Austin Kleon‘s follow-up book to Steal Like an Artist is Show Your Work!.

Where Steal Like an Artist is essentially a book about creative inspirations, Show Your Work! is about inspiring others. The two books are similar in format — brief with simple illustrations, but well researched and clever approaches to the subjects and ideas.

It’s about navigating the world of social media, creating a strategy and understanding for sharing your work to build a tribe, or join a tribe, of like-minded people. When done right, managing your online life can have meaningful pay-offs, instead of being part of the dreaded noise and deluge of garbage.

There’s great advice for people overwhelmed by the world of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blogs, and whatever other passing or grasping media shows up and is forced upon us. If you’re curious and confused about how to balance an online presence as you build your career without committing to a huge tome on the subject, Show Your Work! is the kind of book you need.

 

I can’t remember how I came across Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon — but somewhere someone shared it and I ran out and picked it up, so I could add it to my pile of artist self-help books I turn to when I’m feeling anxious.

It’s a great little book, with simple illustrations and clear, researched thoughts and ideas. Initially the title seems provocative, the suggestion that artists steal and there’s a manual offering guidance. It’s not the case, obviously. The book talks about how artists (and we’re talking visual artists, musicians, writers, etc) collect their ideas and influences and remix them to create their own work.

The question of originality can kind of haunt artists. Especially now, after a couple decades of the internet, ideas and images move fast and in sloppy, uncontrolled ways. Some people become fiercely protective of their perceived originality. I’ve had to become fully aware that my subject matter is easily found in vintage and antique shops across a couple continents. It’s not inconceivable that one of the hundreds of thousands of painters out there would pick up a common subject the same as mine, let the pieces fall in to place and, voila, produce a painting similar to mine. Eventually we’ll find each other and wonder who came up with the idea first.

Even if we come up with our own ideas and stumble upon other artists work that is very similar to ours, the fact remains we did pick up our own influences along the way. As long as you’re honest about where your ideas come from, you’re golden.