You Can’t Do This Alone (Really, You Can’t)

When you think of the word “artist,” what comes to mind?

Most of us picture a solitary figure, alone in the studio or in front of a computer, toiling away to produce their art. But that’s not how creativity really works, and it’s not how great things are accomplished. Almost everything noteworthy in human history has come from teams of people working together.

• Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon, but it took hundreds of thousands of workers to get him there.
• Bono is the lead singer of U2, but he wouldn’t make much music without The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen, Jr.
• Edmund Hillary was the first person to summit Mount Everest, but it took the help of his sherpa Tenzing Norgay to help him get there.
• Even Michelangelo, that temperamental Renaissance artist, needed the help of assistants to paint the Sistine Chapel.

If the great creative minds of history needed help, that means we do, too.

Why we need each other

If you and I are going to accomplish anything significant, we need each other. No matter what type of creative you do, and even if you work mostly alone, you and I can help each other in several ways:

• Accountability. We must hold each other to high standards. We all do better work when we know others will ask how we’re doing.
• Feedback. We can give one another constructive criticism that will improve our work.
• Affirmation. No matter how old we get, we still need hugs and high fives to keep us positive.
• Resources. None of us has all the answers. You know about tools and have information that I don’t, and vice versa.
• Connections. Perhaps the best way we can help each other is by sharing our personal networks of artists, leaders, geeks, and other creative wizards. (Geeks really do rule the world, you know.)

We can sit in solitude and try to create great work alone. But when we put our hearts, minds, and hands together, it’s like holding up a match to a whole pack of sparklers on the Fourth of July. We all shine brighter.

The introvert’s struggle

While I believe in community with all my heart, I have to constantly fight against the tendency to go it alone. I’m an introvert (high C on the DiSC, and ISTJ on the Myers-Briggs), and I enjoy working by myself. But when I think of the best creative experiences of my life, they always involve others.

Here are some that come to mind:

• Playing Johnny Casino in our high school’s production of Grease (you will never, ever see a videotape of that).
• Playing quad toms in our high school marching band.
• Learning to play guitar from my friends Jeff and Tim when I was in college.
• Leading worship with so many talented musicians at Central Church of Christ in Streator, Illinois.
• Have an especially memorable encounter with God at the Willow Creek Arts Conference.
• Experiencing U2’s “360” concert twice. (Yes, U2 concerts are every bit as incredible as you’ve heard.)
• Working with countless worship arts students over the years at St. Louis Christian College.

All of these creative experiences involved other people. No doubt you have many of your own, and I’ll bet that you didn’t experience them alone. Whatever your personality type, relationships are a key component of creating and enjoying great art.

An invitation

Because community is so important, I want to invite you to be part of our Facebook group, The Artist’s Suitcase. This group is dedicated to helping you do great creative work, no matter if you’re a writer, musician, graphic designer, speaker, or any other type of artist. We help each other with the practical aspects of creativity and defeat the doubt and fear that holds us back.

Click here to view and join The Artist’s Suitcase Facebook group.

You can’t rise to your full creative potential by yourself. You need others who can support you, give you feedback, and make you more than you can be on your own.

Photo credit: Unsplash