The book in three sentences or less

Author Austin Kleon – a “writer who draws” – reveals 10 ways to share your creativity and get discovered in this pocket-sized, delightfully readable book. Peppered throughout are quotes and examples from noted figures in various fields of creativity and human endeavour, plus Kleon’s signature “blackout poems”, where he takes a piece of text and crosses out words to reveal hidden phrases within. Show Your Work! was recommended to me by a boss, and it’s one of the select handful of books that has genuinely transformed my life, helping me to overcome imposter syndrome and giving me the confidence to publish my writing – because everyone, whatever their background, has something worth talking about.

Quotes from the book

• “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” said Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki. “In the expert’s mind, there are few.”

• “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.” – Steve Jobs

• “Put yourself, and your work, out there every day, and you’ll start meeting some amazing people.” – Bobby Solomon

• “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. […] You find time the same place you find spare change: in the nooks and crannies. […] You might have to miss an episode of your favourite TV show, you might have to miss an hour of sleep, but you can find the time if you look for it.”

• “Be concerned with doing good work... and if you can build a good name, eventually that name will be its own currency.” – William S. Burroughs

• “All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste,” says public radio personality Ira Glass. “But there is a gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer.”

• “I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you fucking like something, like it.” – Dave Grohl