With collaborations on the rise, finding your own creative community is more important than ever to build connections and referrals. What's a creative community? It is a network of like-mind business professionals that you would enjoy working with, becoming inspired by, and would learn from. This new-age style of working with other leading industry professionals is THE modern way to network, and to say that we are big fans doesn't cover how much we love this movement!
Now that you know what a creative community is, let's chat about how you can find fellow creatives that you (and your business!) would benefit from and how to benefit from those meetings!
1 | Reach Out
Find someone in the same or similar work profession as you. This fellow creative would be someone you admire, view as a mentor and would enjoy collaborating with! Before you two are able to meet over coffee or cocktail, make it your prerogative to determine how you can help that person. You can do this by means referring them to a potential lead or even sending them a new podcast - whatever comes up during the meeting, see how you can help them. The next time you plan to meet with them, each of you bring another person that would fit in the group. Before you know it your tribe will grow!
TIP: If your schedule does not allow of you to meet in-person as often as you'd like, find an online community! We love The Rising Tide Society and Meetup.com to help you get started.
2 | Bring Something to the Table
What is your creative genius? What makes your business stand out? How can you help other business owners benefit? These are all great questions to ask yourself prior to meeting with your creative community! Having something to bring to the table enhances the experience for everyone in attendance and will help you become a strong opinion leader for the group.
3 | Show Up!
While this goes without saying, showing up to meetings is the only way to be engaged with your creative community! Always remember that you are doing this to benefit yourself and your business, so it is ever-important to pencil in your weekly (or monthly!) meetings with your group and show up!
4 | Work Together
Once that you've cultivated a creative community, do something together outside of your standard meeting! From creating a styled shoot to taking a workshop, there are endless activities that you and your creative community can do to expand your collaborating to the field.
Want to chat more about how you can find a creative community in your area? Contact Alyson today to learn more!