Having a great idea but no one to collaborate with is more common than you think. Collaborating with a creative person can make your inspired & ambitious idea more realistic & maintainable with two rather than one. However, finding that perfect person to share creative control takes effort to ensure your visions of the project both align.
If a creative is needed for a project, there are websites that focus on bringing creative minds together that can be used to find them. After finding a creative to collaborate with, a mutual vision will need to be established around where the project is headed & what the result should be.
I realize there may be times that you may not be able to give up control of your project. Read on to determine if this is the case; if not, then you can peruse some common websites in which you can showcase your work or review the works of other creative minds to see if there is a creative out there who shares & aligns with your vision.
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How to Find Creatives.
When you are not alone working on a project, it can be less demanding on your own creativity. I know that my own creative mind is a limited resource & gets exhausted throughout the day. However, a creative team depends on a free flow of creative ideas, so you need to make sure you choose someone who has the same vision as you do.
Where to even start looking for a creative is the first common question & really depends on your creative project. If you are looking for someone to collaborate on designs, images, or mockups, RedPen makes it easy to upload your project & share it with creative collaborators. The site gives a 14-day free trial & then it is $5 a month.
However, you may have a larger, ongoing project with which you need someone to partner for the long haul. Believe it or not, the easy part when working with a creative is actually doing the work. Luckily, there are other sites that focus on specific needs in which to find & chat with creatives depending on what you are working on:
- Dextra—a free social networking site that can be downloaded on your android or iOS to find a plethora of creative individuals, from designers, writers, & painters, to musicians & filmmakers.
- Behance—Owned by Adobe, this is a social media platform that allows creative minds to showcase their creative works.
- Dribble—Find some of the top creatives & designers from all over the globe or showcase your own work to partner with creative professionals.
- Side Projectors—An interesting way to discover, buy, or sell your side projects.
Once you start the creative collaboration process, you can continue to use other sites like CryptPad, Chanty, or Slack to quickly & easily work together on your creative projects. An initial meeting should focus on what your vision is for the project to make sure your visions align & you both do not waste each other’s valuable time & effort.
Why Search for a Creative for Collaboration?
There are many reasons why it makes sense to team up with a creative on a project. You may simply have an idea to share or are already working on a project that has gotten out of control. Whatever the case may be, finding a creative to collaborate with can help give your project structure & encourage creativity to make it that much better.
Before I explain how to find creatives to collaborate with, I think it is important to discuss some reasons when not to collaborate. This will save a lot of time & effort trying to find someone to work with only to later figure out the project was better solo. There are many reasons why you may want to work on your own. Some situations include:
- You are working on a project that is very personal
- You do not need to work on it consistently
- The project is more of a hobby than a serious piece of work
- You need complete control over the project
The last bullet above is important to think about before finding a creative for collaboration. If you are working on something that is impossible to give up control of, you should rethink finding someone to work on it with you. In the end, you will both end up being frustrated in that the project will not be a team effort if you cannot share tasks.
The next question you need to answer is this—where are you going to take your project? This will help determine where you should look for a creative & what exactly you are looking for in the person. If you are looking for someone to help grow your project, this is different from someone who has the skills you do not for your idea.
How to Make Sure Your Visions Align.
A creative collaborator should complement your skills & the vision you have on your overall project. If I was a writer of a children’s novel but could not even draw a stick figure, I would need to bring in a creative collaborator who was not only a talented illustrator but who was equally invested in my overall vision of the creative work.
Your vision will not align with your creative collaborator if you, yourself, do not have a clear vision of your project. Having a vision that is understandable & unambiguous will give you both direction as well as inspiration. You may even want to get your creative involvement in the development process so that “your vision” becomes “our vision.”
Making sure your visions align starts with setting the stage. Schedule a meeting to brainstorm, create a plan & decide exactly what the collaborative vision is for your project. At the beginning of the meeting, it is your job to voice what specific outcomes you are looking for & the process in which to reach this desired product.
You should go into this meeting already having your vision clear so that you both do not waste time creating a vision statement from scratch. The best way to make sure your visions align is by you taking charge & leading the way. Your meeting will be an organized way to encourage creativity, openness & more importantly, productivity.
Other Thoughts on Working with a Creative.
When building a creative relationship, you can also reach out to your current network of creative people to see if they know anyone who could complement your creative skills. Depending on what stage your project is in, you may be surprised at how vast your network actually goes in finding that perfect creative to help you finish your project.
Social media can also be your friend when finding a creative. You can take the time to look through Facebook groups or do a search on Instagram or Twitter to find online creative communities that promote the same creative minds that align with yours. In the end, it is all about keeping an open mind on where you may run into a creative person.
You will also want to invest the appropriate amount of time getting to know the creative you are planning on working with so that the purpose of your relationship is clear. As enough questions to make sure the partnership is a good fit. Take a step back & think about the reasons why you are looking for a creative in the first place:
- They should give your project shape & structure
- They should foster your own creativity
- They should complement your skillset
- They should help you improve your own skills
If you are worried about the relationship, maybe start on a project that is smaller in scale. Then, if the two of you did a good job at managing deadlines, organizing the tasks & communicating the vision effectively, you can take on larger creative projects with ease & have a creative working relationship now & in the future.
Conclusion.
Finding a creative to collaborate with will not happen overnight, but with a little investment in searching a few sites & talking to people within your own network, you will more than likely find that perfect person who shares your vision. The whole point of working on a creative project is to have fun while bringing your creative vision to life.
Sources:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/ree-apps-creative-teams-collaborate/
https://www.ellevatenetwork.com/articles/7542-11-steps-to-creating-a-shared-vision-for-your-team
https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/how-to-join-forces-with-a-creative-collaborator/
https://www.honeybook.com/risingtide/finding-creatives-to-collaborate
https://www.behance.net/
https://dribbble.com/
https://www.sideprojectors.com/#/
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