Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Getting my Group On - Finding Tribes

Yesterday, I was fortunate to have secured an hour-long spot with Alyson Stanfield from Art Biz Blog. She is to artists what the dog whisperer is to.. well, dogs. If you don't know her book "I'd Rather Be in the Studio" you really have some catching up to do in artist marketing. She is a guru and she is fun!

We artists kicked it up

After the hour, many of the artists that consulted with her came back for dinner and a little bonding. We completely debunked the stereotype that artists prefer to be alone! Someone commented during our evening that it was great to be with her tribe. We had all just met, but we shared similarities and felt connected (tribe). It was glorious to be in each others company for a few short sweet hours.

My point is that seeking supportive tribes is important to your growth and having many overlapping tribes, like ripples in a pond, creates a supportive network.

I savor time with my tribes, even if they aren't in person as often as I would like.

If you are shy I encourage you to go out to different groups and meet people across a wide variety of interests. Some of my longer friendships are from both non-artist groups and artist groups. One of the most helpful group has been for me has been the FSU Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans-Families group.

How many different tribes do you have and have been the most helpful or mentoring to you? Please share in the comments below.