{"id":8663,"date":"2021-10-01T11:00:23","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T09:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smama.blog\/show-your-work\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T10:28:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T09:28:42","slug":"show-your-work-austin-kleon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smama.blog\/en\/show-your-work-austin-kleon\/","title":{"rendered":"Show Your Work!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great books are the ones that make you think. Even better are the ones that make you act.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Show Your Work!<\/em> by Austin Kleon<\/a> is exactly that kind of book. You can\u2019t call it a \u201cclassic motivational book about productivity\u201d, because it isn\u2019t one. The format is compact, and it is written and designed so that it reads quickly and easily. But the best things come in small packages, don\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

I have always believed that books find us, not the other way round, and this book proved it once again.<\/p>\n

At the moment I\u2019m spending a lot of time on myself: I read and watch content about personal growth and productivity, especially when it comes to creativity and writing<\/a>. Since I have a job that doesn\u2019t fulfil me in any way, apart from the fact that, well, at the end of the month I get a certain amount of money so the bills can be paid, I realised this is the ideal time to use this period productively. Not professionally, but personally. And so, by a series of intentional coincidences, I came across this book.<\/p>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/a>

Photo: @dragicevicc.ph<\/p><\/div>\n

Using his own example, but also very striking examples of famous authors, the author focuses on the premise that each of us is an amateur<\/strong> in some field that interests us, that this is more than ok, and that as such we should show what we are working on and share it with the world, no matter what it is.<\/p>\n

Without spoiling the whole book: through clear examples and guidelines, the author shows us how to do exactly that, how to do what we love and share it publicly, show our working process and connect with people who share our interests, because that is how we keep learning and improving not only ourselves, but also our work.<\/p>\n

At first glance all of this seems like common sense, and maybe it is, but that is exactly the trick. Because sometimes you need to stop and remind yourself of the basics, since all too often we can\u2019t see the wood for the trees. And no, nothing goes without saying, and nothing is too \u201csilly\u201d to be clearly repeated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the best way to sum up this book is its subtitle: 10 ways to share your creativity and get discovered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I read it as an e-book, but I think it\u2019s worth having in print too, because it\u2019s one of those books you should come back to from time to time, even just to leaf through. The ideas are so simple and compact that you don\u2019t need to read the whole thing again; instead, mark the passages that relate to your creative process and come back to them whenever you hit \u201ca crisis\u201d<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I said at the beginning, a great book is one that inspires action.<\/strong> And this one did exactly that: Marko and I are actively working on him showing you his work too (since my work has been on show through this blog for years, and I keep doing it). I won\u2019t tell you exactly what it is yet, but when it\u2019s official, believe me, you will be the first to know. All I can say is that I can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

Some of the ideas that made the strongest impression on me (in my own words):<\/p><\/blockquote>\n