How to build a reputation as a creator
Are you struggling to market your creative work? Feel like you’re spinning your wheels with your latest projects? Out of inspiration and motivation?
Looks like you need some of that age old magic- social pressure and support.
Networking isn’t just for busy business people on LinkedIn. As a creator, you need to build trust in your audience with a solid creative reputation. The following tips are easy and fun, and over time, they will help you create a network of supportive artists, as well as build a reputation of your own as an impressive creator.
I put them in the order I think you’ll find most helpful, so start from the top and work your way down. By the time you get to the last item, you’ll see a big change in your creative life!
Take a class
I heartily recommend this as a first place to start, and not just for the very real benefit of learning more about your craft.
Classes are the absolute best place to meet other creators. The people taking the class automatically share a passion with you. Former classmates often stay connected and continue to inspire each other and collaborate on future projects.
To make friends with other adults in your class:
Get everyone on a group text, even if they say they hate them.
Get everyone’s email and make sure everyone else has it, too. Some people are more responsive on email, which is weird to me but different strokes for different folks I guess.
Insist on before or after class bonding. Coffee works great before, going to a bar works great after.
Invite individuals that you particularly jive with to grab a coffee outside of the larger group meet-ups.
Continue reaching out to people after class.
People are flaky and this may take some repeated invitations on your part, but it’s worth it when years later you can pull together former classmates for support!
Participate in a MeetUp group
I love MeetUp so much. Whatever you’re interested in, there’s a group in your area or in a nearby town or virtual who is doing it.
MeetUp is an app where people can form groups based around a common interest and host get-togethers, either in person or virtually. I’m in two MeetUp groups right now, one that meets weekly to write at a cafe in person, and one that meets virtually to write together.
Without joining a MeetUp group, I might never have dedicated the time I needed to finish my novel. It also helped me find beta readers and other supporters for when I finally published.
Most groups are free, some have a nominal fee. I only do the free ones myself.
Whether you’re a writer, painter, actor, director, mime, WHATEVER, join a MeetUp group and start meeting other people like you!
Participate in a Facebook Group
Facebook is an annoying cesspool most of the time, but thanks to several carefully selected Facebook groups, my feed is now often a delight and a bright spot in my day.
I accomplished this unlikely feat by joining several arty, optimistic Facebook groups.
Some of my favorite Facebook groups for creatives:
Binders Helping Newbie Writers (for Female, Female identifying, Non-binary and Gender-queer writers)
Let’s Make Art: Watercolor (there are many other Let’s Make Art groups as well!)
Artistic Women Inspiring Artistic Women (who also have a MeetUp group)
You can find other groups that will encourage and promote your creative work simply by searching for your interest, your area, and your demographic or identity.
Start with smaller projects (and share them)!
As humans, we have to build trust incrementally. Before we go on a week long vacation with someone, we go out to dinner to see if we enjoy their company and consider them reliable.
I find the same is true for creative endeavors. For example, buying and reading a novel is a big commitment! Often, people don’t buy books unless they’ve read the author before, or the book comes recommended by a trusted friend.
Before expecting people to give you a huge amount of their time and trust, start by creating and sharing smaller projects with them.
Here are some of the ways you can start to build trust with your network and audience:
Before writing a full-length comedy feature film, write and produce 3-5 minute sketches for YouTube.
Before publishing your novel, write short stories on a blog or episodic stories on Kindle Vella.
Before releasing your EP, perform a song or two live at local open mics.
Before publishing a book of poetry, submit individual poems to literary magazines or share on social media.
Feed your work to your audience like this baby bird… one piece of corn at a time.
You get the idea. Start with smaller projects and begin to build trust with your audience.
Many of the people who purchased and advocated my novel saw my live comedy sketches performed years ago when I was in college. Those sketches built trust in my ability as a comedy writer, so when I published my novel, those same people knew I would create something enjoyable for them.
Additionally, working on these projects will build your skills and confidence, as well as your audience and network!
Collaborate
Even if you think your work is a solitary endeavor, you are a social creature. I know, as an introvert (with a smattering of control issues) I hate it, too. But other people are necessary for good art.
One of the highest compliments you can receive as a creator is to be “good to work with.” People who consider you helpful, reliable, and a valuable teammate are likely to support you as a creator in later projects.
Where to find collaborative partners:
Ask former classmates what projects they’re working on or interested in working on in the future.
Shout out what you’d like to do or projects you’d like to get involved with in MeetUp or social media groups. Make sure to mention your strengths as well as what you’d like to learn.
Join local artistic organizations who are already doing cool things, like community theaters or non-profits.
When asking people to join you in a project, don’t be shy! People are generally flattered when you ask, and even if they can’t participate right now, they will keep you in mind for the future.
Build a virtual audience and talk with them live
Have you heard of Twitch? It’s an online platform where people can share content in real-time with live viewers. It’s most famous as a platform for gamers, but there are artists, podcasts, and performers on there as well.
I love Twitch. I don’t have a particularly large audience yet, but there’s just no better way to entertain people directly online. Viewers can chat with you in the chat box while you play games, share your creative work, or just talk. Follow me here if you’d like!
Even without a large following (I’m still under 50 followers), streaming on Twitch and watching other streamers has helped me meet poets, comedians, and creators from all over the world. I’ve sold books to my Twitch viewers, who learned from my streams that I am funny and friendly, and knew that would carry over into my books.
Because growing an audience takes consistency and persistence, this one can be quite a bit of work. In my experience, it’s worth it, but consider whether you can make the commitment.
Offer your experience and insights on YouTube or a blog
One of the best things you can do as a creator is share what you’ve learned. This doesn’t mean setting yourself up as the smartest or most experienced person, but admitting where you’ve failed and what you learned from the experience, or simply passing on what you didn’t know when you first started.
For example… Our YouTube channel!
No matter where you are in your journey, there is always someone who can mentor you, and someone you could mentor. So once you have some knowledge or expertise in your field, pass it on!
Two easy ways to do this are starting a blog or YouTube channel. I use Squarespace for this blog, and I love how easy it is to design and publish, but it is expensive, and there are free options that would probably serve the purpose just as well.
I will admit, I find YouTube a much easier way to grow organically. To give you an idea, I do similar content on this blog and on the MakeGood YouTube channel. This blog has 783 visits since I started it, while the YouTube channel has over 10,000 views… Obviously, YouTube has a much faster growth rate.
But videos take more time to write, edit, and produce, so it’s up to you what you’d like to start with.
Topics you can share on your blog or vlog:
How you got started as a creator
What surprised you the most the first time you… [fill in the blank with a recent project you completed!]
How to… properly clean paint brushes, arrange the perfect writing desk, project your voice onstage, anything you know how to do, share it!
Reviews or commentary style videos are also popular. If you are a writer, you can do book reviews. If you’re an artist, you can comment on artistic trends.
Share your expertise, and people looking for knowledge will become more interested in your creative work, as well!
Get your work out in the real world
Once you’ve done all the other things on this list, there’s really nothing else to do but… Flaunt what you got.
Take your creations and get them out into the world. Sharing on social media is great, but make sure you augment your online efforts with in-person showcases as well.
How to get your work out there:
Ask to put your artwork up with a small label in a local cafe or store.
Paint or sketch live in public places.
Hold public readings of your poetry or stories.
Participate in open mics.
Produce a sketch comedy show of your work or collaborations.
I put this step at the end because it’s often the scariest, so please do the previous ideas before this one! However, if you don’t get your work out there, it doesn’t matter what else you do.
The biggest proof, both to yourself and others, that you can create is to do it… and then show it off.