Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon

This book is the prime reason as to why I started my creative journey. It is short and easy to ready—allowing this piece of work to be perfect for anyone in a creative slump or who wants to start this process of sharing their work. Like many others, I found myself as a relatively creative person at a young age. From creating cringey Youtube videos or starting their rap career on Soundcloud, none of that creative edge ever dies out as you approach adulthood. The pursuit of creating an art form was eventually taken away due to the sheer lack of time consumed from studies and eventually a multitude of jobs as I became more adult like. However, this book expanded on the idea that we are all artists. We may not be painters or have the ability to pick up a camera and take beautiful pictures, but we do a have a brain that has the capacity to share our own thoughts and ideas in the world—especially in this robust society where the pursuit of a certain pathway in life is shared amongst others.

“Become a documentarian of what you do.”

If I were to sum up this short and concise book into a sentence, the quote above would do it justice. We all have our passions in life and mine is to educate and inspire other pre health Latinx students. I love photography and videography, so why not combine my passions in order to spread my message. Only about 2% of the work force in the US are considered artists—leaving us to never cater to our creative sides. Use time management to your advantage, and share your work. Learn something new and share to the world that quirky hobby no one is aware of.

“Make stuff you love and talk about stuff you love and you’ll attract people who love that kind of stuff. It’s that simple.”

Be proud of who you are holistically. Get over that hurdle and success will follow. You may not know how to share your voice, but I don’t either. Most creatives don’t figure out their voice until an audience finds them and creates it. Use your style to your advantage, and have a preference on what you like to do. In the day an age of social media and technology, society is growing at such a fast rate that everyone is constantly learning. We are all amateurs, just some people act better than others. Not even the best surgeons consider their work at a mastery level. Everyone is constantly learning, but the ones who find success are the ones who start their work—even when it seems too late—and maintains consistency. Be findable, focus on one media outlet, and use it daily. This method will allows you to focus and decide on what you truly enjoy. Prioritize yourself, and interesting content that grasps an audience will follow.

“Don’t try to be hip or cool. Being open and honest about what you like is the best way to connect with people who like those things, too.”

It is so easy to be caught up in the lavish lifestyles you see your peers living. However, people fail to realize the consistency and the amount of time day in and day out that needs to be put forward in order to achieve this. Worry about your path and don’t try and create something hip that has never been seen before. Use your influences, copy their work, and add your twist. remember to share what you know even if it is something minute because a lot of people are in your shoes. Take myself for example, I have not gotten anywhere yet but think of my possible audience. I am a pre health college major which already invites thousands of students across the globe. Other traits like your style, personality, or even ethnicity just allows your community to spread and relate to each other. Stick with your work and don’t forget to monetize it.

“The people who get what they’re after are very often the ones who just stick around long enough.”