The Creativity-Boosting Power of Community

As it starts to warm up a bit (maybe a little too early here in Michigan), I've had more and more events to go to lately and it got me thinking about how important community is.

As a creative, having a solid community in your corner is invaluable.

Productive time in sacred solitude is just as important too, but ultimately a healthy balance of both must be found.

Straddling this balance is key to maximizing your inspiration and creative growth.

Having that safe space to share ideas without feeling like a "weirdo" and bonding with a tribe of like-minded people provides immense comfort when pursuing our creative callings.

But a real creative community offers more than just psychological safety. I always leave networking events feeling so inspired to keep going, try new things, and gain fresh insights.

Feeding off each other's energy sparks motivation.

Champion hosted an event in downtown Detroit a couple of weeks ago, bringing out all the creator girlies! I connected some people together and made new friends from Detroit and New York. They also featured art from some black artists in the city. I left feeling so inspired and grateful!

Another major benefit is the inspiration and cross-sharing of skills like editing, storytelling, partnering with brands, or monetizing content.

We all have unique talents - generously sharing knowledge allows an abundant creativity cycle to flourish.

I wouldn't be where I am without the amazing creatives who inspired and helped me along the way, teaching me skills like photography, modeling, and more.

This life is about relationships and collaboration, not just solitary work.

However, we can't ignore the importance of routinely disconnecting to turn inward. There are seasons where you must put your head down and put in solitary work to rebuild self-reliance and realign with your core identity.

The power comes from within first before anything external.

It's about flowing between community connectedness and reflective solitude.

Too much of either breeds imbalance - over dependence on a community can drain your unique vision, but total isolation cuts off inspiration and growth opportunities.

The path is balancing both - nurturing your creative community while protecting restorative solitary periods to tap into your inner voice and self-belief. That's how we make magic happen.

Here’s how I build my creative community:

1. Go to Networking Events Attend events, meetups, or gatherings related to your creative interests and field. This gets you out of isolation and allows face-to-face connections.

2. Connect and Ask Questions Approach others at these events, connect with people, and ask them about their creative work - why they do it, how they got started, techniques they use, etc. This opens up knowledge sharing.

3. Share Your Story When others express interest, share insights about your own creative journey and process. Don't just take, but give knowledge back.

4. Keep in Touch Follow up and keep the connections alive through check-ins, DMs/messages on social media. Try meeting up quarterly or when it makes sense.

5. Connect Others Introduce people in your community that you think could benefit from knowing each other. Be a catalyst for growing the creative web.

6. Head Down Seasons There will be times to go inward and focus solely on your own creative work. During these "head down" seasons, draw from the internal well of self-belief.

7. Give to Receive Adopt the mindset that giving and sharing knowledge allows you to receive more in return. If you hoard, the creative flow gets blocked.

Remember to get out there, ask questions, share openly, nurture connections, and facilitate more connections. The key is an abundance mindset of sharing to receive.

Give radically to your community, but never lose touch with the truth that your greatest creative gifts ultimately flow from listening to the wise voice within.

Balancing these two forces, the communal and the self-sourced, is how we make magic.

Creatively yours,

Diamond

P.S. Respond to this email if you’d like to chat or would like some ideas on how you can find more creative friends in your community!