Show Your Work
Austin Kleon’s follow-up to “Steal Like an Artist” answers the question: Now that you’re making stuff, how do you get discovered? The answer: Stop waiting for permission. Share your process.
The Core Principle: You Don’t Have to Be a Genius
Forget the lone genius myth. Great work doesn’t happen in isolation.
Instead of “genius” (individual brilliance), think “scenius” (communal brilliance). The best ideas emerge from scenes, not solo creators.
Scenius: A whole scene of people supporting, copying, contributing, and building on each other’s work. You don’t need to be a genius-you need to be part of a scenius.
Be an Amateur
Amateurs have one massive advantage over pros: nothing to lose.
They experiment freely. They share imperfect work. They’re not protecting a reputation-they’re building one.
The best way to get started? Share what you’re learning as you learn it.
Think Process, Not Product
People don’t just want to see your finished work. They want to see HOW you made it.
Document, Don’t Create
Stop waiting until you have something “worthy” to share. Document what you’re already doing.
Took notes on a book? Share them.
Built a side project? Show the behind-the-scenes.
Failed at something? Document what you learned.
Example: A chef filming herself prepping ingredients builds more connection than just posting the finished dish. The process is the story.
Your Daily Dispatch
Share something small every day. Not polished. Not perfect. Just consistent.
What to share:
- Work in progress photos
- What you’re reading/watching/studying
- Tools you’re using
- Problems you’re solving
- Links to things that inspired you
Daily sharing builds two things: your body of work and your audience.
Share What You Love
Your taste is your competitive advantage.
What you choose to share says as much about you as what you create.
Become a Documentarian of Your Influences
Share the people who influence you. Credit them. Link to them. Build on their ideas publicly.
When you generously share others’ work, two things happen:
- You attract people with similar taste
- You build relationships with the people you admire
The Attribution Rule
Always credit your sources. Always link back. Always give proper attribution.
Sharing without credit is theft. Sharing with credit is generosity.
Tell Good Stories
Work doesn’t speak for itself. You need to tell the story.
Structure: Past, Present, Future
Past: Where you came from, what influenced you
Present: What you’re working on now, your process
Future: Where you’re going, what you’re building toward
This three-part structure works for everything: social posts, about pages, presentations, pitches.
The Origin Story
People connect with beginnings. How did you start? What pulled you in? What was the turning point?
Your origin story isn’t about credentials-it’s about transformation. What changed you?
Show Your Struggles
Perfection is boring. Struggle is relatable.
Share the problems you’re facing. Document the failures. Show the iterations.
Your audience doesn’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be real.
Teach What You Know
The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it.
Teaching Builds Authority
You don’t need to be an expert to teach. You just need to be one step ahead.
Someone is always a few steps behind you, looking for what you just figured out.
How to Teach Effectively
Share your reading notes: Summarize books as you read them
Explain your process: How do you actually do your work?
Create tutorials: Step-by-step guides for problems you solved
Answer questions publicly: Turn every question into content
Teaching forces clarity. If you can’t explain something simply, you don’t understand it yet.
The Upstream Principle: When you teach, you attract people who want to learn what you know. These are your people.
Don’t Turn Into Human Spam
There’s sharing, and then there’s spamming. Know the difference.
The Vampire Test
If you’re only reaching out when you need something, you’re a vampire.
Vampires show up, ask for favors, then disappear. Don’t be that person.
How to Not Be Spam
Give before you ask: Contribute value before requesting anything
Build relationships slowly: Genuine connection takes time
Share others’ work: Promote people when you have nothing to gain
Respond to comments: Engage with people who engage with you
When in doubt, ask yourself: “Am I giving more than I’m taking?”
The Meet-Up Rule
Online relationships are great. Real-world meetups are better.
Go to conferences. Attend meetups. Host events. Get face-to-face when possible.
Digital builds the relationship. In-person deepens it.
Learn to Take a Punch
Put work in public, get public feedback. Some of it hurts.
Types of Feedback
Trolls: Ignore them. They’re not your audience.
Haters: They’re mad at themselves, not you. Move on.
Constructive critics: Gold. Listen closely.
The Thickening Skin Process
Step 1: First criticism hurts
Step 2: Realize it’s not personal
Step 3: Extract the useful feedback
Step 4: Ignore the rest
Step 5: Keep shipping
Every creator who matters has been criticized. If nobody’s critiquing you, nobody’s paying attention.
Validation vs. Feedback
Don’t share work to get validation. Share to get feedback.
Validation feeds ego. Feedback improves work.
Seek the second one.
Sell Out
Controversial take: Selling isn’t selling out.
It’s Okay to Charge Money
If your work has value, charge for it. Don’t apologize.
Free work has its place-it builds your audience. But eventually, you need to monetize or you’ll burn out.
The Value Exchange
People want to support work they value. Let them.
Ways to monetize without being gross:
- Keep sharing free value, offer premium deep-dives
- Create products that extend your free content
- Offer consulting/services to those who want personalized help
- Build membership communities for your biggest fans
The formula: Give away 90%, sell 10%. Your free stuff attracts. Your paid stuff sustains.
Pass Around the Hat
At the end of sharing value, it’s okay to ask for something in return:
- “If this helped, share it”
- “Want more? Here’s my course”
- “Need personalized help? Book a call”
People respect clear asks more than awkward silence about money.
Stick Around
Most people quit right before they break through.
The Long Game
Overnight success takes 10 years.
Every “suddenly famous” creator has years of invisible work behind them. They showed up daily when nobody watched.
Chain-Smoking vs. Long Fuse
Chain-smoking: Desperate for quick wins, burning out fast
Long fuse: Patient daily work, building compounding results
Be the long fuse. The chain-smokers quit when results don’t come instantly.
Start Over, Again
When one project ends, start the next immediately.
Momentum dies in the gap between projects. Don’t let gaps form.
Finish → Share → Start next → Repeat
The Decade Test: Will you still be doing this in 10 years? If not, you’re in the wrong game. Pick work you can sustain.
Implementation: Your 30-Day Show Your Work Plan
Week 1: Document
- Pick one platform (Twitter, LinkedIn, blog)
- Share one thing daily about your work process
- No pressure for perfection-just document
Week 2: Credit
- Share 3 things that inspired you this week
- Tag/credit the original creators
- Add your perspective on why it matters
Week 3: Teach
- Write one tutorial on something you recently learned
- Explain it like you’re teaching a friend
- Share the step-by-step process
Week 4: Connect
- Engage with 5 people’s work (real comments, not “great post”)
- Start one collaboration conversation
- Share someone else’s work with your audience
The Ultimate Lesson
You don’t need permission to share your work. You don’t need to wait until it’s perfect. You don’t need a huge audience first.
You just need to start. Today.
“Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started. Put stuff out there, let people see your work, and pay attention to how they respond to it.”
Share your process. Credit your influences. Teach what you learn. Build relationships. Take criticism. Charge for value. Keep going.
The work speaks for itself? No. You speak for your work.
Start showing.