK SUMMARY

I prepared this Show Your Work Book Summary to become a reference to any person who wants to find the main ideas of the book online. The summary is a reflection of the thoughts mentioned in each chapter of Show Your Work by Austin Kleon and a guide on How to show your work online and get discovered by the right people who are interested in the same work as you. 

You Don’t Have to Be a Genuis

Be an Amateur.
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Don’t get offended by this advice, in fact you should think about embracing it. Being an amateur might sound like you lack formal training and expertise, but it also reflects your lifelong eagerness for learning and experimenting. In some parts of life, you are expected to be a genius in your field, but when sharing your work online you don’t have to sound smart or intelligent; you can be fun, reachable, interactive, and a person of many interests.   

Think Process, Not Product

“Become a documentarian of what you do.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

In the past, people needed to create a product to present themselves and their achievements to society. However, nowadays you don’t need a finished product to prove yourself because only by letting people in on your work process and journey, you’re showcasing your abilities and expertise.

Imagine that you showed up to a job interview and instead of presenting your past experiences, you presented the personal projects you initiated and managed. How incredible would it be? People love seeing what we made on our own using “our little fingers.” 

Share Something Small Everyday

“Don’t show your lunch or your latte; show your work.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

We are all guilty of sharing our breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee cups. We share these pictures because they’re effortless, but how do they contribute to our online identity or the work we want to get known for? They don’t.

This Show Your Work summary highlights the most prominent idea the book has; share daily snippets of your work online on any platform you choose and see the magic happen. Kleon writes: “Your daily dispatch can be anything you want, a blog post, an email, a tweet, a YouTube video, or some other little bit of media.”

Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities

“Don’t feel guilty about the pleasure you take in the things you enjoy. Celebrate them.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Show Your Work is concerned with the process of your work even when you’re searching for inspiration or trying to refreshen your mind, proving to everyone that even your fears and pleasures are part of your work process. 

Tell Good Stories

“You need to know what a good story is and how to tell one.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Everyone surrenders to a good story, so learn a simple story structure and use it
whenever you want to weave some events. Be a little dramatic and engage your
audience with great stories of your daily adventures.

Here’s a simple story structure from the book for you: The problem. The work done to solve the problem. The solution. 

Teach What You Know

“If you want followers, be someone worth following.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

By reading Show Your Work Austin Kleon summary you must know that producing quality work is as important as the act of sharing. We follow the people who produce high-quality content and that comes by reading, searching, editing, and caring about the work’s effects on others. 

Don’t Turn into Human Spam

“If, after hanging out with someone you feel worn out and depleted, that person is a vampire.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Protect your energy at all costs in your sharing journey and ignore the mean comments and the people who post them. 

Learn to Take a Punch

“When you put your work out into the world, you have to be ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Accepting that people will have negative comments and reviews is very important to the development of your work. You do become stronger when you laugh at negative reviews, so be proud of your work and avoid vulnerability.

Show Your Work summary encourages you to boost your self-confidence by trusting the process and accepting the good and the bad sides of existing online. 

Sell Out

“Don’t be afraid to charge for your work, but put a price on it that you think is fair.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

If you start offering services then price them so you can preserve their value in the market. However, with showing your work you must create valuable content that makes people come to you when they need you instead of you begging them to notice you. 

Stick Around

“The people who get what they’re after are very often the ones who just stick around long enough.”
Austin Kleon, Show Your Work

Stay when it’s hard. Show up when it’s annoying. Keep going when you’re tired. Stay consistent and the fruits will start growing when you least expect it. 

How to Show Your Work?

Here are some easy steps to start presenting your work from Show Your
Work summary and book:

 

  • Get a domain name
  • Create a website/blog
  • Choose simple design that isn’t hard to make
  • Write daily
  • Hit post

I hope you enjoyed reading Show Your Work summary on Read&Blog and benefited from the
quotes and snippets I shared from the book. Keep an eye on our website for new
reads! 

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