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forgottensecret's review
4.0
'Almost all of the people I look up to and try to steal from today, regardless of their profession, have built sharing into their routine. These people aren’t schmoozing at cocktail parties; they’re too busy for that. They’re cranking away in their studios, their laboratories, or their cubicles, but instead of maintaining absolute secrecy and hoarding their work, they’re open about what they’re working on, and they’re consistently posting bits and pieces of their work, their ideas, and what they're learning online.'
I immediately knew that I would like this book from the first chapter, 'A New Way of Operating'. I have for years blanched at words like 'networking' or 'self-promotion', associating them with some schmoozy huckster with a Brooklyn accent. I like their more benevolent cousins: connection and self-actualisation. Austin Kleon, in this short manifesto, provides an alternative way of looking at all of this.
For him, the aim of the book comes from recognising that being good is not enough, one also has to be findable. He then dovetails this with reframing self-promotion. He correctly orients someone in the technological age, to see the virtues of creating an identity online. He sketches a vision for the opportunities which are possible through this:
'Imagine if your next boss didn’t have to read your résumé because he already reads your blog. Imagine being a student and getting your first gig based on a school project you posted online. Imagine losing your job but having a social network of people familiar with your work and ready to help you find a new one. Imagine turning a side project or a hobby into your profession because you had a following that could support you.
Or imagine something simpler and just as satisfying: spending the majority of your time, energy, and attention practicing a craft, learning a trade, or running a business, while also allowing for the possibility that your work might attract a group of people who share your interests.'
The ten rules which bolster the above mode of operating are:
'1. You Don't Have to Be a Genius.
2. Think Process, Not Product.
3. Share Something Small Everyday.
4. Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities.
5. Tell Good Stories.
6. Teach What You Know.
8. Learn to Take a Punch.
9. Sell Out.
10. Stick Around.'
Rule 1 particularly resonated with me. He explains as part of a subsection, 'You Can't Find Your Voice If You Don't Use It', that (predictably) we can't find our voice unless we use it. For example, if I want to get better at Goodreads reviews, which for me, is really just to practice analysing texts and forming my analyses with increasingly more vivid, pleasant language, then I must write Goodreads reviews. My 'voice', quite literal in this example, cannot be developed in the absence of this activity. By analogy, for a person who wants to get better at the piano, from the POV of the piano, it is only those who make the time to interact with her that will be granted the sought-after advancement of ability. This couples with Scott Young's advice in 'Ultralearning', where Young offers the principle of 'directness' in order to learn a skill most effectively. We cannot develop our voice, play the piano, or learn a language with methods that only indirectly address those skills. We must choose methods which directly challenge the skill that we want to improve. Sidetracks, or digging paths underground to reach a grounded endpoint might eventually work (or perhaps never), but they are more than likely just masquerades of busyness. One might feel that effort alone translates to skill improvement, but the skill is indifferent to our protestations and justifications for why we should be better by now. If we have not chosen the right method from the outset, then time endured is irrelevant. This ties into the research done by the late psychologist Anders Ericsson on deliberate practice.
If we do find the right method, and seek to develop our voice, how do we ensure that we don't drift from the inevitably long path? Kleon stresses the equality of time that many of us have:
'Don’t say you don’t have enough time. We’re all busy, but we all get 24 hours a day. People often ask me, “How do you find the time for all this?” And I answer, “I look for it.” You find time the same place you find spare change: in the nooks and crannies. You find it in the cracks between the big stuff—your commute, your lunch break, the few hours after your kids go to bed. You might have to miss an episode of your favorite TV show, you might have to miss an hour of sleep, but you can find the time if you look for it. I like to work while the world is sleeping, and share while the world is at work.'
Overall, the measure of a book's success can sometimes be judged by whether the author did what they set out to do. Well, partly through this book, I have written more reviews this year on Goodreads than I did since my arrival on the website in 2015. Therefore, I am proof of Kleon's message (and the power of books to add values to our lives), which is about as high praise one can give to an author. Through this book, I was able to shift from seeing the internet as a counterfeit of real connection and irrelevant to private skill development, to now viewing it in a much more compassionately empowering way. Highly recommended to those who want to upend their own views about developing their selves and projects in secrecy.
I immediately knew that I would like this book from the first chapter, 'A New Way of Operating'. I have for years blanched at words like 'networking' or 'self-promotion', associating them with some schmoozy huckster with a Brooklyn accent. I like their more benevolent cousins: connection and self-actualisation. Austin Kleon, in this short manifesto, provides an alternative way of looking at all of this.
