Show your Work

“Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.” —John Cleese — location: 19

Summary

The book Show your Work by Austin Kleon advocate that everybody should display their work specially the process behind the scenes because in that way people can relate to the artist. When the artist share about them beyond what they make, it creates an opportunity to find people that correlate. Even a beginner artist without much "final product" to share, should be sharing their process, their learnings, influences and etc. It is about striking a meaningful conversation with an audience. Rather than marketing yourself, by create an online presence, within time people will find you.

By generously sharing their ideas and their knowledge, they often gain an audience that they can then leverage when they need it—for fellowship, feedback, or patronage. — location: 30

Connections

The majority of us are not genius that will sprang a new art movement, however we can be connected with people on the art scene that is relevant. The called it a Scenius. This an observation that my friend Maul and myself notice how the famous people in history were connected or part of groups with other relevant people. The questions is: how to find those relevant people and be with them?

“scenius.” Under this model, great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.” — location: 53

Another reason to be in the scene is because creative work does not happen in isolation. It is a mix of different influences. So we can be one of those influences by being online. Myself and Mauricio often get together to discuss about random topics, and usually that last for at least 4 hour!

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. — location: 57

how to influence others by letting them steal from you. — location: 36

We can stop asking what others can do for us, and start asking what we can do for others. — location: 63

Start again

You can’t be content with mastery; you have to push yourself to become a student again. “Anyone who isn’t embarrassed of who they were last year probably isn’t learning enough,” writes author Alain de Botton. — location: 794

The book discuss about being a professional vs amateur. One interesting point is that the amateur, one who do not live base on their work, has nothing to lose and are willing to try anything. I always had a similar though about become a professional artist; I do not want to be restrained by imposition of external forces.

“The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act,” writes Clay Shirky in his book Cognitive Surplus. — location: 78

Despite the amateurs my lack skills, those can be harnessed. The greatest challenged is about doing it and not about the product. The courage to make something will teach the a person the necessary skills. This bring me the memory of passage on the book Art & Fear that mentioned about quantity makes things happen regardless of quality, where as perfection will never be achieved and therefore limit the actual art making. In the end it is about make, create, be "vocal".

“That’s all any of us are: amateurs. We don’t live long enough to be anything else.” —Charlie Chaplin — location: 71

“The stupidest possible creative act is still a creative act,” writes Clay Shirky in his book Cognitive Surplus. — location: 78

This is yet another trait of amateurs—they’ll use whatever tools they can get their hands on to try to get their ideas into the world. — location: 95

So don’t think of it as starting over. Think of it as beginning again. — location: 806

Ephemerality

There is a passage on the book to put perspective in the act of art making. It was about the ephemerality of life; we all can die at any moment. Having the mentality of do what you do as it is the last time you are doing it is the key to exist and be authentic. I tend to agree, however having a real life threatening experience is not the same as try to emulate the mentality. it is very easy to fall on the trap of caring about consequences. One way the author suggest about this is to read the obituaries a "near-death experiences for cowards" (that is funny!) That remind the practice to painting skull in the middle ages to remind people that no one is above death.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. — location: 124

if you could walk around like that all the time, to really have that awareness that it’s actually going to end. That’s the trick.” — location: 137

Value

The value of art is a trick business. To the author it means a lot, but somebody else it is garbage. I have a theory that most people have no clue what means to be an artist, therefore they have zero reference to measure and attribute value to a piece of work. It seems the author agrees with me.

people’s assessment of it—how much they like it, how valuable it is—is deeply affected by what you tell them about it.” — location: 388

To you, and you alone, what matters is the process: the experience of shaping the artwork.” — location: 158

The quote above reminds me so much about Art & Fear. I need to read that book again and make notes! # todo!!!

“A lot of people are so used to just seeing the outcome of work. They never see the side of the work you go through to produce the outcome.” —Michael Jackson — location: 150

“The private details of artmaking are utterly uninteresting to audiences,” write Bayles and Orland, “because they’re almost never visible—or even knowable—from examining the finished work.” — location: 160

Sharing

To counter weight that we can share the process and stop being scared to plagiarized. By doing it, we create in our audience the sense of value embed in the our work.

By sharing her day-to-day process—the thing she really cares about—she can form a unique bond with her audience. — location: 166

Now, i have to be honest. I love to see art made by everyone. I do spend hours looking at instagram. However, i must confess that I'm not that much interested in the process, mostly because I do not relate to them. Most people i follow on instagram are analog collage artist, and their process is complete different from mine, specially because my chosen media is digital. I do not have the same constrains as they have, and therefore the product they will make is shaped by that limitation. Although the authors point it is about how to communicate with our audience, which includes people who are not artist. So, I decided to do this by creating my Digital Garden, the current page you are reading. Let's see how that goes in one year.

“By putting things out there, consistently, you can form a relationship with your customers. It allows them to see the person behind the products.” — location: 173

I used to talk to this analog artist that at certain point start to explain their collages on their instagram posts. Accord to them, they start to get more likes.

You have to turn the invisible into something other people can see. — location: 195

“In order for connection to happen, we have to allow ourselves to be seen—really seen.” —Brené Brown — location: 178

The book strongly recommend to start documenting the artistic process. Inspired by it, i create my digital gardening and i am cataloging all my collages in different aspects. First i am applying hashtags to describe them, so i can easily find them. I will be going through my inventory and will explain what is the collage about specially because i notice that majority of things i made i do not recollect the reason why. I you are curious go check Digital Collage. Still work in progress though.

