Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered By Austin Kleon
Rating: 4/5
Recommended Audience: People who want to create content but are still deciding what to create.
I believe we all benefit from a white belt mentality, and this book confirms this. Austin believes we should create content that documents our journey. Through regularly sharing all your life lessons and inspirations, your content will evolve, and you will discover your next opportunity. Here are my key takeaways from the book:
Adopt a documentarian approach to recording what we learn; we will find people who share our passions, and that is where opportunities will come from.
Austin doesn’t buy the ‘I'm busy’ excuse. Austin argues that good content isn’t created from hour-long blocks of practice but from consistent daily practice, even for only ten minutes.
You cannot get better if you don’t start. I don’t entirely agree with Austin’s recommendation to publish something every day. I have interpreted this: as long as I write something daily, I win. Ryan Holiday is also a fan of showing up and completing something daily that is advancing you towards your goal.
Create content with the belief that every content consumer can fire you. Initially, I believed that this perspective was restrictive, but after further reading, I now believe that this perspective will increase content quality.
A great writer presents their work clearly through storytelling. Austin is a fan of cutting the fluff. He argues more words with more syllables don’t make you smarter; it constricts the flow of your content. Cut the fluff, and say what you must say in the least amount of time.
You can’t just create and expect people to come. You need to read first, be a part of a community and contribute to the virtual world.
Don’t worry about how to cater to the algorithms and generate followers. Create the best content you can, and the followers will come.
After you finish a project, don’t stop. Keep going. A break will break you.
The more you share and the larger your following, the more criticism you will receive.
Content creation is an endurance event; you must stick with it for a long time.
I’ll say it again: always be a white belt. An amateur’s open mind is an advantage.
