Building a Community of Creative Friends

Feb 7, 2022

What I have learned about actively practicing creativity is that it requires support. I previously thought people just created things and it was brilliant, but having a creative practice is work. It’s work because it requires effort. It requires effort in scheduling, in moving through difficult emotions, and in forcing ourselves to be present even when we don’t want to be. It’s just like any other habit, one has to do it frequently and with intention in order to be successful. When I talk about success, I don’t mean people love the work we create. I am talking about successfully creating with intention. This year, as I have focused on living creatively, an unexpected thing happened. I found a couple of small communities where we support each other in our pursuit of creative living. It’s the piece of the creative puzzle that I didn’t know was missing. I thought I would share some of the things we’ve been doing and how it is integral in my pursuit of a creative life. 

What do I mean by community?

There are a number of large scale communities that one can join at any point in their photography journey. I joined The Click Community in 2015, shortly after my son was born. I had been taking photographs for about a year and I somehow stumbled upon Clickinmoms and I have been a member ever since. There is also P52Clicks where we do a 52 week project together. Many of these groups have been integral in my development as a photographer. I met a lot of women in these groups that I love and have met in person. Without these, I would have never been able to find the individuals that I know and love today. 

But these aren’t the community of which I speak. 

I am talking about small groups where you support each other in your creative journey. Ones where you work on specific techniques, bounce ideas off of each other on how to develop ideas, and where you share images for feedback. These are much more intimate and require intention. I didn’t even know this was the piece I had been missing because I didn’t realize living a creative life required so much thought. Amy Ryan and I bonded over my obsession with Wales, she’s Welsh, and I am so grateful I decided to share that piece of myself online because she invited me into a small group of women that do exactly what I am describing. We discuss books we’re reading, creative techniques, we’ve given and received feedback on images, and it has helped me build a habit of pushing myself creatively. 

How do you find each other? 

I am going to admit that I feel lucky to have been invited in. Amy asked me to be a part of her group and I have enjoyed it so much. In fact, I just started a weekly zoom call with another small group of ladies where we discuss the Beautiful Anarchy podcast and how to implement his techniques in our own life. We’ve only had one meeting so far and I absolutely loved it. 

Maybe the question should be “how does one put oneself into a position to find that group?”

I do think this is something that takes time because to share vulnerably with each other in this way requires a safe space. It requires true grace and support for each other and a lot of vulnerability. I think this mean that’s maybe the first step is joining a large community like p52clicks or the click community so that you can find those on your same path. Maybe it’s someone you already know in your community. You can even meet people in workshops that you take. All you need is a small connection and a willingness to put yourself out there. 

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the art of giving ourselves permission. This is the ultimate step in giving ourselves permission to show up authentically. This is an opportunity to believe in yourself and to be seen by others. And while I believe that many of us artists are introverts, I also believe that having people to help you grow in this creative life are essential. And in order to do this, we have to believe we are worthy. We have to believe we are worthy of love, worthy of being seen, and worthy of the time it takes to follow this process. 

 

Here is my challenge to you

1. Join the Click Community

2. Or join p52clicks

3. sign up for a photography conference where you can meet others. Here are some that I recommend:

 

4. you could even post in a photography group online or on your instagram stories that you’re looking for a small group of photographers 

 

Do the thing that feels the easiest and the thing that feels most like you. I really do believe this is such an important step and a catalyst to your growth as an artist. 

 

 

11 + 12 =

I am sending monthly newsletter with a tutorial and photography challenge. Sign up if you’re interested as we may start having a zoom call to discuss the monthly theme. This would be an easy way to start meeting others and hopefully create your own community.