'It sounds a little extreme, but in this day and age, if your work isn't online, it doesn't exist.'
Have you wondered why is it that we enjoy looking at the Behind the Scenes of our favorite movies/shows? I'm not sure about you, but one of my favorite shows from my childhood was M. A. D. (Rob made Sundays exciting!), where the host very carefully showed us his creative process of every stunning art piece he created.
I'm calling your attention here to the obvious fact that 'human beings are interested in what other people are doing'. Through this book, Show Your Work, I learnt how and why this is a crucial thing to keep in mind as a creative person.
The author explains that in every creative journey, 'the key is process and not the product'. By sharing our work and showing people everything that goes behind producing a particular piece of work, we are able to build a relationship with them, because it shows them the actual, real, human effort behind that piece of work. It's no longer just a project/ product, but something they feel they have been a part of creating. This feeling, they reciprocate through their response to your work.
The book further goes to teach the right way to share, the right things to share and most importantly, the things not to share. All of this by providing a lot of solutions to issues that a creator faces on a daily basis like where or how to start. The author also shares ideas on how to train our creative minds to find ideas, promote out own selves and face criticism like a pro.
Some of my absolute favorite chapters and their insightful quotations from the book itself include:
1- You don't have to be a genius - '...creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds...'
2- Think Process and not the Product- 'Become a documentarian of what you do. Start a work journal: Write your thoughts down in a notebook, or speak them into an audio recorder. Keep a scrapbook.'
3- Learn to take a punch -
'When you put your work out into the world, you have to be ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly. The more people come across your work, the more criticism you'll face...Relax and breathe...Strengthen your neck...Roll with the punches...Protect your vulnerable areas...Keep your Balance.
So here I am, a professional amateur, showing you how this book completely changed my attitude towards creating. I have already filmed myself writing this and you'll soon get to see it on my Instagram. Talk about showing your work!
Leaving you with this wonderful, freeing advice by the author.
DETAILS
Name: Show Your Work
Author: Austin Kleon
Publisher: Workman
Date: 2014
Pages: 199
Comments
Post a Comment