Documenting the Process

Austin Kleon's advice in Show Your Work! is to think process, not product. Most professionals hide their work until it is finished and then expect the result to speak for itself, but finished work is rare, arrives late and gives an outsider very little to connect with. The process happens every day and is often more interesting: why you chose one approach over another, what went wrong on Tuesday, the reference that changed your mind. Kleon suggests keeping a running record of it, such as a notebook, a folder of photos or a work diary, and sharing selected pieces as you go. The record serves you first, because it shows you patterns you would otherwise forget, and it serves others second, because it lets them see the judgement behind the result. That judgement is what people hire. Two cautions keep the habit useful: share the reasoning, never confidential details that belong to clients or employers, and choose what is worth showing rather than broadcasting everything. Documenting is not boasting; done well, it reads like an honest note from the workshop.