When all else fails, there’s always community
No matter where we land or what the world throws at us, there’s always community
As I get (way too) excited about speaking at Swarm this year and the prospect of dinners with community managers and nerding out on all things community-based, I am more aware than usual about the power of community.
I had the worst start to the week on record last week. I sought love when there is only indifference on Sunday. My laptop died at 9:15am Monday morning, never to be recovered. On Tuesday morning as I took the first sip of coffee for the day in bed, my rescue dog jumped onto the bed and vomited all over me, my partner, and everything on the bed. Wednesday, I kept it super simple and limped on through to Thursday, finding out why my other dog is so sick.
Truth be told, this week certainly hasn’t been a bed of roses, either.
And yet, every step of the way, there were people to reach out to. A loving partner, fellow freelancers who understand tech pain, and other pooch lovers who get the stress helped salve the wounds, my disability community pals, even locals.
Talking in depth about community, creativity, and ideas reminded me that no matter the week or the world, there is always comfort in connectivity.
Image: photo of Windang bridge pillars in black and white with When all else fails, there’s always community written on it.
Community has a power we sometimes forget to see
I don’t believe change comes from people at the top. I believe it bubbles from the bottom, rising until the powers that be can no longer ignore the agitation.
We get sold on the idea by big tech companies that their version of social media is community. But it’s losing what edge it had in the broadcasting and branding.
Besides, mass market appeal really creates sustainable community. The biggest win isn’t in getting everyone who already has a place to gather. Or to show the shiny people do their thing.
It’s in giving the person who has never really felt welcome a safe space to speak.
Reflecting on community
As we watch social media change, remember you have power because:
Communities are organic beings. They shift, change, and evolve. But need, not technology, directs this. We can see that already as individual needs and platform needs are no longer aligning. We want to see each other. The platforms want more power while chewing through it. And that’s why things like raw social media, hybrid experiences, and offline club community experiences are resonating.
We are social creatures. We want to be connected to people, places, and concepts that are much bigger than ourselves. That sense of belonging, that opportunity to feel connected, that doesn’t change. And we will, if even reason enough, move to other digs to find it again. Which is what I am seeing with Threads, Substack, and LinkedIn, where people are still conversing and thriving
Community creation is collaborative. What you add is valuable because the individual perspective enriches and adds more to community. You can share a love or follow a guru, but community enlivens the soul when you’re taking part and heard. It also pays to show up and get your hands dirty.
Change comes from you and me. Community building is no different to small towns loving, working, leaning on each other, having a gossip, fighting a bushfire before returning to usual operations. We don’t have to like each other to add value. We simply need to stand for something.
When life makes us feel powerless, small, and exhausted, this is what we need to remember.
A couple of questions to ask your inner community manager:
· Would the last two weeks my social media intrigue someone if I said it at a dinner party? Does it intrigue me?
· Am I allowing myself to resign to situations that make me unhappy because I view change as a “leadership thing”? Is there a better alternative?
· When was the last time I used technology to connect, communicate, and feel a sense of belonging?
· What do meaningful interactions with the community surrounding my business and creativity look like to me?
· When do I feel the most connected to my business, my creativity, and the communities and worlds that surround me?
Need inspo? Pop the following events in your calendar:
Swarm, where I am speaking on community of practice in September in Melbourne. (you can also find out a little bit about me on their blog).
The Content Byte Summit in Sydney – where Rach and Lynne are building a place for word nerds to congregate.
Need some pick-me-up content?
I can’t stop watching Huskies giving sass. Here’s a classic example. There’s also a little satire for you on the Freelance Jungle website in the form of space and time ripping deadlines, coked LinkedIn influencers, relatives on web projects, confusion over brands and faces, AI chatbot obsessives being replaced, and seagull manager attacks.
Things you might be interested in
It’s hustle season. If you need some friends to cheer on your lead gen activities and help you feel connected, supported and accountable, join the Inflation Busting Lead Gen Club now. It’s only $259 for 10 weeks of guided support, lead tracking, specialist classes, and friends to meet!
Join Freelance Jungle artist Jessica Harkins and I as we talk all things collaboration with the Creative Match talk with MC Hayley Rollason in August 22nd at this free online event.
Got a problem you want some one-on-one advice to solve in 15 minutes or less? Hit me up during Office Hours, a Patreon supporter exclusive. Join me August 28th.
Need more than 15 minutes? I’m here to help with coaching on creativity, freelancing, career existential crisis, health, and business management and more.
It’s Grief Awareness Month, so it’s a perfect time to revisit A Good Death.
Here are some ways to challenge your money baggage, and tackle that rub between commercial and creative you.
Finally, I know time is tough right now. I feel it, too. Remember to go gently, reach out to people, and share what you need.
If you’ve got ideas on how you’d like to connect up with your fellow freelancers, tell me. I’m a little crispy myself from all that’s been happening, but I’ll try my very best to create something for you. Like writing smaller, more frequent posts like Jungle Leaf Litter as inspired by feedback from Jennifer and others. (NOTE: If you want to subscribe, you’ll need to do that for the section. I didn’t want to add to your Inbox fatigue if it’s not your thing!)
Love and other glues that create community,
Rebekah