Peers

how to connect with art buddies

Making is so much more fun when you have someone along for the adventure. I’m lucky to have had several art buddies throughout the years. But how to find your art buddies? There are any number of ways you can connect with your peers. 

You might be an introvert like me, and connecting with others might not be so easy. But with your artist in the lead, making a connection around a shared passion - your art - might go better than you think.

Taking classes is a great place to meet like-minded creatives. Often, when a class is over, I will reach out to a few people whom I’ve resonated with. I’ll ask them if they want to stay connected. This can work even in online classes that allow you to connect in the chat. 

Associations, guilds, co-working spaces or groups dedicated to our craft give us a place to meet peers. 

Social media connects us with artists around the world. Direct messages can be a way to start a conversation and see where it leads. 

Outside of group meetings, you may have friends you connect with around art. I have a number of art ‘buddies’. These are fellow creatives whom I meet with regularly to talk about our creative lives. An art buddy and I meet twice per month online. 

In the meetings, we focus on our art and what inspires us. We take turns talking about our art. Each person has 30 minutes to share what they are making and what inspires them. Sometimes, we ask for accountability if we are doing something difficult or need extra support. Other times, we just riff without any structure. Each type of meeting gives us a connection to our art, ourselves, and each other. 

with art buddy, colleague and friend Koosje Koene in Lisbon

Another art buddy and I meet for breakfast or lunch and chat while eating. We take care to show our work or sketchbooks before the food arrives. Sometimes we take ‘artist field trips’ to a museum, a reading, or a show. We give feedback on our work. We encourage and challenge each other. We laugh and normalize what sometimes feels like a crazy venture, this art-making life. 

I get so much from these art buddy meetings. Some would call this kind of friendship a mastermind. You could have more than two people, depending on the personalities involved and the goals for doing it. 

One of the main benefits you might feel from these kinds of meetings is anticipation and preparation. When I see my art buddy’s name on my calendar, I look forward to it. This appointment holds a place for my artist in my week. I know I will be talking about my art. I cannot bear to show up and say I haven’t done anything. So I make sure I show up for my artist before I show up for the meeting. I review the notes I’ve taken in my artist notebook to see what, if anything, I have committed to. I get a sense of what I want to talk about and share. These meetings are usually a very fun kind of grown-up show and share. 

INVITATION

Write a classified ad for art buddies. Define your ideal art buddyship and get clear on why you want this and how you imagine it to be. Use these inquiries if you get stuck. 

• Why are we doing it?

• Who is present at the meeting?

• What are we doing?

• When and where are we doing it?

• How long are the meetings?

Affirmation: I have all the right art buddies for me now. 

In the comments: Share your classified ad.