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This month I had the rare (for me) experience of meeting up with some fellow photographers and “creators” (for lack of a better term for those who span multiple mediums) and it was so inspiring. Much of the inspiration didn’t come from creating anything together but from the chatter around a shared meal and camaraderie of talking to a fellow creative. I am an introvert so I often don’t feel like I need to be around people that often, but whenever I do get a chance to see fellow creatives I walk away newly inspired and rejuvenated to create—and it’s a good reminder of the need we have for community.
We often create in spare moments between work and the busyness of life; in the privacy of our homes and tiny pockets of quiet. The finished product might be shared with the world at large, but the creative work, from spark of inspiration to the labor of making that idea something physical and tangible others can also see or hear or feel, happens in seclusion—and thus our mental hiccups and crises of confidence are also wrestled with in private. We feel alone in our struggles and seeing other's beautiful work we wonder if it’s easier for them.
When we build community and meet with others we realize how many of our concerns are universal—and knowing we’re not alone even when we are physically alone can help us overcome mental roadblocks. A burden shared is a burden halved. Every time I meet with fellow creatives I hear them sharing exactly I was thinking and feeling. Every time I share something I am struggling with I’m met with nodding heads.
Community doesn’t only have to be found in person though—nearly everyone I met up with this month was already within reach if I had made the first step. They’re people I know online, fellow creatives and ladies who would have happily shared contacts and answered texts and talked all hours. Most of us have a similar virtual friend or even group of friends we regularly interact with online but rarely take the next step into friendship and community. How much support and encouragement could there be that is just one DM away? Or perhaps how much encouragement can we also offer to those friends?
The best way to make friends is by being a friend. The best way to find inspiration, is by sharing inspiration. To find courage within ourselves, we need to offer encouragement to others—it’s always wonderful to see the effect a kind word or thoughtful encouragement can do. I always feel creatively reinvigorated after coaching sessions even though the session was focused on someone else’s work and cheerleading them. So often I see people focused on how can they find a community instead of: how can they build a community? When we give of ourselves we often receive so much more back.
I still think of myself as an island sometimes; creating in the solitary space and barely seeing a soul outside of my family and dog. I don’t have creative friends who live nearby to talk about photography or the whims of social media. But I’m not an island; I’m surrounded by a creative community that is open and welcoming and so willing to help. And tapping into that community reinvigorates creativity.
All the best,
Rebecca
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