by Jen Zahigian - via papernstitch - click image for more details
Community. There are few things better than the feeling of belonging. Of being surrounded by support & trust & love.
I’ve built communities (and here and here). I’ve weaseled my way into communities large & small. I’ve felt on-the-outside-looking-in. And I’ve looked out from the inside with a smug, knowing smile.
Becoming a part of a community can feel as natural as falling in love.
Becoming a part of a community can also be a long, winding road on a cold, windy day. The walk is pleasant enough – if it wasn’t for the fact that your ears are numb and your breath is short.
At the end of the road, there is a door – although the hinges might stick a bit. A welcome sign. A warm fire.
While the “creative community” online may be vast, it is also difficult to truly feel included, to feel home. There are many sisters & brothers and getting mom or dad’s attention can be frustrating at best.
But you can feel at home here.
There is food & shelter for us all.
This creative community has responsibilities. And so do its members.
The community has a reponsbility to be open, supportive, responsive.
It has a responsibility to be trustworthy, edifying, expansive.
It has a responsibility to grow within reason, flourish without measure.
Community members have a responsibility to bring something new to the table. To start conversations and not end them. To seek help when they need it and offer help when they have it.
Want to be a part of the creative community online? Don’t wait for an invitation – although there are plenty. Concentrate on how you can improve your own little corner of the creative world. Focus on the love you can share with those around you.
Find one friend and then make many.
Keep talking even if no one is listening.
Be who you are and don’t try to be anyone else.
This isn’t a place for strategy or techniques or tricks or business models. It’s a place to break bread. There is room at the table for you.
Pull up a chair.
Written for #reverb10.
Also find a podcast interview with me on BlogcastFM, a handmade gift guide for entrepreneurs on Kind Over Matter, and a look around the town I call home on Covet Chicago.
