Boy on bike, Laos
I’ve been taking photos for over 10 years. In fact, I was the friend who always had a camera and whose photos disappeared on a hard drive somewhere, never to be seen again. To be fair, this was the early 2000s and sharing photos wasn’t as easy as it is today.
This raises a simple question: what good are my photos if they are never shared?
That’s where “Show your work” by Austin Kleon comes in. In this short book aimed at everyone with any creative tendency, Austin provides some advice that encouraged me to take that leap and put more of my work out there. If you are able to read past its cocky tone, the book offers good recommendations on sharing your work online.
You don’t need to be an expert
I always felt like something had to be really well thought out before it is shared with the world. Only comprehensive and complete works deserve to be shared. Austin encouraged me to move away from the “lone genius” myth of creativity: the idea that an individual can appear out of nowhere, free of influences, ready to present a masterpiece.
Not only can you already start sharing while you are still learning, but that sharing can help you get feedback and improve faster. It can also help others who are doing similar work.
"The best way to get started on the path to sharing your work is to think about what you want to learn, and make a commitment to learning it in front of others"
Show what’s happening behind the scenes
While a great photograph, or any art piece, can be nice on its own, what really connects an artist to their audience is the story and process behind the work. Two years ago, I first started an incognito Instagram account to share my photography, without mentioning my name or having photos of myself. When I sent it to a close friend of mine, she messaged me saying: “do you know what’s missing from your new profile? YOU”.
Photography (or art) speaks for itself
It doesn’t. A photograph is as much about the photo as it is about the story behind it and the person who took it.
"Art forgery is a strange phenomenon. “You might think that the pleasure you get from a painting depends on its color and its shape and its pattern,” says psychology professor Paul Bloom. “And if that’s right, it shouldn’t matter whether it’s an original or a forgery.” But our brains don’t work that way. “When shown an object, or given a food, or shown a face, people’s assessment of it—how much they like it, how valuable it is—is deeply affected by what you tell them about it."
French photographer and pioneer of street photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson, puts it this way:
"It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head."
Sharing some context about your work helps the viewer connect more to the artist, which makes you connect more with the art itself. Isn’t it all about connecting anyway?
So in the spirit of showing your work, I am sharing some of my favorite shots on my new website: youssefyoussef.com
