Show Your Work! 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered
Austin Kleon
Workman Publishing Company (2014)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works….” Matthew 5:16

As Austin Kleon explains, his previous book, Steal Like an Artist, “was about stealing influence from other people” whereas “this book is about how to influence others by letting them steal from you.” I agree with him that “all you have to do is to show your work” but only if (HUGE “if”) it’s worth stealing and you know how to do that in terms of what, when, and where. Actually, he wrote this book “for people who hate the very idea of self-promotion.” It’s not enough to be very good. “In order to be found, you have to be findable. I think there’s an easy way of putting your work out there and making it discoverable while you’re focused on getting really good at what you do.”

Kleon’s two books can be of incalculable value to those who need help with creating content (whatever its nature and extent may be) and then help with attracting the interest and support of those on whom the success of the offering depends. It could be a product, a service, or both. Its target market could be singles, seniors, the unemployed or under-employed, new parents, do-it-yourselfers, beginners at whatever…you get the idea.

So, how to become findable? First, Kleon explains the need for developing a new mindset, one that will enable the reluctant self-promoter to think differently so that she or he can then operate differently. Here’s his key point: “Almost all of the people I look up to and try to steal from today, regardless of their profession, have built [begin italics] sharing [end italics] into their routine. Next, he urges his reader to find what the musician Brian Eno characterizes as a “scenius”: a group of creative individuals who make up an ecology of talent. “What I love about the idea of scenius is that it makes room in the story of creativity for the rest of us: the people who don’t consider ourselves geniuses.”

Then Kleon suggests ten specific observations and initiatives and devotes a separate chapter to each. The purpose of the first, “You don’t have to be a genius,” is an important reassurance that David and Tom Kelley also provide in their recently published book, Creative Confidence: Believing that only geniuses are creative “is a myth that far too many people share. This book is about the opposite of that myth. It is about what we call ‘creative confidence.’ And at its foundation is the belief that we are all creative…Creative confidence is a way of seeing that potential and your place in the world more clearly, unclouded by anxiety and doubt. We hope you’ll join us on our quest to embrace creative confidence in our lives. Together, we can all make the world a better place.”

The other nine call for initiatives that almost anyone can take. Kleon suggests the most important do’s and don’ts to keep in mind. Two key elements are repeatedly emphasized. First, share generously and continuously with those who comprise an appropriate (key word) ecology of talent: people who share common interest and goals, yes, but also common questions and concerns. Share what will be of greatest interest and value to them. Also, be yourself. Why? I like Oscar Wilde’s response best: “Everyone else is taken.” Each person is a unique work-in-progress. That’s hardly an original insight but well-worth repeating.

Let’s allow Austin Kleon the final observations: “Human beings are interested in other human beings and what other human beings do. Audiences today not only want to stumble across great work, they, too, long to be part of the creative process. By showing people your ‘behind-the-scenes footage” [i.e. portions of incomplete and imperfect work], they can see the person behind the products, and they can better form a relationship with you and your work.” So show it…and your authentic self in process.