by Zack Orsborn
photo by Zack Orsborn
Let’s say you’re a DJ. You’ve found the absolute sickest track to sample in your latest post-post-punk-bounce mix. You know nobody has ever found this sample before. The desire to share overwhelms you, but you don’t have anyone around to listen. Or you could be a poet who just figured out how to condense the meaning of life into six words. Can a devastatingly good line of poetry be heard if nobody is around? You’re a painter without other sets of eyes, a musician without a jam circle, an interior designer without rooms to decorate.
Your creativity deserves to live outside of isolation. Your mix deserves to be danced to. Your poetry deserves awe. Your painting deserves the captured attention of lovers of beauty. Rooms should be filled with the colorful artifacts you find.
I believe creativity cannot flourish without community. In general, community is crucial for human survival.
According to Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, we can become detached from reality without community: “We have a biological need to belong, scientists have shown; without community, as in solitary confinement, we lose our minds.”
When I first started out to build a community of like-minded creatives, I did not know what in the hell I was doing. The doubt, mixed with poor self-esteem, nearly suffocated me: What if nobody shows up? What if nobody actually cares? Does that mean I’m not worthy of care?
It does not matter. When you actively put in the work to build community, people will be drawn to your passion.
If you’re feeling isolated and crave a community of people who truly understand you, here are some steps to take to build your village.
STEP 1: Pick Your Passions
I started with my passions. I’m obsessed with the lives of artists. The process of creation excites me more than the polished outcome. I get giddy when I connect artists together and they actually start collaborating. I nerd out when it comes to the question: How can I maintain creative consistency without burning out?
My creative wellness platform, Like Really Creative, was born from these passions. I knew that if I shared what I love, I would attract my people.
Try this: Make a list of 20 things you love. Circle three of them. This might seem hard. It should be. You are figuring out your core essence, and that takes a lot of thought.
STEP 2: Schedule One-on-One Conversations with Creatives
Creatives love having their brains picked. Of all the creatives I’ve asked to interview for my podcast, I’ve never been turned down. We are dying to talk about the things that keep us up at night.
On social media, find local artists who do what you love to do. If you’re a drawer, dig through the depths of Instagram and make your own directory of like-minded drawers. They are definitely out there if you look hard enough.
Then just DM them. Tell them you’d love to meet up for coffee and pick their brain. They might know other artists who do the same thing or something similar. You two might end up planning an event together.
Lisa Berry, founder of Lisa Berry Presents, a queer-forward social club, started building community through social events because she wanted to belong after experiencing heartbreak.
She said community does not happen by accident.
“I listen to people and actually talk to them,” Berry said. “I spend more time talking on the phone having real conversations than I do scrolling social media. I check in, I listen, and I follow up. People feel that. I build relationships one person at a time.”
One way to know if you’ve found your people: Do you get chills, what I call thrill chills, when there is a natural flow of ideas going back and forth? Do their eyes light up when you share your work?
Try this: Reach out to an artist in your field whom you’ve always admired but were too afraid to talk to. Share a compliment with them and ask if you can learn more about their process. As you get comfortable with reaching out and scheduling meetups, ask more and more artists. Follow up. Check in every now and again.
STEP 3: Host an Event Based Around Your Passions
Go back to your three passions. How can you combine all three to create a unique event? You’ll want it to be niche but not too niche, according to Priya Parker, professional facilitator and author of The Art of Gathering.
For example, if you love sketching, long walks, and house music, you could set up a walking group that moves along to a collaborative playlist and stops at certain points to sketch what they see for a few minutes.
Don’t let the idea that you need to rent a venue stop you. Pick free public places to meet up: parks, coffee shops, libraries, or your front yard.
Next, define your version of success. When I first started, I thought success meant a large number of people showing up to my events. But over time, I began to view success differently. Did my connection to others deepen? Was there laughter? Did I help someone overcome a fear? Did the promotion of creative wellness inspire at least one person to be more creative?
Try this: Design a flyer for your event. Handmade is all the rage now. Post it on your social media. Share it with your new creative friends you’ve been cultivating through one-on-one conversations. Print it out and tape it up around town. If nobody shows up, keep trying. If only one person shows up, you’ve hit gold.
As Berry said, “Memphis restaurants, creatives, and makers are woven into everything I do because the community grows stronger when we support the people who shape it.”Your people are out there waiting for you. Go play.
