staying creative : How to surround yourself with great people

Having a wonderful weekend with one of my most favorite humans little Lyzi, this was us yesterday hanging out at Rough Trade being all sassy and in other words amazing! haha Today I also got to hang out and have brunch with my favorite blogger ladies (Lyzi, liv, kristable and jazz) and bouncing blog ideas and chatting is just what I needed, its lovely to be able to snap food photos without weird looks and this got me thinking… So today’s staying creative blog post has taken a little twist from its original proposed idea, today we are going to talk about staying creative and having the right people around you. 

After I left uni i really struggled to stay creative on my own, I no longer had people around me who were pushing their boundaries and achieving amazing things, I felt a little lost in the big wide world without my best friends (who were all graphic designers, illustrators and artists) I felt truly lost. So i decided to create my own little creative world through my blog and twitter which at the time was an absolute God send and it allowed me to meet some of the loveliest creatives, I once again started interacting with people who felt and thought the same way that I did and it really spurred me on. I am

I am still in contact with all my university friends but meet ups can be few and far between now that we are all pursuing different lives. But its always lovely to share a phone call from time to time to spur our dreams on.  As lovely as my parents are they say they love everything of mine (i think they have to me being their daughter and all) and aren’t really into creativity.

Most of my creative friends are still spread across the four corners of the world but one thing I have learned is that having like minded people around you, to talk to and bounce ideas off is one of the best feelings if you are creative to know you are perusing something that is worth while with people that will want to see you do well.

I think this Mark Twain quote speaks volumes 

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions, small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too, can become great. When you are seeking to bring big plans to fruition, it is important with whom you regularly associate. Hang oyt with friends who are like-minded and who are also designing purpose-filled lives. Similarly be that kind of a friend for your friends. 

I’m not saying don’t have friends who aren’t creative, its always wonderful to have a great mix of people surrounding you try and find people who are positive and see joy in what you do.  You really don’t want people who make you feel like your dreams are unattainable, I recently wrote a blog post about a toxic friendship that made me feel like the worst version of myself.

So if like me at times you like to be alone but at the same time love the company of diverse minds maybe..

Find a studio space…if you don’t like working alone, it might be an idea to look into renting a studio space, there are plenty of websites you can search for your desired location and price workspace.co.uk is a great place to start. 

Get on your social media…tweet people and start conversations everyone is a stranger till you start talking to them, what I use to do would be to read blogs and find their twitter accounts through that and spark up a conversation, (I promise I am not a creep)

Blogs…Reading an inspiring blog is (like to me) having a conversation with that person getting a peek into their life when i am reading blogs I never feel alone creatively. Blog events if you are ever invited are great places to meet people, who are similar in fashion, creativity and outlook on life.

Get out…go to meet ups, or poetry nights at local coffee shops, go to knit classes expand your horizons.

Workshops, are great places to meet knew people who are like minded, I know Company magazine do events  (presentations, networking etc) , museums do workshops and chats,  V&A seem to do fab ones.

 Remember at the end of the day creating work can be a little lonely and that’s ok for a time but it is always nice to get out in the real world, meet knew people and create contacts and remember having great creative people around you will spur you on to wonderful things. Even if they aren’t creative having friends, work colleges that make you laugh and people that rid you of those sad, lonely and isolating thoughts are the best kinds of people.

 

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15 Comments

  1. February 9, 2014 / 10:07 pm

    AH, this is great advice. I work at a National Trust property called Waddesdon Manor, and we have events called 'SIDs' (special interest days) which people can come to and learn about art, have some delicious lunch, and wander round our beautiful gardens. Chatting to people getting creative is one of my favourite hobbies! Their enthusiasm for our collection inspired me to start a blog about the art, and working there- NothinglikeDownton
    Come visit Buckinghamshire please Ella!!
    E x

  2. February 9, 2014 / 11:07 pm

    Ella I'm really loving these posts from you! This one really struck a chord with me: having left Uni and made it out into the big wide world, it's that person-to-person creative inspiration that's missing. I often find myself really disheartened with my job and life, and it takes a lot to get it back, hence the blog continuing to be such a huge part of my spare time. Also, lovin' the snaps with Lyzi, you two beautiful ladies! xx

  3. February 9, 2014 / 11:23 pm

    I did art art college but it was so hard to stay creative and motivated as I felt like everyone in my class were trying to do the easiest and quickest paintings or drawings possible. It ended up rubbing off on me and I started to get lazy. Now I'm friends with people who put their heart and soul into their work and it's so motivating and inspiring. Being surrounded by creative people is a big help for me.

