📚 Book Review: Show Your Work!

Author: Austin Kleon
Read if you’re into: creativity, content sharing, storytelling, getting started

It’s a book for people who hate the word self-promotion. The ones who’d rather do the work than talk about it. Kleon’s message? Talking is part of the work. In fact, if you don’t share your ideas, experiments, curiosities, and works-in-progress — it’s like they never existed at all. This book helped push me over the edge to put myself out there.

Here’s what stood out:

🔥 Big Ideas I Took Away

1. You don’t have to be a genius. Just be an amateur.
We put so much pressure on ourselves to be experts before we show anything. But Kleon flips that. Amateurs, he says, have the advantage — they’re scrappy, enthusiastic, willing to be seen trying. That’s where the connection happens. “The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act.” It also makes the journey more approachable to other beginners rather than seeing the final form. 

2. Think process, not product.
Most people only show the polished, finished thing. Kleon urges us to pull back the curtain and share the process: the rough sketches, the research rabbit holes, the failures. That’s where the real value lives. If you’re already doing the work, documenting it is just pressing "record" or "upload."

3. Share something small every day.
The goal isn’t to go viral — it’s to show up. A quote, a work-in-progress photo, a lesson learned the hard way. Build what he calls “flow” (the daily posts) and “stock” (the deeper, evergreen stuff) in tandem. One keeps you present, the other builds your long-term footprint. 

4. Tell better stories.
Good stories create value. They help people understand what your work is, why it matters, and where it came from. And no, this isn’t just for artists. If you pitch, present, or persuade in any way, you’re already a storyteller. Might as well get better at it.

5. Be a fan first.
“If you’re only pointing to your own stuff online, you’re doing it wrong.” Kleon says if you want people to care about your work, care about theirs first. Share what you love. Give credit. Be part of the conversation, not just a loudspeaker.

Why I’d Recommend It
Show Your Work! isn’t long or complicated. That’s the point. It reads like a pep talk, a practical manual, and a gentle shove all at once. Whether you're a writer, designer, startup founder, or just someone with a half-finished side project on your desktop — this is your permission to hit “publish.”

It’s not about self-promotion. It’s about being seen. And maybe helping someone else in the process.