Building your artist community

Busy fall over here! Our coaching program is underway, new things are cooking in the studio, and I just got back from a week-long workshop at Arrowmont School of Art.

The workshop was on self-portraiture and we had a blast. It's always a joy to be around a bunch of other artists. You realize you're not the only crazy person trying to do this creative life thing. Connecting with artists always leaves me feeling restored.

But it wasn't always that way. To be honest, I avoided having artist friends for a long time. I thought artists were self-centered and unreliable and those were things I didn't want to be. I told myself that "artists didn't make good friends" and because I told myself that, it became true. I didn't see artists as people I could connect with. I distinguished myself as different, and in doing that, I isolated myself. I felt like an outsider.

It wasn't until I met one of my best buds, Stephanie de Couto Costa, that I was proven wrong. Steph and I met in grad school and she was both an amazing artist AND friend. Yes, she was always late and could not multi-task to save her life, but she was also incredibly generous, funny, and brilliantly creative.

She provided me with something essential for any artist: camaraderie around the challenges of making things.

And it changed my life <3.

Steph helped me break the "no art friends" cycle. I opened up. I started seeking out other artists. I showed up to openings and events. I invited people into my studio. It was fun. And I wish I had not waited until my late twenties to do it.

So my advice to you, wherever you're at, is to allow yourself to connect with other artists. It is essential.

You can't do it on your own. You're an artist, and you need to be in conversation with other artists in order to thrive.

It's scary, I know. But if you don't know where to start, here are some ways you can meet and build relationships with other creatives:

1. Take a week-long intensive at a craft center.
Take a ceramics, wood-working, or drawing class. You'll be in the studio and surrounded by artists all day! The people are friendly and beginners are welcome.
Check out Penland, Arrowmont, Haystack, or Anderson Ranch.

2. Teach at your local community center. Even if you're not a pro.
I've met so many buds through teaching classes. Whatever ideas you're interested in, someone else is interested in those ideas too. By creating a class you call those people to you.

3. Check out online communities.
This can require you to be a bit more proactive, but there are artists who want to connect this way! On our School-wide coaching call we meet as a school each month and talk to each other. You'll always chat with one other person, one-on-one. We also talk on Slack.

Another online resource I've found interesting is Sharon Louden's c ommunity-building class at Creative Capital.

4. Visit people's studios.
Take an interest in other artists and their work. Ask to visit their studios. Invite them into your creative space. Make a date with them to go see art. I've lived in 9 different cities in 15 years and this is how I've made friends.

5. Start a Crit Group.
You're not the only person who wants to talk about your art. Reach out to folks you know and start a feedback club. It's a great way to start a dialogue.

6. Show up.
At openings. Performances. Readings. Whatever you make, show up to the places where people are making and sharing those things. Nobody is going to tell you you belong. You have to show yourself you belong, by showing up and letting yourself connect with others.

How did you find your creative tribe?

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