Casting Call: Finding the People Who Make You Make Work, part 2
Graduating from college and being off-campus – not to mention moving to a new city entirely – can create a sense of disorientation that feels fatal to making work. A few weeks ago, we talked about how creating a Creative Accountability Relationship can drive you to make work. Fundamentally, it’s a good idea…but especially in a new environment or after a transition, how you find the people who are perfect for these relationships?
The following five tips are directed towards recent graduates, but anyone (not just card-carrying alumni) can take the foundations of these tips to apply it to any transition.
1. Research where you’re going to be.
…because that’s how you get there. When I first moved to Nashville, I didn’t have many connections to the city; it took me about five months to really feel “settled” and “okay” with where I was and with what I was doing….and my studio practice reflected that. If you want that process to go faster, do your homework before you graduate: find out what the city offers, who is already there, and what they’re doing. Take it from my experience: a little bit of legwork makes the rest of this list turn into cake.
A breakdown of Nashville's general neighborhood areas...getting lost is helpful to anyone getting used to a new city!
2. Ask your network who or what inspires them.
The best thing about a college is that the majority of your teachers or fellow students don’t come from your town: they’ve been around a little bit and hail from a diverse background. Ask them if they have anyone they could introduce you to, or what favorite places they recommend you make time to check out. Most of your peers, and especially your professors, have come to know your work over the course of your degree, and can point you to opportunities or people you might not see or meet on your own. (Plus, they’ll be flattered you asked! And when it comes to professors, it never hurts to show you appreciate them!)
Artists from The Contemporary Frequency show talk about their influences.
3. Look for the people who lead projects you respect, or find intriguing.
As you begin to find out more about where you’re going and who is already there, be proactive! If you find out about an arts-initiative or project that you liked, or want to be involved with, find out who or what is behind the idea. Ask if you can meet with them, or attend one of their organizational meetings, or plan to volunteer some time. But if you’re going to take the steps to stand out, be sure you’re ready to be noticed: research what’s already happened, and just as importantly, figure out how you could help them reach the next step.
Volunteers at the Frist Center for the Arts help with Henna to celebrate the Vishnu exhibit.
4. Look for likeminded people who hang out in the places you like.
Sometimes the easiest way to find the people you’ll like is by hanging out in the places you like, or who attend the events you enjoy. It’ll take a little boldness to introduce yourself to new or familiar strangers – I’m a lone wolf at heart myself, so I understand the introvert’s dilemma – but it’s worth it. I know, I know: at the end of the day, it feels easier to stick to the friends you already know, to just go home, to throw on an episode of Star Trek, and simply veg out…but instead I chose to spend time in my favorite locations – coffeehouses, art museums, and bookstores – in an attempt to get to know people who liked what I liked and who were passionate about being a part of things. You meet some pretty cool people simply by putting yourself out there.
Two poets from YouthSpeaks Nashville incorporate movement into their duet performance reading.
And in that line of thought:
5. Go outside of your experiences.
Sometimes the most important connections you end up creating – the ones who form the basis of your true Creative Accountability Relationships and who drive you to make work – happen because you take advantage of the unknown. You volunteer for something you weren’t completely sure you could do. You start a project that asks a lot of you. You go somewhere you didn’t plan on going, or decided to go out and attend something even though you were already tired. That extra step and dedication shows.
Artists experiment with ideas of collaboration and commerce at the Artist Block Party.
And when you go a little further, look a little harder, and make a little more effort, people notice it: like cats to boxes, we’re attracted to people who are active, open, and receptive to new ideas. You might just find that while you’re out looking for people, people will notice…and start looking for you. Engage them!
So Nashville…who do you turn to for influence?
