We got so much feedback about last year’s column on Creating Artistic Community (July 2005) that we had to revisit the topic. That interview with Stefan G. Bucher of 344 Design inspired a flood of e-mail in support of this often overlooked topic.

Building your creative community turns out to be one of the most important aspects of being a creative professional. This is not any kind of hard-sell promotion. It is the development of professional connections and relationships on a personal level. An oxymoron? No!

These connections fall outside traditional and direct marketing tactics like portfolio presentations, mailings and advertising, but do support your marketing indirectly. Most of the professionals interviewed for this column did not look for self-promotion as the primary benefit of creating community, yet it does happen. In addition, personal growth and development are achieved for the “lone ranger” creative when reaching out and making these connections. First we asked, what communities do you belong to and how did you select them?

Debbie Vyskocil, www.dlvinc.com, found networking within her local area, “Chicago Creative Coalition (C3) is a small, intimate organization where the other members are happy to help each other. I have been a member for over ten years and joined when the organization was Women In Design and wanted to network with women graphic designers.”

Justin Carroll, www.hcassociates.com, belongs to the local AIGA chapter, “I have briefly belonged to other organizations in my career, but I think AIGA is the only organization that is broad-based and established enough to make any meaningful difference to designers, in both the long- and short-term. I was a member years ago and let it drop because it didn’t seem relevant. I joined again because I like the direction the national leadership is taking in establishing relevance and taking the initiative to demonstrate the value of design to the business world. Also, my local chapter started several core business-oriented programs, which are really on target.”

Sheree Clark, www.saylesdesign.com, has belonged to quite a number of professional groups with separate purposes and each community has served her differently, “I have been a member of the Advertising Professionals of Des Moines since 1985 and initially joined because I had come into the communications field from another line of work; I really didn’t know much about the business and it seemed like a good way to learn. Later, as I rose to assume leadership responsibilities, I found my ‘rank’ gave me credibility with others in the profession. People began to recognize my name and I started getting recommended for assignments, speaking and judging engagements. I also belong to the Des Moines Rotary. A more ‘general’ business organization, Rotary is based on community service, business fellowship and reciprocity. I can trace new business to my contacts in Rotary, and I have made many valuable friendships, too. Then there is a women’s organization called P.E.O. that is a Philanthropic Educational Organization providing educational assistance to women. I have stayed involved because I like the women in my chapter and I believe in the mission of the group. By coincidence, P.E.O.’s headquarters is in Des Moines, and the group recently hired my firm to do a corporate identity overhaul. I am sure that my intimate knowledge of the mission and workings of the group gave us an edge in being selected for the project.”

Since most creative professionals find that direct promotional benefits are a secondary goal when they network, why bother? Anita Kunz, www.anitakunz.com, “I joined to learn more about my industry. And I served on the board of The Illustration Conference for two years—not to benefit myself, but to share experiences, particularly with young artists so they don’t have to learn the hard way as I did. Frankly there were no self-promotion benefits at all, nor did I expect there to be.” So, you need to take the time for community for many reasons: to get inside-industry information, learn from other’s mistakes, share industry experiences, find like-minded professionals, make new friends, get professional credentials, increase industry integrity, learn and practice “people” skills, develop self-esteem, renew creative juices or to make a difference.