Networking is a key competent of success in any field whether it is business or artistic. Whilst the current situation around social distancing certainly puts constraints on in-person networking, there are still plenty of ways you can be proactive in making and developing your contacts.
Here are some ideas on how composers can make the most of the current circumstances and network effectively during the pandemic.
Be Active In Online Communities
With Covid-19 putting a stop to most public events, it is now a perfect time to become more active within the online communities related to your craft. This could mean offering advice and critical feedback on your peers work, helping people solve a technical issue or simply just having a casual chat.
Facebook groups, music forums and services like Reddit are all great places to start, but don't be afraid to dig a little deeper and see what other communities are out there.
The arts have been hit particularly hard by this crisis, so it’s extremely beneficial for your mental health to connect with people who are in the same position as you and speak the same lingo.
Family and friends sadly may not understand what you are going through as a composer, so its essential that you get a chance to talk things through with people who get it. Being part of a community of like-minded individuals will also help you to feel connected in a time of increasing social isolation.
Think Local
Whilst the Internet allows us to cast the widest net possible when making connections, sometimes it can be useful to take a more narrow-focused approach and see what’s out there in our immediate locale.
Why not see what groups exist in your local area? And if there isn’t one already why not create your own? You will be surprised at the number of people who will share your interests no matter how uncommon.
Websites like meetup.com are a great resource for finding groups and you can search based on your location. The in-person meetings may be out of the question for now they will most definitely be offering some kind of online alternative through zoom, discord etc. so get searching and see what’s out there.
Take The Lead
The world is now a much different place than it was a few months ago. Culture and society are in the beginnings of new era and there are many questions that will need to be answered in every profession.
With so much uncertainty out there at the moment, people are hungry for someone to show them a way forward. This is an opportunity to take the lead and make an offering to your community in the form of professional/emotional support, practical advice or hard research. For example, we are working on a set of safe working practices for orchestra recording which we will call “A blueprint for socially distance recording” We will share our findings openly with the music community with the hope that it can help in some way to get the industry get back on its feet.
Taking this approach allows you to position yourself as a leader. You will be seen as someone who is a proactive and forward-thinking member of the community, who is going out of their way for the benefit of the whole group. Why not take this approach and apply it to your own situation. Perhaps you have some ideas on how concerts could be more safely organised, or how live music venues can deliver their programme through digital methods. Whatever it is, people will appreciate that you are being proactive and trying to make things happen. Show them the way forward and they will follow! We hope you found this article useful. Good luck networking!
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