I have read Austin Kleon's book Show Your Work! twice now this semester, but this time I am actually translating the effort into something tangible. Old habits die hard, i.e. reading something spectacular and not doing anything about it. Anyhow, Kleon's book debunked myths that I have ingrained in myself over the last decade or so, namely that creativity and genius spring forth from some enigmatic place, divine inspiration, the Muse, what you will. But as with about every self-help-type book I have ever read, common sense lifts the veil and shows that all the inspired and ingenious artifacts of artists, writers, auteurs, etc. boil down to hard work, oftentimes decades of it. I do not know from where the popular notion of the lone genius comes, but I have definitely been a victim of that cultural doctrine. Hence, what I found so compelling about Kleon's subject matter was his argument that producing work day by day and sharing it daily and widely represent the best way to create, collaborate, and just maybe make some cash off one's hard work. Once again, it was a reminder to me about the importance of taking steps to success rather than somehow magically arriving there by chance. I am taking this project of reading Kleon and producing a daily story of my life and teaching experiences as a step to building towards success in those respective places. Next up will be the Storify of seven days in my life and a reflection on what I have learned.
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