The sharing part can be anything, a new art piece, a reflection, something you saw that inspire you. It is about the process of sharing and not what to share. Of course it has to make some sort of sense and we should be aware that the information is public.

“Post as though everyone who can read it has the power to fire you.” — location: 253

One way of thing about what to share is by asking yourself:

What I can share that can be useful to someone else?

As a self-though artist, i strong relate to that. I am still thinking what i can share to contribute.

The act of sharing is one of generosity—you’re putting something out there because you think it might be helpful or entertaining to someone on the other side of the screen. — location: 255

I always hate marketing or advocating about my ideas, despite having lots of them. But our fiend Austin just said something very interesting:

Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine. — location: 295

Practice

This week i will be starting Collage in Practice Workshop facilitated by Kolaj Institute Part of the application require to answer questions that related to the details of my practice. I had to reflect upon them. At the book they mention something similar. The idea of sharing the in and outs of our work is like a personal museum with audio guide.

Attribution is all about providing context for what you’re sharing: what the work is, who made it, how they made it, when and where it was made, why you’re sharing it, why people should care about it, and where people can see some more work like it. Attribution is about putting little museum labels next to the stuff you share. — location: 363

One of the reasons I make art is due to my difficulty to express emotion which is related to Alexithymia, that i will explain in another reflection. I also liked the cryptographic idea of art, most of the time people cannot really understand what the piece is about. By making art I felt relieved and at the same protected because people will not inquire about it. However, being courage to show the process behind, may triggers me somehow. That is something to be explored.

Personal stories can make the complex more tangible, spark associations, and offer entry into things that might otherwise leave one cold.” — location: 403

You need to know what a good story is and how to tell one. — location: 408

Be an artist

Strike all the adjectives from your bio. If you take photos, you’re not an “aspiring” photographer, and you’re not an “amazing” photographer, either. You’re a photographer. Don’t get cute. Don’t brag. Just state the facts. — location: 463

Together and not against

How many people hold on to skill, techniques, knowledge in fear of losing something? Well I am thankful for those who are not afraid because I learned everything on the internet for free. The truth is sharing something is not the same knowing that thing. It takes time and dedication to master it. Sharing it is not equivalent the hours applied to it.

I always be a fan of that philosophy. My dance partners know about that. Despite my short period of dancing salsa, I am always willing to help them practice. In that way both of us get more millage, we become better friends, we evolve together. It is a win-win situation.

Teaching doesn’t mean instant competition. Just because you know the master’s technique doesn’t mean you’re going to be able to emulate it right away. — location: 485

The minute you learn something, turn around and teach it to others. — location: 497

People feel closer to your work because you’re letting them in on what you know. — location: 501

“Have you tried making yourself a more interesting person?” — location: 543

Ouch! that hurt!

Do not be a span

Span are those people who are all about them and the rest do not matter. I think the analog is about all those span emails we received that drive us crazy because it mealiness to us and they keep coming.

If you want to be interesting, you have to be interested. — location: 545

“It’s all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others.” —Susan Sontag — location: 584

Be brave

“Compulsive avoidance of embarrassment is a form of suicide.” If you spend your life avoiding vulnerability, you and your work will never truly connect with other people. — location: 620

I learned that art mens shit to other people. People don't really care about what you make, unless they already care about you. The troll on the internet it is not really important. So keep the good people around, but never underestimate the power of the rejection. People will say shit about you and your work; move on. But pay attention of sincere critiques that may hurt your; those come from the people who care about you.

Again Art & Fear tells us about that one of the best teachers you can have is your last work. It will inform you what needs to be worked on for the next piece. I think this apply for the criticisms as well.

valuable skill he picked up in art school was learning how to take a punch. — location: 605

Every piece of criticism is an opportunity for new work. — location: 616

more criticism you take, the more you realize it can’t hurt you. — location: 615

“If someone took a dump in your living room, you wouldn’t let it sit there, would you?” — location: 640

“There’s never a space under paintings in a gallery where someone writes their opinion,” — location: 643

use the end of one project to light up the next one. — location: 762

Yes, this section requires lots of quotes to inspire to us to keep going!

Survive

Yes we like art, but we also have to pay the bills. I hate marketing myself! I hate advertise myself. So in the book it suggest to add a link for people to give donation, like buy me a coffee # todo!

One strategy is to cultivate relationships and when you needed you have an army of people ready to help you. So back to sharing!

But don't forget, once you succeed help others.

When you have success, it’s important to use any dough, clout, or platform you’ve acquired to help along the work of the people who’ve helped you get to where you are. — location: 715

Personal Life

It is important to understand that our art is also work even if we don't make living out of it. So it is important to separate it from the other parts of our live. We should not neglect them.

It’s very important to separate your work from the rest of your life. As my wife said to me, “If you never go to work, you never get to leave work.” — location: 788

Inspiration is all around, but the book talks about taking time off and allow that time to recharge us and be ready for what is next.

“Everything that we designed in the seven years following the first sabbatical had its roots in thinking done during that sabbatical.” — location: 772

Homework

The book ask us to:

“What you want is to follow and be followed by human beings who care about issues you care about. This thing we make together. This thing is about hearts and minds, not eyeballs.” —Jeffrey Zeldman — location: 537