5 Ways to Tap into an Artistic Community
There was a time when I wasn’t a part of an artistic community, and I struggled in that isolation.
There was no one with which is to fully discuss my art or to challenge me in my skills. More significantly, by not hearing the ideas of other artists as well as not experiencing their creative work, I lacked the creative fuel necessary for artistic growth.
However, over the years, I’ve tapped into several different kinds of artistic communities. And this experience of participating in creative communities has enhanced my artistic skills and challenged me to produce better and more work. More significantly, it’s offered me camaraderie and support from my peers who stimulate ideas, provoke conversations, and generally make creating art a much less lonely pursuit.
The Importance of Community
As artists, we tend to spend our creative time alone and in solitude. While solitude is necessary to creating art, what’s lacking in this scenario is human connection which, in my experience, is absolutely crucial to creating brilliant art.
In my experience and opinion, great art is fueled by our experiences, by our relationships with other people, and by the world around us. These are our sources and resources, and it’s important to connect to them.
Other people in general and other artists in particular provide important feedback and support. This feedback and support comprise the much-needed fuel for creativity. Moreover, they can motivate us to stretch our skills and to produce more and better work.
So, how do you tap into a creative community? How do you find the sources and resources to improve your skills, produce better work, and enjoy the camaraderie of other artists?
Tapping into Communities
Here are some simple ways in which I’ve tapped into and become of a part of various creative communities, providing me with the means to meet and learn from other talented artists:
- Visit artistic venues. Depending on your creative field, you might want to participate in a poetry or music open mic, go to an art opening, or attend plays. The key is to find social venues in which to participate in artistic events, meet other artists of your ilk and converse with them.
- Take a class or a workshop. Taking a class or attending a workshop in your creative field is a great way to meet other artists and also learn new skills. At the very least, you’ll have an opportunity to connect with a teacher or facilitator who can be a valuable artistic resource and mentor.
- Join a critique group. A critique group provides an intimate setting in which to really dig into one’s work and the work of others in the group. The experience of being in a group geared towards critiquing and strengthening one’s work and skills can be absolutely invaluable to helping you stretch and grow as an artist. Moreover, you’ve got a ready-made group of peers and colleagues with which to develop social relationships.
- Join an online site. There are so many social networking sites geared towards sharing and discussing art, and they provide opportunities to develop online relationships with other artists. Run a search and see if you can find a site through which to share your work and interact with others.
- Create a blog. A blog is an easy and fun way to share your work and interact with readers and other artists. The key, however, is to find ways to find readers. So take the time to build a readership by visiting other art and creativity blogs and leaving comments and by promoting your blog on larger social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.
The Benefits of a Community
Becoming an active participant is an artistic community is a lot easier than you might think. It’s simply a matter of reaching out, being friendly, and perhaps taking a few social risks. But it’s well-worth the effort.
By joining an artistic community, you can network and potentially discover new opportunities, promote your work, enhance your skills, and become motivated to produce better and more work. Most significantly, you might just make some important and lasting friendships with other artists.
Are you a part of an artistic community? How has it enhanced your art and your life?
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Fickr photo courtesy of PLANETART
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For most of my life I’ve written in isolation. The only contact I had with the writing community was the occasional acceptance in a small press mag or a rejection slip. I was almost forty before I sat down and had a conversation with a real live author and about fifty the next time I talked to one. In the past few months I have made a little effort to make contact with some local writers but I didn’t enjoy the experience: a barrage of questions about what kind of stuff I’d written, what I was working on and if and when I’d been published and then for most of the rest of the evening I sat around ‘listening’ to the conversations of those who knew each other well. I tried a poetry discussion group at the Mitchell Library but ended up showing off as if I felt I needed to prove myself and haven’t been back there either. I tried a poetry reading at the Glasgow Museum of Modern Art (in the library in the basement) but I only stayed for barely an hour and declined to read. I’m not so much shy as not really much of a talker. That’s not true. I can talk the hind legs off a donkey but I tend to blurt and monopolise conversations and so I avoid them for fear of embarrassing myself.
