Insights from Show Your Work by Austin KLEON
Do you ever wonder how successful creatives built their careers in the digital age? Are you struggling to share your work and connect with fellow artists? Show Your Work by Austin Kleon has the answers you've been searching for.
This guide provides actionable advice and real-life examples to help you showcase your creativity, build a network, and engage with your audience.
Show Your Work by Austin Kleon: A Guide to Sharing Your Creativity
Show Your Work is a book written by Austin Kleon that explores how creatives can share their work and connect with others in the digital age. As an artist and writer himself, Kleon offers a fresh perspective on sharing work and building a network.
The book is divided into three main themes:
Each theme is explored in detail throughout the book, offering practical and actionable tips and examples from successful artists. For each section, I dropped in my 2 cents.
Note: The lessons of Show Your Work are not only applicable to artists - anyone who creates anything can learn something here.
FYI: If you don’t want to read this 5-min article, you can go straight to Kleon’s one-hour video here.
Sharing Your Process
"By sharing your process, you can connect with others, get feedback, and inspire others. It also allows you to showcase your unique perspective and creative approach." - Austin Kleon
Kleon emphasizes the importance of sharing your creative process with others. He believes that sharing your process can help you connect with others, get feedback, and inspire others. It also allows you to showcase your unique perspective and creative approach.
Some successful artists who have shared their process include Casey Neistat, who shares his filmmaking process on YouTube. Another person I like to follow and how share the process is Gary Vee. If you don’t know, Gary (Vaynerchuk) is an American entrepreneur. I have been following is work for almost 10 years now. He’s an author, speaker, and a massive inspiration figure for me. I first came across him when I discovered his YouTube channel “Wine Library TV” about wine and his family business. He has since expanded and now runs a multimillion-dollar digital marketing company
Building a Network
"Building a network can help you get feedback, find new opportunities, and collaborate with others. It also allows you to connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for creativity." - Austin Kleon
Kleon also emphasizes the importance of building a network of supportive and like-minded creatives. Building a network can help you get feedback, find new opportunities, and collaborate with others. It also allows you to connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for creativity.
Examples of successful artists who have built supportive networks include Austin Kleon, who has built a community of creative individuals through his blog and social media, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has built a network of collaborators through his work in theater.
You would be in your right to ask "how the f*** do I build a network?" My favorite ways are to connect with other creatives on social media by dropping a message to say how much I appreciate the work they do. I also love to collaborate on joint projects. I reckon I do a lot less than I used to, but my last one is a YouTube video. I will share the link with you when it’s live 😊.
Collaboration is a great way to work with others, to bounce ideas around, and to learn from them. It is a mutual exchange and I love that.
A similar approach is to offer your help to someone else’s project.
Here are some ways to connect with others and build your network:
Attend industry events and meetups
Share your work and engage with others in your field
Participate in online forums or discussion boards related to your field
Attend conferences and workshops related to your industry
Volunteer or participate in community events related to your field
(More steps below on how to build your network ⬇️)
Embracing Your Audience
"Embracing your audience can help you build a loyal following, get feedback, and find new opportunities. It also allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level and understand their needs and interests." - Austin Kleon
Kleon also stresses the importance of embracing your audience and engaging with them.
Embracing your audience can help you build a loyal following, get feedback, and find new opportunities. It also allows you to connect with your audience on a deeper level and understand their needs and interests.
Some successful artists who have embraced their audience include Taylor Swift, who has built a strong fan base through her social media presence and fan interactions, and Neil Gaiman, who engages with his audience through his blog and social media.
I personally love to be available to my audience. I like to reply to the DMs and discuss together or reply to comments. It is not always easy to be available especially when I am very cautious of my time on social media, but I truly enjoy liaising with people.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Show Your Work is a must-read for any creative looking to share their work and build a career in the digital age. By following the themes of sharing your process, building a network, and embracing your audience, you can take your creativity to the next level and reach a wider audience than ever before. So go ahead, show your work, and connect with others in the digital age!
Based on the book, here are some concrete steps to take to build your network:
To-do list for Building an Online Presence as a Creative
❑ Read Show Your Work by Austin Kleon ❑ Create social media posts showcasing your creative process ❑ Engage with your audience and build a loyal following ❑ Share your progress and work with others to get feedback and inspiration ❑ Repurpose your content for different platforms, such as YouTube and Instagram ❑ Use Ubersuggest and Pinterest to search for keywords related to your creative field ❑ Develop a personal brand and brand identity for your creative work ❑ Create a blog or website to showcase your work and connect with others
To-do list for Networking and Collaborating as a Creative
Connect with other creatives in your field and build a network by doing the following:
❑ Attend industry events and meetups
❑ Join online communities related to your field
❑ Share your work and engage with others in your field ❑ Participate in online forums or discussion boards related to your field
❑ Attend conferences and workshops related to your industry
❑ Volunteer or participate in community events related to your field
❑ Consider starting a podcast or blog to connect with other creatives and share your insights and experiences.
To-do list Setting Goals as a Creative
❑ Set achievable goals to help you reach success as a creative
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