Show your work by Austin Kleon - Book Review
Austin Kleon Simply genius round 2
As part of the work, we do on our social media is these book reviews, in the search for the best resources for artist and creative small business owners. We enjoy working our way through the noise of products, knowledge sources and voices out there that pull at an already limited time for attention and parse out the value of what’s on offer. Last year in our first book review series we found the highlight of that series to be one specific book by Austin Kleon called Steal Like an Artist. This book was our primary highlight from that series and amongst the many things we reviewed in 2025. Due to its simple format, direct message, and clear and strong editing, we walk form this with both a great message on how to learn from other artists, but also with a degree of a road map to both validate and improve our own artistry in whatever format that comes.
Due to last year’s success and enjoyment of Steal Like an Artist, we made sure to include Kleon’s follow up book in this our second book review series. Show your work is the second in this series and let’s see if our author can keep the best from his previous work here.
Message
I am not going to bury the lead in this review. The book is great a quick, simple read that has a pathway to encourage you as an artist, creative or creator, to share your work. Expanding on that the core of this book is about sharing your work and creation. It’s really that simple when you break it down. Written in 2014, the book is still relevant. when our content scope of internet did exist however wasn’t as jaded and expansive as it is in 2026. The message here in is still relevant. The author outlines why it’s important to be outward with your work, even if not online specifically, this can be in a personal context as well. The goal with being outward and sharing your work, comes from the benefits and input for collaboration, and community in your creation. The feedback you can get the encouragement, opportunities, critiques, and ideas that naturally grow from sharing work can be a force for building. The growth that comes from sharing in a constructive manner is important to the life of creation itself. How else create if not to share and test.
The book also goes at length to speak in how you should share work, like showing your work in stages, don’t limit yourself to your final product, show your process. Show the building or painting, or setup of your art. Give an insight to the work that goes into the work. Show the steps that make up the final product. He also suggests that the artist, teach or train, learn how to share the skills that create your work. This forces you to learn a new language to explains what you’re doing. It rounds out the skills by challenging your own understanding when teaching and how to communicate the knowledge. Both are a way to share your work in ways that are not commonly shown, as well as bring in opportunities for comment, community, and input.
The book retains the same mixture of simple language, artistic interludes, quotes, and graphic pieces in the book that supports the readability of the book and it’s message.
Read together this creates something of a workbook or guide for taking your work online, both with suggestions on what to do, where and how, along with how to react when you share. It builds up almost a full guide for the benefits and challenges of sharing work.
Summary & Recommendation
I thoroughly enjoy Austin’s books. I really appreciate the ability to convey simple messages with meaning and directness while keeping nuance. It’s a complex task and one I struggle with myself. I would recommend the reading of this book to anyone that has a creative project or desire. Both professional and personal based have benefit of being shared, as feedback on our craft, generally build better craftspeople.
If you’re finding yourself ready to share your work, and want to have support in how to do that, then reach out to us on email (timh@department45.eu) or Instagram to schedule a free 1 hour consultation session. We’ll discuss how we can help your specific business.
THANK YOU!
TIM HENRIKSEN
Lead Consultant