I prefer online because there I can give a considered response and usually in less than 4096 characters although I have been known to exceed that on occasion. I recently tried to make a bit for of an effort with Facebook and it has paid off but I still find the constant onslaught of information a burden. A couple of times now I have involved myself with Zoetrope but I find it a huge drain on my time. You can spread yourself too thinly and I think it’s better to limit yourself. So I blog and comment on blogs and that’s about the length and breadth of my socialisation. And I try to keep the commenting down to a couple of hours a day because that too can eat up your time too.
Jim Murdoch´s last [type] ..Procrastinators Anonymous
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Ami Mattison Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 2:48 am
Jim, I think online interactions are easier for a lot of people. They are for me. I experience social anxiety from time to time, which can make attending live events a struggle. But I do try to challenge myself to participate in offline events precisely because I think they’re good for me and I usually get something valuable or at least interesting from these events. In particular, I feel that they enhance what I have to write about.
You’ve raised significant issues that many artists have with being social. Even if we don’t struggle with shyness per se, many artists are introverts and simply prefer our solitude. And I think as a result, many of us fear social embarrassment. With this article, I wanted to get more into these types of obstacles we face with being social and tapping into communities, but that section just sort of spun out of control. Maybe I’ll make it a separate article.
Anyway, I’m really glad that you participate in the conversations here at poetryNprogress. I appreciate your experiences and your consistent comments!
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Your point about experiences being crucial is right on. Experiences, including relationships, provide not just subject matter but knowledge to apply to writing. Writing is always better when it comes out of what one knows.
Excellent post.
Maureen´s last [type] ..Wednesday Wonder- The Art of Shooting Ice
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Ami Mattison Reply:
March 25th, 2011 at 2:53 am
So true, Maureen! Writing insists we focus on what we know and what we’ve experienced. That’s why I think it’s valuable to tap into different kinds of social relationships. Also, I know for me that I often can’t formulate my thoughts about world events, for instance, until I’ve read or conversed with others about what’s happening and the repercussions. I often need to be informed, not simply by what I can glean from the news, but by how it affects people’s thinking and actions before I find that I have something significant to add. Thanks so much for sharing!
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My work as a poet took off when I began to take part in the local poetry venues, reading my work and listening to others. We do need each other, at least some of us do, for affirmation and challenge. Thanks for a thoughtful post.
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Ami Mattison Reply:
March 26th, 2011 at 6:28 am
“We do need each other”–so very true and well-put, Chris. And it’s that need that drives communities and connects people to each other and to something larger.
It’s fantastic that you’ve found a community with which to share your work and engage with the work of others. Thanks for sharing!
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Really good post Ami about isolation. It’s an essential topic that goes right to the core that can help or hurt the creative spirit. Community is so important, and if you have an introverted nature, it can be difficult to communicate with like-minded people. Fortunately, the internet has changed that and some like myself can expressive ourselves through writing much butter than speaking in person. Isolation is a killer, and needs to be dealt with. Great topics and support like your site is one of them.
Joshua Lance´s last [type] ..Splat- my next adventure at the Petroglyphs
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Ami Mattison Reply:
March 30th, 2011 at 8:44 am
Thank you, Joshua. I’m glad you found the article to be useful in some way. The internet has indeed opened up a lot of different kinds of communities for artists, especially those of us who are introverted.
I’m glad you’ve mentioned how isolation can be so damaging to an artist. When we’re isolated we can become trapped in our own worries and creative problems, fail to stretch and grow, and might even lapse into creative blocks.
Thanks for taking the time to share!
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I’ve recently began to be more intentional about this endeavor. I’ve started visiting poetry venues, and also performing at open mics. I’ve also joined a writing group(many listed on meetup.com) and also joined toastmasters to sharpen some speaking goals I have.
When I really looked at it, there are so many communities, and resources available once I started looking! Great article. This website is an example of what I found once I turned my attention to rediscovering my love for poetry.
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Ami Mattison Reply:
April 20th, 2011 at 5:42 am
Wow, Veron! Sounds like you’ve really done your homework! I think it’s wonderful that you’ve tapped into so many different artistic communities. And your experience exemplifies exactly what I’m discussing in this article. Feel free to stop by any time and share more about your discoveries.
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