Todays Meet The Maker Prompt is "COMMUNITY OVER COMPETITION".
My experiences with this has been a mixed bag to be truthful.
I really think finding community instead of competition is a matter of finding and approaching the right people. You have to approach people you admire but you also have to get lucky in that those you approach are friendly & willing to share. Alot of people won't actually be able to find the time to converse and connect but don't get too discouraged when someone doesn't respond to you in a positive way, just move on down the line because some people will be happy to connect and answer your questions. It's not always easy to find your own tribe and I admit to still being in the process of seeking out mine!
I personally have been happy to share my knowledge BUT I am careful with my time these days too because simply my chronic pain takes alot of my time in the studio away and my studio time tends to be shorter than a regular artist who isn't chronically sick. I used to respond to every question like 'how did you start your Etsy shop' with sooo much detail & length and then I would often not even get a thank you in return! So now I am also more careful with whom I spend my time responding too. But yeah, I think it's important to share the knowledge but there's also something said in trying to figuring things out yourself first too!
So whiles I have myself unfortunately experienced way more Competition over Community, I still remain hopeful that that's not always going to be the case & my experiences so far sure have made me appreciate any connections & sharing of knowledge that I do experience, that much more, especially online, the online community can be just as supportive, if not more
than those physically around you....
My advice is take it where you can get it, appreciate it & make sure to give back!
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