#49 – 31 Mar 2023
So you have started creating something special.
I don’t know what it is:
- You write
- You paint
- You build things
- You make music
Whatever it is, you have been quietly working away in your spare time and are getting pretty good.
There is only one problem.
You aren’t sharing your work.
Or maybe you kind of share it, a few posts on your blog or social media.
But you aren’t actively promoting what you do.
In fact, you’re scared of self-promotion.
You hate it.
What if they laugh at me?
What if they judge me?
What if I lose my job because of this?
Ouch.
But those fears are all just made up in your head.
That’s the voice of resistance (we have spoken about before), which is trying to keep you safe.
So why take a risk in sharing your work? When you can play it safe.
Well, there are plenty of reasons.
Say you wanted to move on from your current job.
Imagine you never had to create a resume and apply for a new job, as your next boss has been happily reading your newsletter.
Say you are finishing university and aren’t sure what to do next.
What if you shared your thesis online, leading to a paid project opportunity?
Say you lost your job in the current market downturn.
But you bounced back in a few weeks as you had a powerful network of allies familiar with your work.
Say you started spending the weekends on your creative side hustle.
And within a year, you built an audience who could support your modest living.
All wonderful outcomes.
There is one catch.
They will never happen if you don’t share your work.
It starts with you having the courage to put yourself out there.
No risk, no reward.
It’s time to start showing your work.
Who knows what the possibilities could be?
Your work is more powerful than you think.
Today’s source of inspiration is Show Your Work by Austin Kleon, which opens with:
Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I love that quote. We shouldn’t sell ourselves short and hide what we have to share.
The knowledge you have in your head just might change someone’s life.
It might save a life!
I don’t say that lightly.
But how often do we hold back from hitting the publish button when that inner critic tells us:
“Don’t share this. It’s terrible.”
“Shut up, nobody cares.”
“You’re a phony.”
Hell, I am even doing this now as I write this newsletter.
But I know better after the last 48 newsletter issues, so I will send it anyway.
A trap of knowledge is that we forget how valuable it was when we first earned it.
It’s no longer mind-blowing to us.
Its become second nature.
Something that seems pretty standard to you now might be groundbreaking to someone else.
Anyone old enough to remember those Magic Eye books?
Once you see something, you can’t unsee it.
Your discoveries may be just what someone needs.
Back to Austin:
The lone genius
Kleon talks about how the “lone genius” is a myth. We often think of creative geniuses like Da Vinci, Mozart, or Einstein working away alone in their lab.
But actually, they were part of a culture, a scene at the time that led to a flurry of shared ideas and collaboration. They copy, steal from and support each other in a way that leads to a greater whole.
Kleon mentioned how the musician Brian Eno calls this a “scenius”.
Scenius doesn’t take away from the achievements of those great individuals; it just acknowledges that good work isn’t created in a vacuum, and that creativity is always, in some sense, a collaboration, the result of a mind connected to other minds.
Austin Kleon
I see this now in the creator economy, particularly my focus on solopreneurship and one-person businesses. I am diving deep with some influential creators I often talk about, such as Dan Koe, Justin Welsh & Kieran Drew.
Let’s recognise this is a “scenius” at this moment in time.
Five years ago, those creators didn’t exist online in their respective domains.
Not many people were talking about the creator economy or solopreneurship.
The buzz, hype and collaboration of ideas weren’t what it is today.
Do you see what I mean here?
There is something you are interested in, and you are tapping into a scene in one way or another:
- The creators you follow
- The niches you are interested in
- The books you read
- The youtube videos you watch
- What do you talk about with your friends
That is likely something special happening at this particular moment in time.
And that is your opportunity to grow.
You are not some lone genius.
You create, but you need to interact and share your ideas so they get better
Creating is not antisocial.
Even for introverts like me, I am learning this!
We must collaborate and connect with other minds to reach the next level.
The good news is that you don’t have to be a “genius” to make an impact.
I know I don’t feel like a genius.
Far from it.
But this concept is exciting that the tide rises for all boats through creative collaboration.
It’s not about how talented or intelligent we are.
We all know plenty of “smart” people who never go far because they fail to build the relationships necessary for success.
I have certainly seen that a lot during my time working in organisations.
The people who go far are the ones that speak up, build relationships and collaborate.
Apply this metaphor to your creative endeavours.
It’s not about trying to become a genius, but rather contributing to a scene, starting conversations, adding value where we can, and making those connections that push us forward.
We can stop asking what others can do for us, and start asking what we can do for others.
Austin Kleon
What “scenius” are you contributing to?
I bet you are already contributing in some way.
Maybe you aren’t giving yourself credit for it.
But if you feel stuck, well, that’s no excuse.
We live in the age of the internet, where everything is at your fingertips.
All you have to do is follow your curiosity and dive down some rabbit holes.
Follow what resonates.
Locate your heroes.
Find your tribe.
Start contributing.
Talk about what you care about.
Share what you know.
Get feedback.
Iterate.
Keep going.
This forum process will leave you beaming with creative ideas that will inspire your best work.
Reflection
What work are you hiding? Is there something you spend hours on but almost nobody else knows about?
What’s getting in the way of you sharing your work?
Uncover the “scenius” you are part of.
- Who are you following?
- What are you consuming?
Remember, you aren’t a “lone genius”. Who is one person you could reach out to as a potential collaborator in the next month?
This connection may just change your life.
A quote to ponder
The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and to make a commitment to learning it in front of others.
Find a scenius, pay attention to what others are sharing, and then start taking note of what they’re not sharing.
Be on the lookout for voids that you can fill with your own efforts, no matter how bad they are at first.
Austin Kleon
What happened this week
Planning ahead
You may have noticed this letter is about half as long as recent ones. Or you might be cheering, “Hooray!” about that fact.
I actually wrote a long one on “Show Your Work”, but I decided to split it over two weeks, as next week is the Easter holiday here.
And who wants to be sitting around writing newsletters on holiday?
Not me.
I’ll be with the family. Or maybe fishing. That would be nice.
So next week you will receive part 2 of this letter.
I’ve realised that creating and engaging on three social platforms is unrealistic for me as a solopreneur and new dad who values family time. Or at least not the best use of my time. Last week I reflected on the perils of over-engagement.
My long-form writing has suffered as I felt burned out and lacked my creative spark.
And there are several other projects, like a digital product I am working on, which I keep falling behind on.
So I’ve decided to cut Twitter for the time being.
I was inspired to act on my long-standing feeling after watching this video from Jay Clouse, The Truth About Consistency…
Why Twitter?
Well, it’s the one that seems to run me into the ground, zapping my energy. The never-ending waterfall of rapid-fire tweets fries my brain.
I’m a slow thinker.
I’m a slow creator.
I’ve concluded Twitter is not my style.
Whereas I (currently) enjoy Instagram and LinkedIn. I can take things slow there, meander around and build deep connections. It feels effortless for me there. (You may feel the opposite, though.)
“Cut” Twitter? I’m not sure what that means yet.
- Do I cut it completely?
- Or do I still use it as a one-way marketing channel? – promote my newsletter and repurpose my Instagram content, but no engagement efforts.
But either way, I will still be watching Twitter and using it for research, as some of my favourite creators and all-round smart people hang out there.
Interested if any of you have thoughts on this.
Have you reassessed priorities and had to cut back in ways?
Final thoughts
Today’s writing background playlist was Coffee Beats on Spotify.
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Cheers!
