It can be quite foreign for creatives to collaborate with one another. For many of us, our passions have always been a solo endeavor. We don’t think anyone else understands or shares our unique point of view. Maybe they don’t – but maybe that’s the idea. Maybe collaboration is about combining different mindsets and joining forces to launch something larger than you might be able to create on your own.

It won’t always work. Dealing with other people can be difficult for those of us who aren’t used to doing so. It’s a skill, the dance between staying in authenticity and allowing the input of others to affect your viewpoint. There is a difference between people pleasing at your own expense and listening to what everyone else has to offer. We all live in a different reality and open communication can help us see something through the eyes of another. When you find like-minded, collaborative partners, uniting your strengths towards a common goal can be quite transformative.

All I’m saying is we don’t have to always go it alone. We don’t have to struggle carrying the weight of our dreams on our backs without any support or help. There are times when bouncing ideas off another person, hearing their feedback and input, can spark inspiration that might never come otherwise. Sometimes a different perspective is all that’s necessary to trigger an insight or shift a plan in a more interesting direction.

Find those people who feel like kindred souls, those people who understand what you’re about and share your values. Those are your dream collaborators, the partners who will lift you up and cheer you on. The people who you can trust and who can trust you in return. There is great power in balanced, healthy creative collaboration.

You might feel very alone in your creative vision, but chances are there are plenty of people in your life who feel the same way and who would love to work with you! Reach out to the peers who you admire, whose work inspires you. You might find out they feel the exact same about you, and that they would love to take on a joint project. Creative collaboration can help you expand, help you take action when you might not otherwise. It gives you a way to keep yourself accountable and push out of your comfort zone. It’s worth a try!

Sending you love.