Collaboration is key
How connecting and celebrating others unlocks creativity
There has been a significant influx of new subscribers over the past week due to Substack being kind enough to feature this page.
It scares me a little, because I started writing this Substack as a way to make some sense of the career change I was making. I hadn’t written a blog or anything similar before and I decided to go for it and press publish.
I’d been subscribing to
for a while, and that was how I’d become acquainted with the platform. I loved (and still love) Emma’s writing , but I had also started to feel part of her online community which was kind, helpful and nurturing unlike some other online platforms.When I first began writing on here, I told no one. Not even my husband.
I was not a writer, but I felt a compulsion to get my words down (oxymoron?). As I mentioned, it was initially to help me to make sense of quitting my well-paid, full-time job and turning my work life on its head. I felt like I was doing the right thing, but writing about it would help me to be reflective, and track the journey. I didn’t expect many people to read it.
One of my early very positive experiences on Substack was attending one of
’s online writing ‘Happy Hours’. This is a zoom call which starts with a few minutes of chatting and introductions followed by 50 or so minutes of writing with your camera on, and concludes with a short discussion of what was written. I felt like an absolute imposter, but I was so glad I made myself do it because I met Suzy and some other lovely people and I got some writing done! Unfortunately, I’m not usually available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings anymore so haven’t managed to attend a session since, but I would highly recommend it if you are available during those times!After a couple of weeks of writing, I’d picked up a handful of subscribers. Warm, encouraging and supportive people who were interested in what I had to say. Most of them also have their own Substack pages, which I subscribed to and supported by taking the time to read their words, think carefully about them and then comment with meaningful thoughts about how their writing had resonated with me.
Three such Substack pages written by wonderful women that I highly recommend are:
Of course, this kind of exchange builds strong relationships.
After a few more weeks I was having longer conversations, and finding a small community of like-minded individuals. My confidence in writing about myself was growing little by little.
In early September, I attended one of
’s online masterclasses on building a Substack community. There were many helpful tips, but the one that resonated with me most was that of active collaboration. It’s something I’ve always thrived on, and back in the days when I was composing music, it was my favourite aspect of creating.Farrah’s mention of sharing and collaborating with others sparked an idea.
Could I find a way to share the stories of some of the women I’d been connecting with; particularly those who had made a career change in their lives?
Eventually this led me to the idea of creating a podcast. I let this seed of an idea percolate for a little while. I had a microphone and an audio interface that I’d bought years ago for music recording. More recently it was being used by my husband in his home office.
At this point, I still hadn’t told anyone I knew that I had a Substack. If I wanted to use the microphone, I was going to have to tell my husband why I needed it.
Was I ready to share with people I knew?
(Side note: It’s one thing to write and share quite personal thoughts with people you’ve never met, but another to share with your own friends and family. Why is that so hard? I knew they would all be interested and highly supportive, but I still feared it!)
I took the plunge and told my husband about the podcast idea. It turned out that he didn’t need the microphone any more as he now had a new webcam. Of course, he was extremely interested in my podcast idea and fully supported what I was doing!
Since I had that idea to make a podcast, I’ve been on fire with creative direction. I’ve reached out to women I think have an interesting story to tell and I’ve said yes to any writing opportunities that have come my way. I’ve recorded five podcast interviews so far, and have four more scheduled and several ongoing conversations with other potential interviewees.
I wrote a guest post a couple of weeks ago for
on Creative Solitude, which you can read here:
I’m currently in the process of writing a guest post for
and and are both writing guests post for me to be published on very soon!Incidentally, Ellie Kime and I connected because we are both going to
’s retreat in mid-November. The lovely is organising this event and as I’m going to be driving from London, I offered to car share with anyone needing it. Tanya put me in touch with Ellie and I’m going to pick her up on the way.I digress slightly, but the point here is that all of these connections have sprung up and appeared because I’ve allowed myself to be open to them. It’s true, I did write a piece about saying no a few weeks back.
That is important too, particularly in the context of people pleasing in the workplace, but being open to opportunity is different. Creatively, it is about embracing collaboration, accepting that we are all stronger when we work together, and understanding that we have so much to learn from one another.
My creative confidence has begun to soar over the past few months. This is partly because I have finally allowed myself the time and headspace to tap back into my creative ideas (with some sacrifices), but I think that taking the leap to start this Substack page has also been a significant factor.
I’ve tried hard not to look around me too much. I don’t compare myself to what others are writing or listen to other career change podcasts. I’m doing me, my way, and I’m making connections with people all over the world, which feels amazing.
My message today?
Celebrate others. Share things you like. Don’t be afraid to comment on a post and say how it made you feel. You might make some new connections in doing so. Be kind, and think about what would make you smile. Write that for someone else to read. You will reap the rewards.
I too am new to Substack and feel quite overwhelmed by the talent here sometimes. I think the only way to go is write from the heart, and like you say, don't compare yourself with others or get distracted by what they're saying. Stay true to yourself, enjoy the writing and your community will eventually find you.
A timely invitation to lift as we climb, Hannah. Thank you for these words today. When I first reached out and suggested a collaboration on Substack with a writer I'd admired for a while (the brilliant Caro Giles who wrote the memoir Twelve Moons, and who publishes Unschooled here on Substack) I felt all the impostery feelings only to be reminded that we are all just people, seeking meaningful connection. That connection lives on beyond our video conversation and also brought other writers and readers into my orbit, too.
Today, Sarah Roberston shared a post on her Substack, Brand Stories, that she'd invited me to collaborate on, and it's such a thrill to see our words side by side. I don't know anywhere else on the internet where this is possible. Hooray for Substack, and let's keep talking.x