Listen to this articleCreativity knows no bounds–it does not discriminate on people, and there is a wide umbrella of professionals who earn a living through the arts. Whether they are directors, creators, artists, writers, musicians, or performers, these individuals share the common desire to express themselves through their craft. One crucial thing that creatives have to remember is to network in order to climb the ladder of success.
For Bennet Schwartz Sydney Director, networking with other professionals is an important part of his career. Through linking with others, he gets to discover new talent, find reputable producers, and work with creative teams to fulfill his role. If you’re new to the creative scene, you may find it challenging to build networks to boost your career path.
In this post, Mr. Schwartz will highlight the simple steps you can take to take your creative career to the next level through networking.
Art Exhibits and Conventions
Participating in art exhibits and conventions can greatly boost your chances to network with valuable people. Many arts shows feature keynote speakers who have accomplished much in their careers, and you will also find fresh talents you can partner up with.
When joining art conventions, some things you can prepare for networking include:
• Your introductory pitch: Prepare a conversational line where you introduce yourself, what you do, and how others can benefit from your offers. As people in these events are also networking like you are, it is best to be concise and intentional in your interactions.
• Visuals: Are you a professional or business looking for new clients? It is important to prepare visuals such as business cards, flyers, posters, and even sample work if you own a booth in these events.
• Contact information document: To get as many contact details as possible, you can also prepare a clipboard or a notepad where potential individuals can be reached out once you network with them on that event.
To know the next art exhibit and convention that applies to your line of industry, you can visit nationwide or statewide event databases to see what you can attend.
LinkedIn and Other Online Networks
Bennet Schwartz Sydney Director considers LinkedIn as a powerful tool to get to know professionals you can get in touch with. Creatives looking for work or clients can use LinkedIn to find:
• Colleagues: People in the same line of work that one can partner up with. LinkedIn has a feature that suggests people who work in the same industries or even workplaces, especially for larger companies.
• Businesses: Companies are also searchable in LinkedIn. It is highly likely that you can reach out to a key decision-maker of a business through the online platform than in other social media accounts.
• Jobs: LinkedIn also features jobs where users can easily apply. All you have to do is to fill out your profile completely and the online platform will create a resume for you during the submission of applications.
Online networks such as LinkedIn will help you have a laser-focused direction on your search, saving you time and energy as a networking professional.
Local Businesses
Local businesses are often untouched bases. Often, one gets so absorbed trying to reach out to far-fetched opportunities that they don’t get to look at the treasure within the community.
Local businesses are wonderful potential clients or partners that can help your career as a creative grow. If you are a new professional wanting to create a great portfolio, you can look no further to local businesses in your area to offer your services.
Having these reputable sample works can help you land greater opportunities in the long run. Alternatively, you can also focus on local businesses if you want to have a strong community presence. If you’re a visual artist, you can help local businesses in creating logos and other print materials needed for their operations. As a content creator, you can help in online marketing and advertising. Performing talents can also partner with local businesses such as studios, training centers, or agencies.
Industry-Based Organizations
Another great way to network with valuable people is through professional organizations. More often than not, there are organizations, clubs, or membership programs available in many areas of your industry. For example, there are organizations such as Directors Guild of America for filmmakers or the Association of Illustrators for visual artists. These industry-based memberships can help you network with established colleagues, whom you can partner or give referrals on the career direction you wish to take.
For a small annual membership fee, there are a lot of perks with these industry-based organizations. These can include:
• Free passes to events: Some membership organizations offer free entrances to art shows, seminars, or other events related to the profession.
• Free webinars: There are also webinars that creatives can participate in which offer great information on how to secure clients, improve their craft, or how to even network further with other individuals.
• Socialization platforms: Discussion boards are also available within the organization which are exclusive to the members.
• Opportunities to be recognized: One can join contests or submit applications to get awards presented by these organizations. These are valuable recognitions that can help your resume stand out as well.
This great avenue for meeting like-minded people is a great way to discover what other successful professionals are up to in your industry.
Networking For Success As a Creative: Seizing Opportunities
These examples of places and platforms to establish networks are some of the wonderful pools of opportunities you can start in as a creative. With much consistency, determination, and people skills, you can gradually build your dream to flourish in your line of work or business.
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