To be recognised you need to get better at self promotion. If you struggle to do this then read Show your work by Austin Kleon.
I need to get better at self promotion. I realised this through my career, as people would tell me: "you do some great stuff but if you want to progress the right people need to know about it". Sadly that is true.
I was brought up with my mum always telling me, if you work hard you will get everything you need. She was right in a way but there is more to it than just hard work. The fact is that it is about working hard but also ensuring that the right people are aware of your hard work.
I am an introvert which means that I find it even harder to shout about the work I do. However I found this book and as a result it has given me the confidence to start this blog. Even if starting a blog isn't what you want to do I believe you should still read this book as it would make you better at self promoting yourself at work too.
Summary
The book Show Your Work is all about being open and sharing with the world what you are working on. Everyone has a hobby/job/interest that they partake in. So why not share this with others?
The world is a big place and chances are that someone with a similar interest on the topic you are writing about will find you and you will be able to connect with someone that you wouldn't ordinarily.
When I started this blog the most interesting metric I look at is what country my users have logged in from. It blows my mind every time I see it and see someone from the US or India has visited my blog.
The book is fit for the modern world and how to share your work in the digital era. This is the book that gave me the lift needed to start my blog.
Key points
The book is split in to 10 'chapters':
- You don't have to be a genius. This is the idea that everyone has value to share. you dont have to be an expert in a field to contribute towards it. Turns out being an amateur is great!
- Think process, not product. People are fascinated to know more about how something they enjoy is created. This chapter explores that thinking and if you share how your work is created it can be just as interesting as the work itself.
- Share something small everyday. Being consistent is key to everything. Adding bit by bit everyday can soon enough accumulate and when you look back you realise what an achievement it was to keep adding something small each day.
- Open up your cabinet of curiosities. Everyone has their quirks and that is what makes the world a fascinating place. If you open up and share your quirks then you will come across as genuine and also the chances are others with similar quirks will relate to you.
- Tell good stories. This is key if you want people to notice your work. You have to have a clear structure and your stamp of authenticity on it. Put your work in a way only you can and if you do that you will come across as genuine and authentic.
- Teach what you know. Everyone specialises in something and there is bound to be something you know that others do not. Share this with the world and you will get so much in return. The more you give the more you receive.
- Don't turn into human spam. Share your work to build connections and not just for clicks. IF you do it with the right intentions the clicks will come but that shouldn't be why you do it. You should only be sharing what is going to be helpful to others.
- Learn to take a punch. When you shar your work you are likely at some point to encounter negative people that will try bring you down. You need to be resilient. This chapter is all about how to deal with it.
- Sell out. This touches on the thing that people will sometimes day about artists: "They sold out". But is that a bad thing? An artist is sharing their work and providing people with pleasure. So why should they not receive anything in return?
- Stick around. This is a nice chapter to end on where you get some encouragement to not quit and some techniques to continue creating and not stopping.
Every chapter is so insightful and wonderfully crafted. There is so much more to the chapters above so if you find any of what is above interesting I would encourage you to pick the book up and read more.
My personal likes
Some things that may seem insignificant but appealed to me:
- The book is small compared to other non-fiction books. It is only 215 pages long and smaller than A5 size. This makes it easy to carry around with you.
- Also it meant I could read the book in about a hour if I was uninterrupted. It does not drag out topics, it is to the point and very insightful.
- Austin Kleon has his unique style and I really like the visual aspect of his titles and illustrations. They show what he is writing about in another way that really makes sense.
What I have done differently as a result
Well I have started a blog! This was the biggest impact it had to me personally. It gave me the confidence to do it. This may not seem like a big deal but for anyone that knows me they would of been shocked that I took the step to do it.
It has made me think differently about how I share my work in my day job as a Finance Manager. It has always been a struggle for me to do it but sharing my work through my blog has given me more confidence to do it more in my day job too.
Other books by Austin Kleon
I have read all three of his books and not only read them on the kindle but had to have the physical books so I can flick through and show people that come to my house!
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Thanks for reading,
Gav
*For full transparency, the post above has affiliate links. If you click on affiliate links and make a purchase it is of no extra cost to you but I will receive a small commission from it.
