Show Your Work! book club questions

1. 1.

   Kleon says to share the process, not just the product. What would it look like if you shared your creative process publicly for the next month — whatever you're working on, as you're working on it?

2. 2.

   He argues that being an amateur — curious without credentials — is an asset, not a liability. Where are you treating your lack of credentials as a reason to stay quiet when it could be an advantage?

3. 3.

   What is your cabinet of curiosities — the things you're reading, watching, thinking about — that you could share that might connect you to people interested in the same things?

4. 4.

   Teaching what you know forces you to understand it more deeply. What do you know that you've never tried to teach or explain to someone else? What would that reveal about the limits of your own understanding?

5. 5.

   Kleon says 'don't turn into human spam.' Do you follow anyone online who does this? What does their approach cost them in your attention and goodwill?

6. 6.

   What's your current relationship with criticism of your work? Do you find it useful, paralyzing, or something in between? What would a healthier relationship look like?

7. 7.

   The book argues for longevity over breakthrough. Are you playing a short game or a long game with your creative work right now?

8. 8.

   What prevents you from sharing your work-in-progress publicly? What is the specific fear or concern?

9. 9.

   Kleon's books are themselves demonstrations of their principles — designed as creative objects. How does the form of Show Your Work! reinforce or undermine its argument?

10. 10.

    What is one thing you know or do well that you've never formally shared or written about? Who might benefit from that?

11. 11.

    If you committed to sharing one small thing about your creative practice online every week for a year, what would you share? What would you hope to find?

How to run the discussion

• Pick six to eight, not all of them. An hour of real discussion covers fewer questions than anyone expects, and racing the list is what makes a book club feel like homework.
• Open with what people noticed, not what they concluded. Asking for a verdict first hardens opinions before anyone has heard each other.
• Let the disagreement run. The questions below that split a room are the ones worth the time; the ones everyone answers the same way can be skipped.
• Ask the quiet person a specific question. A direct, narrow question is far easier to answer than an open invitation to contribute.