#ShowYourWork

I read Austin Kleon’s book “Show Your Work!” last week.It presents an idea that seems pretty basic on the surface, but is actually pretty challenging: "You can’t find your voice without using it.”According to Kleon, creative people have to show what they're doing for it to be meaningful. Showing the work is as important as doing it.I used to have a good habit of doing that with this blog. Until a few years ago, I was posting regularly, and it seemed like people other than my Mom were actually reading it. (Thanks for reading, Mom!) Things I wrote about here turned into the things I talked about with people out in the world.Then life caught up. I started grad school. I got engaged. We got a dog, moved, got married, bought a house, and moved again.Amidst all that, I also changed jobs - and in doing so, had to significantly refocus my energy on learning a new organization and becoming a useful part of it.Some people use their work experiences as material to write about, but I’ve never thought of this blog as connected to my professional life. In my mind, blogging is separate, a kind of mental ‘safe space’ where the drudgery of work can't encroach, where I can let my creative brain run free without any requirements or deadlines or connection to the stuff that pays the bills.Reading Kleon’s book had me thinking about that differently.A few months ago, my wife and I had an awesome night out - we went to see Bonobo in concert. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you might remember that I interviewed Jack Baker, Bonobo’s drummer, almost three years ago. (That interview continues to be, by far, the most read thing I’ve ever posted here.) After their amazing show, we hung out with Jack and the group for a little while. I was embarrassed when Jack and some of his bandmates asked about what I’ve been writing lately - and I had nothing to say.To me, Bonobo et al. are artists who are right up there where Michael Jordan was when I was a kid - legendary and truly inspirational. They make the world a better place by doing something beautiful that they love (#LifeGoals.) When they seemed to be genuinely curious about what I’ve been writing, it hit me like a brick - I have not been writing or doing anything else creative lately, and that’s a huge missed opportunity when people I admire are asking me about it.I quickly resolved to get back into a creative routine after that night. Freshly motivated, I’ve been rekindling my interest in art... drawing, trying to learn how to paint, challenging myself to write at least 500 words everyday… and relishing anytime I can spend away from a glowing computer or phone or TV screen. It isn't easy. Life is busy, and there's always something to do. But I've found when I make the time for it, the rewards of creating something... anything... are abundant.Getting back to Kleon’s book - I haven’t been showing anything that I’ve been up to. There’s always a voice in the back of my head, whispering… “This isn’t real work. No one needs to see this. This isn’t what you get paid for.”After reading “Show Your Work,” I’m starting to think that voice might be right… as long as I don’t show what I’m doing, it won’t be real work. No one will want to see it if I don’t have a story to tell about it. If I don’t show it, it will never be something I get paid for.So… ahem. Fuck that voice.Here’s a watercolor I’ve been working on. It’s a work in progress. I had fun doing it - it’s the first time I’ve tried anything like this. I started with a photo I took of Circular Quay, in Sydney. I put the image on a lightbox, traced it into a grid, then reproduced the grid on watercolor paper with pencil. I mixed up some paints (without knowing nearly enough about color) and did some work with my poor student quality brushes. Viola! Now I have a painting of Circular Quay to show the world:So, that's that. I'm showing my work, and I hope anyone who finds this enjoys it.I’ll close with some wisdom from one of my favorite writers, Annie Dillard, who is quoted in “Show Your Work.”

“The impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.”