All you have to do is Show Your Work!

With whatever you are creating you should be showing it to the world. Not just the end result, show them the journey. Whether you are a painter creating their first (or most recent) masterpiece or a construction worker building the next housing estate you have something to show that other people will be interested in. Without your work on the internet it's like the work doesn't exist.

"But I'm not an expert"

I know what you're thinking "no one wants to see things I do, anyway I'm not the best at it. There's always going to be someone better." Well the truth is that you're probably right on the second part, nine times out of ten there is going to be someone better than you, but that doesn't mean you can't show your strengths - why not show your weaknesses while you're at it? An important thing to remember when these thoughts cross your mind is that there are many experts who can't reach new people in their field. This is because they often forget the simplest struggles in their field because they can, and have, overcome them many times before and now do it without thinking whereas a fellow pupil - someone still in the process of learning - can help newcomers strive through the early struggles. Another thing to keep in mind is that so many people don't show their work. So many people go day by day living their life without sharing it with anyone beyond their family and friendship circles. You may become the only person in your field sharing your work, all you need to do is show up.

What you don't share doesn't exist

In this world, with the power of the internet and social media, geographical location doesn't restrict who we are connected. Now you have a whole world of people to reach out to and connect with, and they want to connect with you, the only thing stopping you is actually putting yourself out there. Everyone is so hesitant to show a less than perfect life on social media. Showing the realities of your life and process is what will truly relate to people, all you need to do is show them. I'm far more interested in the process in a discovery than the discovery itself; why does that happen? How did you come to that result? What can I do to replicate it? If you're able to answer these questions about something I'm interested in then I will follow your journey and your work and I know I'm not alone in that mentality. How many times have you spent time on Facebook or Twitter watching one of those "satisfying work" videos that simply show someone doing what they do every day? The only reason it is satisfying to you or I is because we don't experience it every day and we want to know more.

You get out what you put in

The process of "sharing your work" shouldn't be one sided. Don't sit in isolation posting your photos, videos and commentaries without looking at your peers. There are communities of people just like you that are looking to communicate. When I started this blog I searched for "#newblogger" on Twitter and I suddenly found that I wasn't alone with a lot of the questions I was asking. Now I go back every so often and check the latest posts replying to some trying to connect with people at a similar experience level to me. Ultimately "If you want fans, you have to be a fan first. If you want to be accepted by a community, you have to first be a good citizen of that community." Who knows who you might meet and what you might be able to offer each other? For so many years now I have heard the phrase "It's not about what you know but who you know in this world" and the number of "who you knows" will only increase the more you put yourself out into communities. Find how you can help them, don't just think about how they can help you

Sharer's Block

Now, you might be asking "well what should I share?" The answer truly is up to you. My question would be what do you enjoy doing the most? What of that are you able to share? The easiest (and best) way to share your work and it reach people is to share what you are most passionate about, if you share that then others who love that thing will be attracted. Another way of asking the question is "If I could spend my time doing anything, what would I do?" As long as you answer that question truthfully you'll find what you should be sharing.

Quantity Over Quality (to begin with)

The final point I would like to make from this book is that you need to keep sharing, don't give up because you aren't getting the number of likes you wanted or the number of followers you were hoping for. From my point of view it is better to engage with a few people and make a positive difference to both our lives than to have thousands of followers that are just a number. The trick to your numbers growing is to produce consistent content that people are interested in and can relate to. Ali Abdaal often says to people asking how to grow a YouTube channel "create 100 videos, 1 per week" then come back to me. Your first 100 videos are going to suck so get them out the way then focus on growth." The idea of quantity over quality is one that we are often urged to steer away from but in the case of content the chances are you won't create your best work first time, it may take 100 tries or 200 tries. The important thing is that you trust the process and create. Just make sure you still have enough time to actually do your work with all this sharing and communicating you're going to be doing.