creating poetry, creating a life in poetry

5 Ways to Tap into an Artistic Community

Written by Ami Mattison on March 24, 2011 - 10 Comments
Creativity, Professional Development

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.