This month I’ve had two conversations with fellow freelancers where the same problem has arisen. It’s tough to make connections with other creatives right now as many of us freelancers are alone. More alone even than pre-Covid times. There are not many places we can meaningfully connect, get feedback or share ideas (apart from dreaded Zoom) especially if we don’t live close by. A lot of freelancers spend their days being swamped with work they can barely cope with, quickly followed by the equally frenetic fear that there is no paid work visible on the horizon. Already this year I have experienced both. The question I’ve heard is this:
How can we make connections and alliances with people who are also our direct competitors, especially if they’re more experienced than we are? Won’t they just think we’re freeloading or trying to steal their ideas? I say no.
Well, some might. When I was starting out (over ten years ago now) I reached out and asked for advice from a handful of folk I perceived as being more successful than me, but still within reach via email. I wrote polite entreaties but all of them were ignored or gently rebuffed with the general theme; “work it out for yourself, I had to”. I found it hard at the time and it was also unfriendly in a way that felt unnecessary. They had the knowledge and were unwilling to share it with someone further down the ladder. I do understand! Often it’s hard-won knowledge from years of making mistakes and falling. But think how amazing it would be to extend a hand down the ladder and help someone else skip some of those excruciatingly painful mishaps? Like being grossly underpaid, even working for free / ‘exposure’, awful treatment from clients, pulling all-nighters…
Each of us have the power to change the narrative of selfishly grasping that ladder. We can be allies, being open to the possibilities of sharing and co-operation.
Perhaps this sounds a bit too happy-clappy-hippy-dippy-millenial-snowflake to you? Well hang on. Say someone reaches out to you. They say “I really love the work you create, I find it inspiring. I am trying to be as good as you so I can work on similar projects to the ones you do. I’d like to talk to you about your journey.” It’s a coffee or a quick zoom chat. That’s it. You only need to share with them what you want to. If it’s awful, you can politely leave.
Being friendly doesn’t weaken you. Sharing something doesn’t weaken you. They’re pretty unlikely to start copying everything you do. If they can do that then maybe your work isn’t as original as you thought! If one day they go for the same projects as you, that’s OK, they are as much a threat as all the people you didn’t talk to. Perhaps down the line you can even collaborate on projects – if you like them, you could even work together on something, or they may one day ask you to do the same.
Sure, it’s an idealistic view of mine, but I know if another slightly more established illustrator had positively responded to my pleas for help and guidance at the beginning of my career, I could have potentially saved myself so much heartache.
I might have even gained a friend. Now if my pals and peers ask for my input, I always give it if I can. I choose what I share, I choose how I respond, but I am certainly not going to withhold every scrap of helpful information to protect my own interests.