    Raise The Waves

  4. February 9, 2014 / 11:45 pm

    Great ideas again! Also going to look at that work space website. What blogs do you personally read too? Would love to chekc them out!
    Lauren | OhHay Blogs!
    xxx

  5. February 10, 2014 / 11:19 am

    Great post, very thought provoking. It's always good to top up your creative juices by spending some time with like minded people. My friend & I arrange 'photography days' every now & then when we can both pose for each other & try out new ideas without feeling like an idiot! Also I agree that signing up to do a workshop is a great way of not only learning a new skill but also meeting fellow creatives. The Makery in Bath runs brilliant craft workshops, I recommend them xx

  6. February 10, 2014 / 4:48 pm

    I remember when one day I spontaneously went out for a walk in the park with my camera and got back really inspired. I'd stay creative for a long time after that. and i couldn't agree more than being with creative people is the way to go! great post girl x

    Katrina Sophia Blog

  7. February 10, 2014 / 5:51 pm

    I'm not sure if you caught it but I did a post of loneliness as a freelancer a couple of weeks ago, it's really hit me over the past couple of months. Twitter, as sad as it sounds does really help, it bring me closer to people I would never likely meet, and event spark up friendships which then lead to real like 'uns. Perfecto.

    Great post Ella, and funny convo we had last night!

    Buckets & Spades

  8. February 10, 2014 / 8:33 pm

    This post really resonated with me and I agree with so much of what you've said. I haven't long graduated from uni but I felt completely lost without the creative group of friends (the majority of which were writers) that I'd formed when I was there. I started my blog not long after graduating as a place for me to write about books (something I love), but I'm thinking of posting some of my creative writing on there too because I miss getting constructive feedback etc. You've given great advice and I love this staying creative series of posts you're doing 🙂

    Gemma

  9. February 10, 2014 / 8:40 pm

    This post really resonated with me and I agree with so much of what you've said. I've not long graduated from uni but I felt completely lost without the creative group of friends (most of which were writers) that I'd formed when I was there. I started my blog shortly after graduating as a place for me to write about books, but I'm thinking of posting some of my creative writing there too because I miss getting the constructive feedback from other writers and creative people. You give great advice about staying creative and I love this series of posts you're doing 🙂

    Gemma

  10. February 10, 2014 / 9:26 pm

    Really good tips Ella! Especially the getting out one, it's so easy to feel stifled between 4 walls… I get properly twitchy after 24 hours indoors haha <3 Claire @ Jazzpad

  11. February 11, 2014 / 12:55 pm

    Love this! Reciently created my own blog with hopes to connect with creative people! This post gives me hope! xoxo

  12. February 12, 2014 / 11:11 am

    All so true! I'm lucky in that most of the people I live with are creative, but I think it's important to have people around that are the same type of creative as you (if that makes sense?!) like me and you 🙂 we both love illustration and painting, and are both bloggers, so we understand each other 🙂 xxx

  13. February 12, 2014 / 11:12 am

    Love this post. I have such a mix of friends as a lot of my mates I grew up with are not interested in the arts. Im lucky enough to work for a media company which gives me amazing opportunity to travel and be creative. Making creative friends is so important xx

  14. February 17, 2014 / 5:55 pm

    What a lovely post 🙂 I'm a newish blogger and still feel a bit nervous showing my blog to friends and family in case they laught at me or something, haha! It's been really nice meeting new people on Twitter though with the same interests as me, and I feel inspired to keep going x

    hepburnspixiecrop.blogspot.co.uk

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