Almost all of the people I look up to and try to steal from today, regardless of their profession, have built sharing into their routine.

As many others, I was inspired to start this blog after reading the book Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon. There are a few reasons I would easily recommend this book to anyone: It is short, full of humor, it builds your confidence and provides the gentle kick in the butt you need to gain some momentum and start sharing your work. Here is my takeaway.

Be an open node

You just have to be as generous as you can, but selfish enough to get your work done.

Let the information transit through you. As Herbie Hancock once put it: "Reach up while reaching down. Grow while helping others." Austin Kleon opens the book with the concept of scenius, a term coined by Brian Eno resulting from the contraction of scene and genius, designating a group of creative individuals that share ideas, encourage and support each others. Sharing is your chance to create these connections. However be mindful in the way you share, avoid becoming noise. Do not waste people's time: try to be brief. Ask yourself So what? before publishing a piece to make sure it is worth it.

Embrace being an amateur

Forget about being an expert or a professional, and wear your amateurism (your heart, your love) on your sleeve.

For someone who spent most of his life trying to be an expert, this sounds like a provocation. And yet Austin Kleon makes a good point: you don't have to be an expert to share your enthusiasm. You can share at every steps of your learning process, about what inspires you, about your discoveries, about what you are working on. People like to learn how things are done, and this is easy to share as you learn.

I will add that while being an amateur you are still accountable for verifying the veracity of the information you share.

I wish you a pleasant read!