Networking on Easy Mode
The Search for Interesting Projects
I want to talk about networking which is one of the words that make creative people cringe. So let’s remove some of the stigma around it today and help you use it in your favour. We going to take networking, and put it on easy mode.
We don’t live in a vacuum, even though we create ways of living this way when it’s time to focus on our Most Creative Work. Ideally, that work will find an audience one day. So it’s inevitable that you will have to do some outreach to build your network.
Networking takes on a bad meaning when this outreach is done simply for extracting things from people. Using them as a resource. You don’t like it when people buddy up to you just to ask you for a favour, so it wouldn’t be fair to do that to other people.
But here’s the rub: At some point you will have to put yourself out there. And yes you might need to ask a favour to help make introductions or let people know about your newest offering. In order to get over this, you’ll have to remind yourself that what you offer people is for their benefit (or someone else’s benefit in the case of asking for an introduction).
The Mindset Shift Everyone Must Adopt
If you see the value in this, then it might help to change your vocabulary around networking and its siblings in job searching or sales. Try to swap in the idea that you are searching for interesting projects. Because at the end of the day, that’s all we really want. We want to work on projects that are not only interesting, but juicy.
And in the case of a job search, we don’t just want a job where we can waste 8 hours a day in exchange for a paycheque, we want to join a community of smart and creative people. So start to look at the language you use around these activities and see if you can swap in some new words to help motivate your journey.
Deposit Before You Withdraw
There is the saying that reaching out to people is like working with a bank account - you have to put money into it before you can make a withdrawal. So the best time to start building or re-engaging your network is when you don’t need to.
10 Places Where Networking Can Happen
Social media - by posting online and engaging with comments, in addition to direct messages
By enrolling in educational degrees and working with classmates and keeping in touch with them afterwards
Attending dedicated networking events - preferably alumni events or niche meetups like startup pitch events
Conferences - these can be hit or miss and also challenging for an introvert but there’s no question this is a great way to meet new people
Dating apps - if you are single or polyamorous, connections on these apps lead to deeper conversations that can lead to discovery of overapping interests
Start a podcast or interview people for your blog. This is a great way to meet people a level or two above you that otherwise might not be willing to sit down for coffee with you. Because it’s simply flattering to be interviewed. And everyone wins if it’s an insightful conversation and content piece.
Virtual coworking spaces like Focusmate, Caveday or my own Project Lab which will focus on this exact area on Tuesday. I have met a bunch of friends through Focusmate as part of the format is sharing what we’re working on, but people also see the musical instruments in my room on the webcam
Substack, where this newsletter is hosted, is a great resource for finding more creative people that might align with your interests. Explore the different features such as Notes and Chat. Read their product blog to get new insights about the platform.
CreativeMornings Virtual Field Trips. These started during the pandemic as a way to offer events when they couldn’t host them in-person. There’s a range of topics offered every week. At the very least you can connect with the host.
A good cafe. What that means is one that has a positive vibe to it and is the hub of your neighbourhood. This is a great place to practice making small talk by asking a random customer a question or offering them a compliment. There are also often bulletin boards in a good cafe where you can share your services or see what other people are offering.
Where do you find the most engaging and authentic networking opportunities in your life?
Strategies for Starting Conversations Online
To be honest, as an introvert, I enjoy the process of making things more than I do connecting with people. But I am going to do my best to write out some strategies here that we can all benefit from.
At the end of the day, networking and getting conversations going is really just a matter of saying hello to people.
Think about how you reach out to your friends. It is typically as natural as possible, otherwise you wouldn’t think of them as your friends. You can ask them how their week or weekend went. You can send them a video or meme that made you think of them. Or you can add some insight into something they posted recently.
So the same would apply to reaching out to people outside your immediate friend circle. But when you do this, make sure you spend some time checking out what is on their profile or anything they’ve posted lately. Don’t spend too much time thinking about what you can send them or it dips into the territory of scheming which is kind of creepy.
As far as creative projects go, find out what people are working on. Try to uncover what’s motivating them lately. Ask more questions than you do telling them about yourself.
In a natural conversation, people will ask you questions and that’s when you can effortlessly promote what you have on tap. If they’re not asking you questions, then it’s a one-sided interview and there’s not much fun engaging with this type of interaction. So quietly make an exit at that point and be courteous. Let them know any useful information before closing off the conversation in your head.
What is the best way to reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while?
Let’s Do This Together: DM Lab on Tuesday, November 28th @ 12pm EST / 9am PST
For an hour we will put our heads together and start sending messages to people. We will either ruin the world or save the planet, I’m not sure what the outcome will be.
Book Recommendation: Book Yourself Solid by Michael Port
What I enjoyed about this book is the idea that there are many different ways to get yourself out there in ways that fit with who you are as a person. While Michael Port’s target audience is likely more rigid business professionals, I think people in the creative industries can benefit from his message.
After you read the book you can look into the Book Yourself Solid Illustrated version to help summarize the material.
Putting All This into Practice
Challenge: Go into one of your social accounts and DM a person in your contacts list that does something similar to you, but you haven’t spoken to in a long time. This should bring up a bit of tension for you to work through. If you need to warm up, send a DM to a more familiar friend first to say hello.
Advanced Mode: Start a podcast using Spotify for Podcasters which makes it easy to launch a podcast in a few clicks. Set up a Zoom call with someone you find interesting, record it, and upload the .m4a audio file that is made as a result to your newly created podcast.
Here’s a Mind Map to try to put all these ideas together and turn on some different corners of the brain:
Can you think of a time when you got worked up about sending someone a message and then in the end, the email bounced, they moved onto a new position that made your ask irrelevant, or you got what you were looking for easier than you expected?
The Most Creative Podcast Has Launched!
Well this is exciting. Seriously, I mean it. And i’m not going to use another exclamation mark to prove it.
I now have a platform to share audio versions of these posts, and hopefully do some interviews soon.
I like to think of The Most Creative Podcast as something you can listen to on a coffee break or a break from work in general to stir up some new ideas.
Go One Step Further with Elliott
DM Lab Co-Working Session (Tuesday Nov. 28th 12pm EST/9am PST)
Confident Enough on Camera (Course)
Keeping Your Projects Moving (Course)
This Book Will Be a Failure (My first ebook)
The Most Creative Instagram (Prompts and Ideas in your feed)
p.s. Actionable tip: If you get nervous sending people messages, just picture the monkey above in this email and then go ahead. it will be fine. the floor won’t collapse under your feet after you hit send.
I love going to tech meet ups. There is an awesome one here in Melbourne I’ve been going to about Deep Tech. Fascinating topics and a wonderful group of people. Interesting and fun. For me of the topic is interesting it’s a win win.