Network naturally, it is not ‘who you know’ but ‘who knows you’.

Post 30 of Dream, create and make money in the arts – My Series on becoming a Successful Creative

A great way to build your platform in the community, locally, nationally, both on & off line is to collaborate on events, shows and productions.

After all it is not who you know but who knows you!

The word Network has the word ‘net’ in it, it is this idea of casting a large net and gently encompassing interesting people towards you and is a far more attractive concept than ‘stalking, bombarding, bambozzling, hassling” and possibly the scariest idea ‘cold-calling’

As an actress we are always told to write specific letters eg ‘I know you are casting..’ or ‘i really liked your work on..’ as opposed to ‘I am desperate please, I will act even as a flea for you’. So networking may take a while or indeed years to do in a positive circle building way but the results can be satisfying especially when you can write a letter saying ‘I met you at the show I did with …’ and far more likely to get a response back.
Can you get together & collaborate with fellow actors, singers, artists or painters & put on a joint show?

The advantages over a one man show are:

Sharing of costs from venue hire, posters, rehearsal space and marketing
Sharing of ideas and all the positives from co-creation, make the show better
Sharing of skills from graphic art to event management, people skills. Most creatives are multi-talented and have skills in more than one area.
Sharing of tasks from preparing the venue, hassling press together or the cucumber sandwiches for the after-party!

Enhance each others skills, so a writer, director, choreographer and a choir can make a production or event slicker.
Cross promotion.
Bigger impact on the world in terms of the people you reach.
More interest to the press as if more than one artist, they can often build a story around this.
More likely one of your fellow collaborators has contacts with the press, and another with say directors.
More likely that movers & shakers in your industry will come, whether it’s Saatchi himself or a casting director, the more people & a variety of work to see the more ‘can’t miss this’, the event becomes.
More ticket sales & audience as everyone’s friends & family turn up to support.
A widening of everyone’s network , often work comes from your neighbour’s son or the friend of someone you want to class with, so the more you can naturally build a  network the better.

Image courtesy of aplanet/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

About this series – Becoming a Successful Creative – The Business of Creativity by Marysia
This is a series of daily blogs for you on how to dream up, build, market and sell a creative event, gig, festival, book launch, cabaret night, exhibition of rude plastic cupcakes or whatever creatively inspires you. It is time to create and put on that play about your family, a series of drawings about hedgehogs, the album you have talked about making or the short film you always wanted to write and make. You can read the series in order  Part One or just pick and choose a topic that interests you.