This creative malarkey is an incredibly exciting, fun and rewarding ride; that’s for sure. But, let’s be real (is there any other way to be?): it can also be a bit lonely sometimes, right? Whether you have a fully fledged business, a side hustle, or a passion project, doing things on your own means that you often miss out on the benefits of working as part of a team.
I am a huge believer in teaming up with others from time to time - it can really boost you, your work and your outputs. I wanted to share a few reasons why with you today…
*cues up It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock on the playlist*
If it’s just you all the time, your thought process can become pretty unbalanced. Another person (or group of people) can bring fresh opinions, ideas and points of view. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to say “have you ever thought about doing it this way…” and, suddenly, you’re hit with a ton of inspiration and know how to move things forward.
You can learn so much from your peers if you let them in… I don’t think anyone is ever quite finished their journey, so I try to regularly spend time with other people who do similar work to myself (or sometimes, people who do something completely different!) so that I can enhance my skills and hear all about their experience, challenges and successes. I usually come away feeling pretty motivated afterwards!
…And you have lots to offer them, too! If you’re feeling isolated, or in a rut, chances are someone else is as well. Teaming up can often happen organically if you discover that you’re both passionate about the same things or want to achieve a similar goal.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Is this corny? YES. Is it true though? DOUBLE YES. Sharing a project with someone else gives you that space to bounce ideas off of each other, share tasks, support each other when things get difficult and (my favourite part) hi-five each other when you smash it.
There’s a whole creative community out there! And it’s FUN! I can’t stress this part enough, you guys. It can be very easy to work on things by yourself for a long time and forget that there’s a huge group of people in the same boat as you. If you don’t connect with them, you’ll never know what opportunities are out there - be it professional, or just the chance to get together, share stories and blow off some steam.
I really hope that I’ve helped encourage some of you to reach out to others when you need a new perspective, a brainstorming buddy or someone to partner up with on a project. Teaming up could be just what the doctor ordered if you give it a shot! I’d love to know what your thoughts are on this topic - so feel free to comment below, get in touch or give me a shout on Twitter!
