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Austin Kleon
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Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered (Austin Kleon) Kindle Edition

by Austin Kleon (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 9,957
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by “stealing” from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in an even more forward-thinking and necessary book, he shows how to take that critical next step on a creative journey—getting known.

 Show Your Work! is about why generosity trumps genius. It’s about getting findable, about using the network instead of wasting time “networking.” It’s not self-promotion, it’s self-discovery—let others into your process, then let them steal from you. Filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples, Show Your Work! offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, productive.

In chapters such as You Don’t Have to Be a Genius; Share Something Small Every Day; and Stick Around, Kleon creates a user’s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity— what he calls the “ecology of talent.” From broader life lessons about work (you can’t find your voice if you don’t use it) to the etiquette of sharing—and the dangers of oversharing—to the practicalities of Internet life (build a good domain name; give credit when credit is due), it’s an inspiring manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age.

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  1. Print length
    131 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Workman Publishing Company
  5. Publication date
    March 6, 2014
  6. File size
    17260 KB
  7. Page Flip
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  8. Word Wise
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  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  1. Share what you love, and the people who love the same things will find you.
    Highlighted by 10,084 Kindle readers
  2. Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.
    Highlighted by 7,519 Kindle readers
  3. You just have to be as generous as you can, but selfish enough to get your work done.
    Highlighted by 6,317 Kindle readers
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Forget the lone genius myth, says Kleon, author of the best-seller, Steal like an Artist (2012). His 10-step journey in this beginner’s guide to self-promotion emphasizes audience building and explains the how and why of such approaches as thinking about process rather than product, sharing something each day, teaching what you know, learning to take a punch, and developing staying power. Kleon’s use of artists’ quotes, photographs, and organizational diagrams enhances the text as he reminds readers of how interested people are in the creative process. Become a documentarian . . . start a journal . . . keep a scrapbook . . . see the work you’re doing more clearly and feel . . . progress. When you’re ready to share, you’ll have a surplus of material. Put work out there and let people take their best shot. Then make even more work and keep sharing it until you learn that criticism can’t hurt and may help you. And stick with it. Kleon’s powerful advice makes this small-format book not-at-all little. --Whitney Scott

Review

"Austin Kleon is one of the brightest new minds on the creative landscape. Show Your Work! demonstrates why. With simple yet profound insights, and an array of his amazing images, he casts aside old stereotypes of the creative life and tells what it's really like." - Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human and Drive

"[Show Your Work is] timeless; readers can return to it repeatedly throughout life and still glean useful ideas and tips... Anyone starting out (or starting over)...will find upbeat encouragement here."
―Library Journal

“Some people are natural self-promoters. For others, it’s painfully difficult to put their work out there. In this creatively designed pocket-sized book, Kleon offers the latter group effective strategies that allow them to share their work without leaving their comfort zone…. Kleon’s advice is sassy and spot-on.”
―Publishers Weekly

“[The] subtitle could just as easily be, ‘How to Self-promote Without Being a Jerkface.’ It’s an incredibly useful and compulsively readable short book.”
―Fast Company

“Kleon addresses with equal parts humility, honesty, and humor one of the quintessential questions of the creative life: How do you get ‘discovered’? In some ways, the book is the mirror-image of Kleon’s debut ― rather than encouraging you to ‘steal’ from others… it offers a blueprint to making your work influential enough to be theft-worthy.”
―Brain Pickings

“A must-read for anyone involved in the creative process.”
―LibraryReads


“Kleon’s powerful advice makes this small-format book not-at-all little.”
―Booklist

“In this motivating book, packed with smart approaches, ideas and quotes, Kleon teaches you how best to navigate through creative work in the present day. . . . A certain and deserved bestseller.”
―The Bookseller

“It’s not often that I find myself reviewing a book that I can say has already changed my life. . . . At a crucial turn in this fabulous little wallop of a book comes the simple directive, ‘Share something small every day.’ That ‘something’ oughtn’t be your Instagrammed latte or a selfie, but something ‘useful or interesting’ about your work. Put enough somethings out there, and a lone artist or entrepreneur can soon be a productive part of a creative community.”
―BookPage

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00GU2RGGI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Workman Publishing Company; Illustrated edition (March 6, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 6, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 17260 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 131 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 9,957

About the author

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Austin Kleon

Austin Kleon

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Austin Kleon is a writer and artist living in Austin, Texas. He's the author of two bestselling books: Steal Like an Artist, a manifesto for creativity in the digital age, and Newspaper Blackout, a collection of poetry made by redacting newspaper articles with a permanent marker. He speaks about creativity for organizations such as Pixar, Google, SXSW, TEDx, and The Economist. Visit him online at www.austinkleon.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
9,957 global ratings
NOT life changing
3 Stars
NOT life changing
I bought this book based on a recommendation from Ali Abdaal’s YouTube channel. (Shout out to Ali!) There he professed that this series of books “changed his life.”It’s safe to say that expectations were set rather too high. Certainly, there’s no way I could ever call this book life-changing. The best I can say is it’s a very short, light read, with occasional thought-provoking quotes.A large chunk of this book will be obvious to anyone who’s grown up using the internet. Perhaps in 2014 when it was first published there was more of a need for such insights. We often forget how fast things change.One thing that bugged me throughout was the ugly and unnecessary illustrations that failed to add anything—blacked out words, reminiscent of the pasted newspaper letters from a cartoon kidnapper’s ransom note.
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Top reviews from the United States

