If there's anything I've learnt from my experience in the creative space, it is that collaboration is a big part of a successful project. Whether you are doing a film, or you're into content creation, dance, skits, writing, or whatnot, you'd know that sometimes you just need someone backing you up; Echoing your voice, resource mobilization, filling you in, even picking up slack.

This here, is a business of people, and the way you relate to them, and maximize their strengths while accommodating their weaknesses determines how effective, or successful your venture will be.

Let's go over, what you need for an effective collaboration and what you need to make a great collaborator in the creative industry.

A Great Leader to Steer The Team Towards Success

To start with, you need a great leader. Be it your project, or a project you support, you must have a great leader for it to be successful. The leader in this case would be someone with an inside-out understanding of all the nitty-gritty specs of the project. They have an innate sense of direction, in that they understand the mission, vision, and goal of the project, such that they can guide, demonstrate, and extend their understanding to members involved; small team/big team alike.

A great leader has a keen eye for deciphering each person's strengths and delegates roles accordingly while fostering an engaging and result-driven environment that supports efficacy.

Proper Delegation of Tasks

It goes to say; that delegation is a major component of a successful collaboration. Too many cooks spoil the broth, you know. It is crucial to delegate when getting a project done so that you can have people perform tasks they are most suited for. If you tried having a fish climb a tree, you already know it'll fail. Yet when you have a project at hand, you do not try to do it; you must DO IT.

Delegating assures that you have a point of reference regarding particular segments or tasks within the project. In this way, the team players get bragging rights for their respective roles which encourages them to put in their A-game, also while enjoying autonomy over their work.

Clear-cut Communication

Communication is key, and to collaborate effectively, you need clear channels for exchanging ideas, brainstorming, sharing progress, posting announcements, and spreading the word. Thanks to the WhatsApp communities platform, it is much more possible to have topic-based discussions, especially when most of your work is project-like.

Technical matters aside, interpersonal relations come into play in an open communication and collaborative scene. It is best to maintain some level of creative professionalism in all conversations or you risk having to spend extra time and money to correct misinterpretations. You also risk having the people so far removed from the objective of the collaboration when you fail to embrace a formal and objective tone. Prioritizing constructive conversations builds synergy to steer the project on the right track.

Clear-cut and objective communication also prevents scenarios of people rubbing off on each other the wrong way. It clears any doubts over the value you attach to your work. It sets a standard for the output. So, the next time you have a creative project, communicate freely but don't kick formality out the door. See how that works in your favour.

Build A Community

Lastly, encourage all team players to interact and make relevant connections to grow the community. While exploring the creative space, you tend to meet like-minded people. Oftentimes, you might even want to unite in collaborative efforts to carry out some projects together, sooner or later.

These interactions spark the start of prospective collaborations, and most importantly, they contribute to the growth of a community. A community is a sign of goodwill. In this competitive world, the community you build becomes your source of love, friendship, support, inclusivity, and even passion and knowledge. Everywhere you go, and especially in the creative space, community shows up as a cushion against predatory agents and failure.

The community presents a rock on which you stand, grounding you while acting as your most immediate supply chain. Dean Ornish said, “The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food”. I am inclined to agree with that sentiment on all levels.