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 offices, 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.
Short Summary:
“Show Your Work!” is Austin Kleon’s 2014 guide to self-promotion for people who hate self-promotion – a manifesto for sharing creativity in the digital age. As the follow-up to his bestseller “Steal Like an Artist,” this illustrated book shifts focus from developing creativity to sharing it, arguing that “making things isn’t enough – you have to share them.”
Kleon’s central premise challenges the traditional “lone genius” myth by advocating for what he calls “scenius” – communal genius that emerges through sharing processes, influences, and ideas rather than just finished products. Throughout the book’s ten chapters, he builds a compelling case that obscurity, not piracy, is the real enemy of creative work in the digital era, and that strategic sharing is the solution.
The book opens with a radical reframing of self-promotion as generosity: “Think process, not product.” Kleon argues that contemporary audiences crave authentic connection with creators and suggests sharing your creative journey – “your process, the backstage stuff, the behind-the-scenes” – rather than just polished outcomes. He advises readers to “become documentarians of what you do” by taking notes, photographs, and recordings of your work process.
Each short chapter presents a specific principle, illustrated with Kleon’s distinctive black-and-white drawings, handwritten notes, quotes, and examples from various creative fields. In “Think process, not product,” he encourages creators to share something small every day – a practice that builds an audience gradually while producing a valuable archive of your development. “Share something small every day” introduces the concept of the daily dispatch – a regular update that keeps you visible and engaged with your community.
Kleon offers practical advice on what to share: “Turn your flow into stock” demonstrates how small daily sharing can accumulate into more substantial projects, while “Open up your cabinet of curiosities” suggests sharing your influences and inspirations. He balances this openness with strategic boundaries in “Don’t turn into human spam,” warning against mindless self-promotion without genuine value or connection.
Throughout, Kleon emphasizes generosity as the cornerstone of effective sharing: “The golden rule of networking: Give people what you want.” He demonstrates how teaching what you know attracts like-minded people while enhancing your own understanding, citing programmer Ward Cunningham: “The best way to get better at something is to teach it.”
In “Don’t be a hoarder,” Kleon cautions against the instinct to withhold work or ideas out of fear they’ll be stolen, arguing that “if you’re worried about giving your secrets away, you can share your dots without connecting them.” The book’s final chapter, “Stick around,” offers wisdom on sustaining a creative career through inevitable ups and downs, emphasizing resilience and adaptation.
What distinguishes “Show Your Work!” is Kleon’s ability to transform potentially intimidating concepts of self-marketing into accessible, ethical practices anyone can adopt. His approach centers on authentic communication rather than manipulation – sharing genuinely interesting aspects of your process that might help others.
Rather than promoting aggressive self-advancement, Kleon presents a vision of creative sharing as community-building: “If you want to be interesting, you have to be interested.” This philosophy reframes self-promotion from a narcissistic necessity to a meaningful contribution – giving your audience behind-the-scenes access to your creative journey.