Showing your work is not always a show-off

4 min read

By Mohamed Aidarus

Disclaimer: Words written in this review are my own and not necessarily those of the book author. 

In late 2021, I read a life-changing book named “Show your work” authored by Austin Kleon.  I want to share with my audiences the beautiful things I absorbed from this book.  Before I proceed with my book reflection, let me tell you how I ended up reading this book.  I wanted to know something about creativity so I wrote in the google search engine “Best books on creativity”.    “Steal like an artist: 10 things nobody told you about being Creative” was among the 12 books that popped out. This book is penned by Austin Kleon and I read it within two days.  This book gives ideas that apply to anyone who is attempting to inject some creativity into their life. It was a much-needed read for me. The writing style of the author caught my attention & I loved the reading experience of the book and that is how I ended up reading Kleon’s second book-Show Your Work. 

In the beginning, seeing the book title of “Show Your Work” I thought that the book is all about show-off like posting belongings and pride on social media as most people do.  But contrary to my notion, the book is about unlocking people’s creativity by sharing the good work the person is doing and being findable to get a network instead of wasting time on networking. It is an awesome book and I read it in one sitting with my Kindle Paperwhite.

So, what is the book about?

Show your work is a tiny book, full of cute drawings and diagrams which give inspirations and helpful tips about sharing your creativity with the world. The main aim that book extols is, in the internet age, everyone should have an online presence and post regularly the splendid work they are doing. Show Your Work! offers ten transformative rules for being open-minded, generous, brave & productive.  These are traits every one of us is in pursuit of obtaining.  The book is full of nuggets of inspiration. To cut the long story short, I am not going to share everything that I have seen in the book but I will try to shed some light on my main takeaways from the book.

Be findable

Be open about sharing what you are working on instead of posting the coffee you are drinking, your whereabouts, travel destinations, your kids’ pictures and your belongings. Share bits and pieces of your work, your ideas and what you are learning online to the people who might be interested in what you do.  In return, you will get fellowship, feedback & patronage.  Sharing your work with the right people will help you easily find a good network that supports you in times of need.  For example, if you share the books you read in 2021 in a blog, you are likely to get some new friends who are avid readers.  

You don’t have to be a genius to share a splendid work

Being a good writer is not a prerequisite for sharing a splendid work. To put it in another way, you need not worry about your communication and writing skills. You have to read books, watch helpful YouTube Videos, copy something beautiful from the people & then add your reflections & contributions and later share it with your online friends.  The book is not encouraging plagiarism. The book says if you have a good idea or information which can help people to transform their lives, don’t hesitate to share it.

Teach what you know.

Whenever you learn something new turn around and teach the small things that you have learned to your relatives, spouse and friends by any means using pictures, videos and words. I used to underestimate this before learning this valuable information from this book but now whenever I share knowledge and work with others, I receive an education in return. Share your book reading list, point out helpful materials including insightful articles and helpful websites.

Blogging. 

Blogging is an activity that I enjoy most, although I do seldom blog. This book has encouraged me to share something small regularly on my blog post. If you don’t have a site, create a good site that you control to share the work you are doing. When you publish thousands of blogs over a decade, you can easily turn your lifework into a book.  Another key thing to remember is that blogging gives the person a great opportunity to demonstrate and share his knowledge. 

These are among the splendid works that you can share with people.

• You can share your splendid works and those of others. 
• Your favorite Islamic Sheikhs.
• Your experience in a specific field or sector. 
• Book reviews.
• The sites you frequently visit on the internet
• the work you admired.
• The insightful events you have attended.

I am highly recommending you read Show your work by Austin Kleon. I hope you enjoyed this short read. 

Maidarus111@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/M_Aidarus1