There is an African proverb that goes, ’if you want to go fast, walk alone but if you want to go far, walk together.” This proverb duly captures the idea that, just as is the case with many other sectors including science, business, politics, governance etc, best practices are harnessed by stakeholders coming together to create a collective goal within which they build. As such, the creative sector cannot effectively advance, without the active participation and collaboration of the collective. Strengthening a sense of community within the creative space creates more avenues for a more balanced ecosystem, as well as establishing structures that create functionality, within the industry both on a macro and micro level. Given that the creative space has major actors including artists, government, agencies, Civil Society Organizations, the private sector among others, efforts around advocacy are smoothened, by virtue of creating a united front and speaking with a unified voice, towards a set course. When everyone commits to a united course, there are more probabilities of change, and achieving desirable outcomes.
Another benefit of working within community is cresting inclusion and diversity. One major way of achieving inclusion and diversity in the arts is by the active pursuit of building community, which may guarantee the entrance of individuals or people groups who might have been relegated by systems that have previously been set up to lock them out. Inclusion and diversity are about creating avenues for more people to participate in decision making or influencing policy, change, power distribution and industries as a whole.
While there are more benefits for the stakeholders and players within the creative economy and beyond, collaboration and building partnerships stands to be a jump starter to the creative space, as it creates more avenues for increased exposure, sustainability, sharing ideas, mobilization of resources, sourcing new opportunities, boosting creativity and innovation.
As communities continue to play an increasingly important role in the arts, we can expect to see even more innovative and creative ways to connect, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. What remains outstanding is, that the more we create community within our work, the more impact we can create.
