{photo by motormouth studios}
This is a guest post by Megan Eckman of Studio MME.
We creative entrepreneurs live pretty solitary lives. We work from our homes or studios, we sell things online, and we do most of our work by ourselves. Sometimes the only people we meet on a regular basis are our postal workers and the lady at the grocery checkout line. (I’ll admit with embarrassment that everyone at the post office knows me by name.)
Because we spend so much time alone, it’s important for us to find ways to meet up and possibly collaborate with others both in person and via the internet. These meetings can launch new product lines, new goals, heck, even new businesses!
Every year I make a list of the people I’d like to sit down and have coffee with, even if that coffee date has to take place in two different states (or even two different countries). I’m amazed by how many names get crossed off as the months go by. Each time I meet with someone, I leave feeling rejuvenated and bursting with ideas.
Look at the people you follow on Twitter. Is anyone local or within an hour’s drive? Reach out and see if they’d meet somewhere fun for lunch. You could go antique shopping or tour the patisseries! It doesn’t all have to be about business.
If someone doesn’t live nearby, ask if they’re interested in a Skype coffee date. It’s much more fun to share ideas with someone when you can see them via a webcam than just chatting over the phone. You can even exchange emails if the time difference is too great.
Chatting with other creatives gets you out of your routine and opens you up to new possibilities. Plus, their fresh eyes might point out a solution to a problem that you never considered. I know several makers who have started an entirely new side of their business because they instantly clicked with a friend they met online.
I know personally that I’d go crazy if I didn’t have regular in-person and over-the-internet creative dates with fellow entrepreneurs. It keeps me grounded, gives me someone to vent to (besides my fish), and allows me to verbally work through problems I’m having. Plus, I get to build up connections for whenever I travel the country. Free lodging! Hehe.
I’d love to know if you have ‘dates’ with fellow creative entrepreneurs and what you’ve gotten out of them.
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Megan Eckman is the community coordinator forCreateHype.com, a site that helps female entrepreneurs learn how to market their creative business.
She’s also the illustrator behind Studio MME on a mission to rekindle wonder and ignite imaginations around the world.