How to collaborate with people you want to create work with!

We always find it difficult trying to find the right people to work with.

Where do we start?

How do we approach them?

What do we say?

It isn’t as hard as you think it is.

Other artists are just as self-conscious and nervous as you. We all share that feeling of doubt, fear of failure as well as drive, passion and desire to create exciting work. All I can say is just speak to them as a human.

During my time as a performer and a theatre collaborator I have learnt that the best way to approach someone is a task that doesn’t need to be dread.

Here are two tips that will get you started:

1. Send them an email

Emails can vary in length depending on whether you know the recipient or not.

Obviously if you know them it can be a very small email, with a couple lines explaining your thoughts about a project. Sometimes however, just a cheeky link to a video/image can help spark creative ideas for them without you projecting your ideas. Collaboration works best when you’re both inspired by an idea, let them find what drives them.

If you don’t know them, a couple of sentences explaining who you are and why you would like to work with the collaborator would help before you send them a random link.

Typically, its best to have a lot of communication via email or phone calls before organising meetings. You have busy lives, emails and phone calls are the easiest way for these early discussions.

2. Meeting Room

When you have a meeting, make it in a fun and relaxing venue. We aren’t on the apprentice, it doesn’t need to be the boardroom. Somewhere you feel relaxed and a place you are free to create ideas. There is no pressure to pay hundreds of pounds for a meeting room, it can be somewhere local and cheap. Most great pieces of work are discussed in pubs.

Think about the best venue for you and your collaborator.

All you have left to do now is allow the project to unfold for itself. If you’re both passionate about your idea, it’ll come easy to you. Just remember communication is key when collaborating, you’re allowed to have doubt it is healthy and never forget that you are making work because you love this industry.