Wendi Gwaltney
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you for sharing
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2024
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A must read for anyone starting a new venture. Easy to read. It is like sitting down with a friend enjoying a cup of coffee. Sharing wisdom, always a good thing!
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Paulange
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the read!
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
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I bought this one and the other 2 by Austin Kleon. I love the advice, the art that comes with it and all the quotes chosen to support the mesage.
One person found this helpful
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Lihi Ben Haim
4.0 out of 5 stars A unique view on the issue. Brings the power to YOUR hands. Creativity teaser. But chapter 10 doesn't belong here.
Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2014
Verified Purchase
Important book. Austin is exploring the issue of showing your work through internet, and particularly social media. An issue that is being discussed endlessly in many blogs and books (of which I’ve read many).
But there is something different and unique about his discussion. In his own way, he’s coming at the subject from new angles. His way resonates with me much more than others. There’s actually no comparing at all.
Austin’s approach makes me leave my hesitations behind and act, by convincing me that making mistakes is ok, as long as I make something. He then proceeds to frame those possible mistakes in manageable ways of thinking.
He gives me the simple and pure feeling that there is an abundance of possibilities, and I can deep into them. that it’s actually no big deal to deep into them.
Austin has a way of showing what to do and how to do it, without a boring To-do list. Through examples, inspiring quotes, and his own experience, he is SHOWING us, but not telling us. He is bringing it all down to earth, and very convincingly.
Some examples to the uniqueness of the book: It’s giving good advice about the need to compromise between perfectionism and neglecting quality or over-sharing. I find that very useful advice as I engage in social media everyday-sharing.
The atmosphere in this book brings the power to YOUR hands:
“Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine. Online, you can become the person you really want to be.”

For me personally, this book has been a real creative thinking teaser. In direct ways, and some indirect ones, it made me jump out my seat with new ideas, or sometimes, a new angle of an idea I was already working on, and feeling stuck.

Coming to the end of the book, though, I seem to be running into problems with chapter 10: “Stick around”. Mostly, I don’t think this chapter belongs in this book, because mostly it’s not about “SHOW your work” but about DO your work. It gives fantastic advice, but I think it belongs in a separate book.
6 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly life changing!
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2024
Verified Purchase
Reading this book has reaffirmed my hope of being a successful writer, starting as an amateur. I highly recommend you check it out
One person found this helpful
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Shopwise
5.0 out of 5 stars reluctant to join in social media?
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024
Verified Purchase
Are you, like me, an artist who is reluctant to join in social media? This book changed my perspective and provided simple ways to get started and other tips that will make the process enjoyable. I feel better prepared to start sharing my work and see this as part of my learning process rather than my promoting process.
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Matthew Jablonski
5.0 out of 5 stars Letting one's work evolve is the key to success!
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2024
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Never declare one artistic process become your official style; think of it as YOUR evolution's origin.
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izabella
5.0 out of 5 stars if you want motivation to start something in your life get this book
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2024
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if you want motivation to start something in your life get this book
One person found this helpful
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Sandy
4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good.
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book doesn't get 5 stars from me only because it's written a little all over the place...I like the author a lot, but I couldn't get focused...too many concepts and didn't have the flow I'd like to have in a book. But it's entertaining!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Ian
5.0 out of 5 stars practical and succinct guide to creating
Reviewed in Canada on January 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
Helped solidify some things I knew while helping perceived them from new angles. Was a quick read and enjoyed it. Likely to reread and take more notes.
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Luís D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Blowing mind
Reviewed in Brazil on August 2, 2023
Verified Purchase
Simple explained, directly, objective, and a lot of essential points we maybe miss between the crazy daily base chases/work/tasks etc...
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic !
Reviewed in Mexico on July 21, 2023
Verified Purchase
Libro muy ameno, sencillo de leer que en modo de te tos breves va depositando ideas sobre cómo empezar a promocionar tu trabajo antes de que esté exista. Se trata de enganchar a la gente en el proceso y no en el resultado. La gente amara como creas cosas más de lo que amaran las cosas que creas. Y probablemente una vez hayas enganchado a la gente en tu proceso creativo, ellos a,aran mucho más aún tu obra que si la descubren por casualidad una vez terminada.
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D
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in Belgium on March 16, 2024
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Good book
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K. Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2024
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A smallish book but distilled with helpful insights & advice for creatives wanting to get noticed and appreciated. I highly recommend.
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