I recently read a short but amazing book called “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon.  It was a quick read, and I loved it because it had some great life lessons and cool pictures.  First, I read it on my Kindle, and I liked it so much that I ended up buying the paperback version to carry around with me.

 

I never thought of myself as an artist.  You see, my mom and sister are incredibly talented artists, but I always believed I didn’t have a creative bone in my body. That belief started when I was just 6 or 7 years old, and a substitute teacher gave my drawing a harsh critique.  It stayed with me for a long time.

 

But things changed when I turned 50 (almost 7 years ago, but who’s counting).  I decided to take a class called Drawing 101 at our local college.  It was a once-a-week class for 20 weeks, and it completely transformed my life.  I discovered a passion for drawing that I never knew I had!  Drawing became a mesmerizing and meditative experience for me.

 

If you ever find it hard to relax or calm your mind, I highly recommend trying drawing from what you see around you.  You can do it anywhere, anytime. I’ve drawn everyday things like the lamp on my desk, the fireplace in my living room, or even a candle on a table.  I use pencils, pens, markers, and sometimes my iPad and Apple pencil – whatever I have at hand.  I just draw whatever catches my eye.

For me, the magic happens when I start to fall in love with the subject as I draw it.  In our class, we drew ordinary things like a pair of shoes, a pinecone (which was a bit tricky because they don’t stay still), and even a paper bag.  Anything can be your subject.  Just let yourself get lost in the details, wondering how to capture a particular line or shade.  After just 15 minutes of drawing, I’m completely relaxed and eager to draw more.

 

One day, I spotted a painting of a gecko wearing big black glasses on a restaurant wall and snapped a quick photo because I wanted to paint it.  But let me tell you, I made quite a few mistakes along the way.  I tried to make the canvas look perfect like Bob Ross, but my white paint mixture was too thick, creating unexpected lines and patterns.

 

I also started painting before the base coat was dry, which led to more problems.  Plus, I didn’t have my phone with me, so I had to rely on my memory, which messed up the scale and proportions.

 

Isn’t life a bit like that?  We often have a picture-perfect vision of what we want to achieve, but the journey is full of unexpected twists and turns.  In Austin’s book, “Show Your Work,” he talks about collaboration and sharing your creative process.

 

I think it’s about being open and vulnerable.  As someone who always strived for perfection, I used to avoid making mistakes, or at least, I didn’t want anyone to see them.  I only wanted people to see the polished final result, just like with my art.

 

Eventually, I completed my gecko painting and shared it on Facebook.  Within 24 hours, I received many kind and encouraging comments.  One person even suggested I sell it on Etsy, which was a nice compliment.

 

What’s important is that no one saw the mistakes and the moments when I thought, “I wish I had done that differently.” I believe this is why many of us grapple with imposter syndrome.  We’re aware of our imperfections and the things we could have done better, even if others find our work wonderful.

 

In Austin’s book, he talks about the difference between the noun “painting” and the verb “painting.” When setting a goal or working toward something, we often aim for the perfect outcome.  However, when obstacles arise, we struggle to adapt and overcome.

 

The journey toward our goals, the act of working on them, can be messy.  We take actions, sometimes the wrong ones, and that can shake our confidence.  But it’s crucial to remember that taking any action, even if it’s not perfect, is better than doing nothing.

 

Austin suggests doing one thing per day, and he illustrates this concept with a simple image: a chalkboard with a single “X” representing one action on one day.  Then, there’s a graphic with 30 “X”s stacked together for a month and a big chart with 365 “X”s for a whole year.  It’s incredibly powerful.  Just imagine how much closer you can get to your goals by taking one small step each day.

 

Even when you’re not sure what to do next, you can visualize your goal as if you’ve already achieved it and feel the emotions that come with it.  The biggest lesson from the book is that the journey and the steps you take toward your goal are just as important, if not more so, than the finished result.  I found joy in the process of painting my gecko study, even more than in the final artwork.  Let’s savor the journey of achieving our goals by sharing our process with friends and colleagues and collaborating along the way.

Show the process, share the journey, because once the goal becomes a noun, it’s already done. Share in the comments below:  What are your goals?  What are you working on that’s messy?

Here is my Amazon Associate Link for “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon