Connecting Dots From A Book?

"You want heart, not eyeballs" - This was enough to grab my attention when I flipped through the pages of the book "SHOW YOUR WORK" by Austin Kleon. Next thing you know I am literally howling at the accuracy of the written text.

Now, I never read books like how I described because it's always in an orderly format but there was something about the typography and presentation which forced me to read it then and there. I borrowed this book from a friend a. because it talks about business aspects of art which I have been trying to understand and b. it looks so nice and small & I am a sucker for vibrant looking books.

It consists of 10 key points which help artists in understanding how to get past the stage of creation and get discovered. I still haven’t completed reading it entirely but am loving each and every page of it. It is very captivating and uses very relatable examples taken from the lives of various musicians, producers, singers, visual artists, etc. And this variety is what I am enjoying most.

For example: In the 7th chapter, there is a sub part which talks about "The Vampire test". "Hold up, why are there vampires in a book for artists?" I thought to myself. Turns out there is a very interesting story about Pablo Picasso being an energy vampire! Constantin Brancusi recognised this trait of his early on and kept his distance from him to prevent wrong investment of energy and feeling drained. If by interacting with someone or something, you feel that it has breathed life into you, then it is a green signal. If you feel drained and fatigued it is definitely not meant for you and you should get the hell out of there or stop doing whatever it is that tears you. This is known as applying the vampire test.

It is one of my most terrible habits of not sharing my work on social media (facebook, instagram, etc.) I mean I do share it once in a while but that is also because my friends practically beg me to put my work out there. It is something that I am working towards changing and being more active and interactive with like minded people.

I learned something very valuable in "Share something small everyday". It talks about the power of consistency, experimenting with different platforms, finding out the one which works for you, and then figuring out why are you sharing whatever it is that you are sharing. Does it create value for someone? Does it provide entertainment of some kind?

While reading about being an early adopter on different platforms I couldn't help but think about @steemit and how being one here has benefited me. No matter the ups and downs there is no denying in the fact that I have been able to do many of the things that I dreamed of doing solely based on the support received from here. Not only that I have been able to forge some meaningful friendships because of the "social" aspect of this platform itself. So I would like to take this moment and thank each and evry one of you who have supported me in any way. You da best! <3

This book has really made me rediscover my love for reading and I am looking forward to finishing it soon. If you guys have any recommendations about books which has some connection to creativity or art, I would love to listen them! Thank you :)

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Keep Creating

Lots Of Love <3