This is one of the books that changed my life the most. Or maybe not my life, but definitely my creative mindset.
It completely shifted how I think about sharing things on the internet and encouraged me to keep going with this blog… or actually start it the right way.
Whenever I read this book or even think about it, I feel motivated to write and publish something here again.
Who should read it?
I think this should be mandatory reading for everyone on the planet. If you are interested in creativity (in any form), entrepreneurship, or business (in any form), you should stop reading this right now and just go read the book.
(No, please do not. Finish this first, then share, like, and all that stuff :D)
Even if you do not have the slightest interest in creativity, business, or self-promotion, you should still read this book.
It will open up pathways and possibilities you did not even know existed. Plus, it takes less than 30 minutes to get through*, so there is no reason not to read it.
The Book in 3 Sentences
- Share your thoughts, your process, and your work online for free.
- You do not have to be an expert to share your work—beginners can easily help other beginners.
- By sharing your work online, you attract an audience of people who care about the same things you do, and that can change your life.
My Top 3 Quotes
Amateurs know that contributing something is better than contributing nothing.
Building a space online where you can express yourself and share your work is still one of the best investments you can make with your time.
As soon as you learn something, turn around and pass it on to others. Share your reading list. Point to helpful reference materials. Create some tutorials and put them online. Use pictures, words, and videos. Take people through part of your process step by step.
As the blogger Kathy Sierra says: „Make people better at something they want to be better at.“
I realized that I do not take anything away from books if I just read them straight through.
I need to make at least short notes for myself after every chapter or whenever I can. When I started doing that, I immediately thought: Why not repurpose the work I am doing anyway? So I check back into my… „Second Brain“ every now and then, see if I still understand what I meant with those notes, flesh them out, and BOOM.
Finally, I have something to publish here! What is a Second Brain? Well, it is just a reason for you to keep reading! lol
Summary + Notes
Here is my attempt to turn the wild notes and bullet points I made into actual sentences:
A New Way to Work
The world has changed. It is no longer enough to just make something and hope people find it. You have to be findable. View your work as a never-ending process. You can share your process in a way that attracts others. Imagine your next boss does not even need to read your resume because they already know your blog. Seriously, I have often been asked in job interviews about things they found on this site… Imagine being a student and getting your first job because of a school project you posted online. Imagine losing your job but having a social network of people who are familiar with your work and can help you find a new one. Imagine turning a side project or a hobby into your career because you have a following that can support you.
Or imagine something simpler and just as satisfying:
You spend the majority of your time, energy, and attention practicing a craft, learning a trade, or running a business, while also considering the possibility that your work might attract a group of people who share your interests.
All you have to do is show your work.
You Do Not Have to Be a Genius
Find a Scenius – We need to move away from the myth of the lone genius.
„Scenius“ is a healthier way to think about creativity“ a whole scene of people who support each other, look at each other’s work, copy from each other, steal ideas, and contribute ideas.“
Anyone can contribute to it. You do not necessarily have to be an expert.
Be an amateur – Sometimes we can learn more from amateurs than from experts. An amateur understands the mind of a beginner. The expert does not. They always used to say in school: If you can explain it to someone who has no clue so that they understand it, then you have truly understood it yourself.
Find something you want to learn. And learn it in front of others. Share your process. Share your successes and, more importantly, your failures. Help others who want to take the same path.
It is kind of interesting to read this now. I wanted to achieve exactly that with this site and the fact that I planned to write about triathlons: having no clue, testing things, and then telling you what worked best for me. Why didn’t I follow through? No idea. I ask myself that every single time.
Think About the Process, Not the Product
Take people behind the scenes – The model of the finished product is a relic of the pre-digital era. Back then, artists could only find an audience if they showed the finished product in all its glory. The internet changed that. People really want to see how the sausage is made. The audience wants to see the person behind the product.
Become a commentator on your work – As Gary Vaynerchuk says: „Document, don’t create.“ Share screenshots as you go. Take photos of your process. Write down your thoughts in a notebook. Whether you share them or not, documenting your process has its own benefits.
Share Something Small Every Day
Sharing vs. Oversharing – Share things that might be helpful, interesting, or entertaining for someone on the other side of the screen. (Do not overthink it, man…)
Think about the question:
„Does this potentially help at least one person in the world? If so, I should share it.“
Get your own domain name – You need a personal website. Yes, even you reading this right now. Maybe you have nothing to write yet. But trust me:
You need a personal website.
Find a domain name, preferably www.[yourname].com, but if that is not possible, take another extension (like .de, .blog, etc., there are hundreds of them).
(It feels great when you read that in a book and think: Man, you are a genius. Did everything right back then!)