For him, the aim of the book comes from recognising that being good is not enough, one also has to be findable. He then dovetails this with reframing self-promotion. He correctly orients someone in the technological age, to see the virtues of creating an identity online. He sketches a vision for the opportunities which are possible through this:
'Imagine if your next boss didn’t have to read your résumé because he already reads your blog. Imagine being a student and getting your first gig based on a school project you posted online. Imagine losing your job but having a social network of people familiar with your work and ready to help you find a new one. Imagine turning a side project or a hobby into your profession because you had a following that could support you.
Or imagine something simpler and just as satisfying: spending the majority of your time, energy, and attention practicing a craft, learning a trade, or running a business, while also allowing for the possibility that your work might attract a group of people who share your interests.'
The ten rules which bolster the above mode of operating are:
'1. You Don't Have to Be a Genius.
2. Think Process, Not Product.
3. Share Something Small Everyday.
4. Open Up Your Cabinet of Curiosities.
5. Tell Good Stories.
6. Teach What You Know.
8. Learn to Take a Punch.
9. Sell Out.
10. Stick Around.'
Rule 1 particularly resonated with me. He explains as part of a subsection, 'You Can't Find Your Voice If You Don't Use It', that (predictably) we can't find our voice unless we use it. For example, if I want to get better at Goodreads reviews, which for me, is really just to practice analysing texts and forming my analyses with increasingly more vivid, pleasant language, then I must write Goodreads reviews. My 'voice', quite literal in this example, cannot be developed in the absence of this activity. By analogy, for a person who wants to get better at the piano, from the POV of the piano, it is only those who make the time to interact with her that will be granted the sought-after advancement of ability. This couples with Scott Young's advice in 'Ultralearning', where Young offers the principle of 'directness' in order to learn a skill most effectively. We cannot develop our voice, play the piano, or learn a language with methods that only indirectly address those skills. We must choose methods which directly challenge the skill that we want to improve. Sidetracks, or digging paths underground to reach a grounded endpoint might eventually work (or perhaps never), but they are more than likely just masquerades of busyness. One might feel that effort alone translates to skill improvement, but the skill is indifferent to our protestations and justifications for why we should be better by now. If we have not chosen the right method from the outset, then time endured is irrelevant. This ties into the research done by the late psychologist Anders Ericsson on deliberate practice.
If we do find the right method, and seek to develop our voice, how do we ensure that we don't drift from the inevitably long path? Kleon stresses the equality of time that many of us have:
'Don’t say you don’t have enough time. We’re all busy, but we all get 24 hours a day. People often ask me, “How do you find the time for all this?” And I answer, “I look for it.” You find time the same place you find spare change: in the nooks and crannies. You find it in the cracks between the big stuff—your commute, your lunch break, the few hours after your kids go to bed. You might have to miss an episode of your favorite TV show, you might have to miss an hour of sleep, but you can find the time if you look for it. I like to work while the world is sleeping, and share while the world is at work.'
Overall, the measure of a book's success can sometimes be judged by whether the author did what they set out to do. Well, partly through this book, I have written more reviews this year on Goodreads than I did since my arrival on the website in 2015. Therefore, I am proof of Kleon's message (and the power of books to add values to our lives), which is about as high praise one can give to an author. Through this book, I was able to shift from seeing the internet as a counterfeit of real connection and irrelevant to private skill development, to now viewing it in a much more compassionately empowering way. Highly recommended to those who want to upend their own views about developing their selves and projects in secrecy.
zenrobot's review against another edition
5.0
Easy read with loads of good advice
I have highlights in just about every chapter. This book was short sweet and to the point. I highly recommend this for any type of creator.
I have highlights in just about every chapter. This book was short sweet and to the point. I highly recommend this for any type of creator.
mads_jpg's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Really insightful book for anyone pursuing a creative career.
rainbowofcrazy's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I loved this book! In a lot of ways, I think I even enjoyed this one even more than “Steal Like An Artist”. As much as I enjoyed all the hand drawn notes and visuals in SLAA, “Show Your Work” offers more written practical advice and it felt a little more focused than its predecessor.
I don’t think I’ve read that many self help kind of books, but I have learned that they don’t really offer anything new. (Hell, “Steal like an Artist” touches on the concept of new ideas. Spoiler alert: new ideas don’t exist.) But it really comes down to how the information is presented, and this hit just right. The advice is nothing new, but it’s practical, helpful, and delivered in an easy to digest way.
What amused me the most is that I really got a sense of the bullshit the author has put up with over the years. It really becomes apparent in this book with his mention of terms like “human spam”, vampires, and trolls. But I get it, and appreciate it. Show your work, but most importantly, don’t be a dick, please.
Highly recommend this book for creators of all kinds!
teacofe's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
sarahtribble's review
3.0
This took me literally 6 months to read, because halfway through, I came to a piece of advice that I found so condescending, I considered DNF-ing the book entirely. Nevertheless, there was definitely some sound advice in here -- this book has an inspiring sort of energy, the kind that makes me feel really motivated to get myself out there and show my work.