Day 97 of The 100 Day Project: Lessons from Show Your Work by Austin Kleon

Show Your Work encourages creators to be generous, visible, and helpful. Share your process to attract your audience and grow your influence.

If you've ever hesitated to put your work out into the world, wondering if anyone would care, Show Your Work by Austin Kleon offers a powerful invitation. Share anyway. This short yet potent book challenges the myth of the lone genius and instead celebrates the amateur. Those are the learners who generously share their process, curiosities, and discoveries along the way.

The Courage to Share

Kleon’s message is to be seen, you must be findable. And to be findable, you must show your work. Whether it’s a sketch, a half-formed idea, or a personal reflection, sharing your creative journey opens the door for connection, collaboration, and discovery. Being findable is also an element of going viral as stated in books on virality.

Sharing also means moving past perfectionism. Instead of hiding behind polished outcomes, Kleon invites you to embrace process over product. Each day becomes an opportunity to document your progress, to make your learning public, and to inspire others who are walking a similar path.

Stock and Flow: A Creative Framework

One of the most memorable metaphors from the book is Kleon’s idea of “Stock and Flow.” Flow represents the regular stream of updates, such as tweets, posts, sketches, ideas. Stock is the more enduring content like the blog posts, videos, or essays that remain valuable.

Both are important. Flow keeps you visible and engaged. Stock gives depth to your body of work. But one feeds the other. As you share consistently, you generate material that you can refine into something lasting. This insight is especially relevant if you’re building thought leadership or running a personal brand.

Let Others In

Kleon promotes a concept he calls Scenius, where innovation happens not in isolation but through networks of creatives who riff off each other, support one another, and build a collective intelligence. Most great thinkers didn’t operate in a vacuum. They were part of vibrant communities that encouraged sharing, remixing, and building on others’ ideas.

For creatives and leaders, the takeaway is evident. Community fuels creativity. Find your tribe. And if you can’t find one, build one by sharing your work consistently.

Document, Don’t Distort

If you’re not sure where to start, Kleon recommends a simple rule. “Share something small every day.” This might be a quote that inspired you, a behind-the-scenes photo, a work-in-progress draft, or a lesson learned.

The goal isn’t to self-promote but to self-invent. Your personal website, blog, or social profile becomes a lab where your ideas evolve in public. Instead of selling yourself, you’re inviting people to join your journey.

Storytelling and Teaching

People don’t just want to see what you made. They want to know why and how you made it. Kleon devotes a section to telling better stories, including a simple structure to frame your creative journey. He also encourages you to teach what you learn. Don’t hoard knowledge. Instead, out-teach the competition.

That idea resonates deeply. Teaching is not just generous, it’s strategic. It builds trust, authority, and community.

Criticism and Attribution

Sharing publicly means exposure to feedback, both good and bad. Kleon offers a four-step process to deal with criticism constructively. His tone is encouraging throughout. If someone’s criticizing your work, it means you're being seen.

Another major point is attribution. If you’re inspired by someone else’s work, give them credit. It’s not just ethical. It creates a virtuous cycle of respect and collaboration.

Final Thoughts

Show Your Work is for creators, learners, and leaders. If you want to grow, share. If you want to teach, learn aloud. And if you want to lead, let your process be visible. Because in the noisy digital world, the people who show up consistently, honestly, and generously are the ones who get discovered and make a difference.

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Categories: : Creative leadership, strategic visibility