Figure out how to install a blog on it (e.g., WordPress). Yes, if you have never done this, it will take some time and you will have to do some Googling. But it will be one of the best investments you ever made with your time. At the very least, it is a massive time-sink but can also be a lot of fun once you get it done. If you need help, feel free to ask. I have put one or a hundred hours into this already.
Pro tip: Do not spend too much time (like I did on my first projects) on the design. In the end, nobody cares.
The important thing is to start and do something. Once you are that far, you can worry about the looks.
Open Your Cabinet of Curiosities
Share other people’s work – We all like different things. If you can share the things you like with others, if you can curate them for others, good things will happen.
Ans if you are like me, you may struggle whit that „sharing“ Part. You don’t want to share it on your personal Instagram (and) or you don’t want to open yet another Social Media Account. I was helpless, so i created a Subreddit where People can SHOW THEIR WORK.
I don’t know if this will be the cure, but it is another try. Feel free to join r/TheBlogHub.
Give credit where credit is due -When you share other people’s work, you should obviously credit them. Attribution means you provide context for what you are sharing. It is about putting a little museum label on the things you share. Preferably, you should include a link. Example:
Thank you to Austin Kleon for writing this book*.
Tell Good Stories
People want to read (and hear) good stories. If you can tell a good story, it will be easier for you to talk about yourself and your work.
Personally, I get distracted from my stories too easily because I think they are not cool since there is no feedback. But I think you just have to not give a damn.
Just do it, do it, do it.
I am not just doing this for you anyway!
Talk about yourself at parties – It is okay to talk about yourself if people ask.
Do not see it as an interrogation. See it as a chance to connect with someone who might be interested in your work.
Pass On What You Know
Teaching people something does not take away from what you do; it makes it even better. When you show someone how you do your work, you generate more interest in it.
People feel closer to your work because you show them what you know.
When you teach others and share your work with them, you get an education in return. People will see your work, relate to it, and reach out to you with recommendations and their own thoughts. That is magic.
Do Not Turn Into Human Spam
If you want fans, you have to be a fan first.
If you want to be accepted by a community, you first have to be a good citizen of that community.
If you only point to your own stuff online, you are doing it wrong.
You have to be a connector.
If you want to get something, you also have to give something.
If you want to be noticed, you also have to notice. Be quiet and listen every now and then. Be considerate. Do not turn into human spam. Be an open hub.
You want hearts, not eyeballs – Stop caring about how many people read your stuff and how many people follow you online.
Stop caring about how many people read your stuff and how many people follow you online.
And again: Stop caring about how many people read your stuff and how many people follow you online.
Meet people in real life – Find online friends and then meet them in real life. Meetups are great. If you meet someone online and you are in the same city, grab a coffee with them.
If you are traveling, let your online friends know you will be around. It is great to meet people online, but it is even better to turn them into real-life friends. (Editor’s note: WELL…)
Learn to Take a Punch
When you publish something, you are going to have to take a bit of criticism. That is totally normal. Learn to handle it. Do not let the fear of haters stop you from publishing. They are a small minority and have no real power over you.
Compulsive avoidance of embarrassment is a form of suicide.
Colin Marshall
Do not spend your life avoiding vulnerability. If you do, you and your work will never make a real connection with people.
Selling Out
We need to get over our „starving artist“ romanticism. There is nothing wrong or evil about money in itself. Charging money for something does not limit your creativity.
Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling because the Pope commissioned him.
But at the same time, be careful when selling the work you love.
Beware of selling the things you love: When people are asked to pull out their wallets, you find out how much they truly value what you do.
Run a mailing list – Even if you have nothing to sell right now, run a mailing list. There are people who run multi-million dollar businesses with their mailing lists. The model is simple: give away great free stuff on your website. Collect emails from people who enjoy reading it. When you have something remarkable to sell or share, send them an email and let them know. I myself tried this and for me it did not work. Not because of the system itself. Just because I’m to lazy to do Newsletters.
Pass it on – If you are successful, help the people who reach out to you. Help the people who helped you get where you are now.
Attention – Do not sacrifice your art or your work to answer emails. Be as generous as you can, but be selfish enough to get your work done.
Stick With It
Do not give up – Keep going with your work and share it with others.
Take a break.
Do not be afraid to change things up. It is not really a fresh start.
You still keep everything you learned before. You just start at chapter one again.
That Is It I think I will make sure this post gets a lot of clicks myself, because I should read it over and over again.
I tend to overlook the stuff at the end. But anyway. Maybe you made it this far and got something out of it. I will definitely stick to the principle and keep feeding my Second Brain with notes that I can hopefully turn into more summaries like this.
