Every day, I am so grateful to be able to live in a city full of so many creative people. Graphic designers, event planners, bloggers, artist and developers can all usually be found just a table away from me in a coffee shop, hustling away beside me.
I feel even more fortunate to be able to call so many creatives friends. Seriously, I run with a pretty talented and incredible crew of creatives. From amazingly talented illustrators (and honestly, that’s an understatement for all that this girl can do), to photographers with amazing eyes for composition and PR/graphic design extraordinaire with amazing projects on the horizon. My friends motivate and inspire me more than anything else, and I’m grateful for the community we have together.
We’ve done projects together, hired one another, referred one another and, most importantly, we hold each other accountable.
There is so much I would not have accomplished if my friends hadn’t motivated me to believe that I could. So many opportunities I wouldn’t have put myself out there for if not for their unwavering support.
I’ve meet so many amazing people through blogging who have gone from being people I follow to friends that I care about, share with and receive crazy amounts of support from. Friends who understand why spending $50 on photo props or spending all day taking online courses is more appealing than a relaxing weekend shopping or going out.
Friends who will spent 6 hours in a coffee shop with you, because they’re working on their hustle, too.
When you decide to veer off of a tradition path, some of your friends and love ones aren’t going to get it. And they won’t support you.
Not because they don’t care. They absolutely care! But they can’t see the end from where you’re standing. They see risk and uncertainty and they want safety and security for you.
And while they mean well, being surrounded by people who keep telling you what it looks like rather than what you’re working towards isn’t going to get you any closer to your goals. You need a support system who not only understands what you’re going through, they’re going through it too. They understand the reality of what you’re working towards and can encourage, motivate and help you get to where you’re going.
If you haven’t found your people yet, it’s time to break out of that shell a bit. As someone who is more introverted, I know this may not come naturally to everyone, so you can start small.
Challenge yourself to go to one event or meet up every quarter, and introduce yourself to someone new. Maybe you don’t make a ton of personal connections on the spot, but follow up, and ask people for coffee. Start genuine conversations on social media. Ask people to coffee.
Those little connections will go a long way on your overall creative journey. It’s been one of the most valuable parts of mine.
I’m definitely working on this myself! I said at the beginning of the year that I would start putting myself in spaces that encourage creativity and inspire me to hustle. As a matter of fact, there are 2 events this weekend I’m attending where this will be the case. I’ve met some amazing people through blogging and social media, especially young creatives who are striving for unconventional goals and working to create their own lanes. It’s so contagious to even be in the space of that kind of energy!
Yes yes yes! Some of my close friends aren’t creatives, and some of them are. All them support me (well, we all support each other!), but there’s definitely another level of understanding when it comes to creative projects. In high school, the majority of my close friends were into photography and graphic design, and it was actually them that got me interested in photography and graphic design in the first place. I also had friends in high school who I used Tumblr with. Then all of this gradually evolved to blogging for me (just for me though!). In college, I’ve found a few friends who are really into photography, but it took me awhile to find them. I still didn’t find anyone on campus who was into blogging, but eventually I found the PHLbloggers network (through you! (You mentioned how you were speaking at the first Blog Connect, and that’s how I found out about the network, and then I attended the second Blog Connect!)). To be honest, I feel a littleeeee distanced from the network, mostly due to feeling like I’m at a different stage in life compared to everyone else (I’m a student), but there’s no doubt that I have connected with people in the network on things that I haven’t been able to connect with with other people. I enjoy going to the monthly Work Sessions, because it’s an opportunity to see a few familiar and a few new faces, and there’s the flexibility of working on your own thing and chatting it up with other people. -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s