How to collaborate....
The recent Art-Print poster collaboration with Sahaj Guptaa
After almost 10 years working alongside other artists in different creative fields, I decided to put together this little list of do’s, don'ts and thoughts on collaboration and how to make the most of it.
Collaboration undoubtedly brings out the best in us, and indeed makes the creative journey so much richer. For me as a music artist it’s of course been essential to collaborate with other songwriters to learn and grow, producers to help bring my musical visions to life but its also been just as interesting to work with artists across other creative disciplines. Let’s go over some of the things that will help you get the most from one of the most rewarding artistic practises.
1) It’s normal to feel scared, nervous, not ready or not good enough to participate in creative collaboration, but more than likely, if you’re competent at making music, writing lyrics, painting, or what ever it is you do yourself, you have more than enough to offer to a shared creative space. The worst thing you can do when it comes to collaboration is NOT DO IT -by convincing yourself not to follow up, shy away from an invitation or let a good opportunity pass you by.
A great place to start is a brainstorm, thinking about all the ways you could collaborate across different creative fields and thinking about your dream collaborations. Those artists or brands may be out of reach right now, but they will serve as a guide to help you work out what might be a good fit for you moving forward. Work out what is in reach, and if you have a solid idea, why not try and open a door to something you see mutual value in. Sometimes approaching people you don't know can also yield mixed results, people are busy after all, so best to nurture an appreciation of their work first to help open the door.
2) Not all collaborations are made equal. That’s unfortunately how it goes. You’re not always going to click instantly on the day, or write an absolute banger of a song every time, but putting yourself in that creative space should be seen essentially as part of your creative ‘work’ and discipline - I’ve had so many projects build a little steam and then fizzle out, don't take it to heart, not everything is meant to be, and you never know how one thing leads to another. The more you do it, the more you’ll be able to make the most of it. Make collaborating a part of your weekly or monthly work flow and schedule them in your diary. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll manifest new work, whilst you’ll also both be able to reap the rewards of each others community and fanbase.
3) Prepare! I always think it’s essential, and polite to come to every creative collaboration with an idea, a vision, if it’s a co-write then some chords, a few lyrics, or old project I was working on, anything, just something to share after you’ve had the preliminary chats about life. (Which can also be quite important)
It might be something you use and develop, it might not, but having somewhere to start, as opposed to nowhere is always going make it easier for the both of you to get things moving in a good direction. It’s also just nice to take an active interest in what the other person has been working on.
4) Add, suggest + embellish but don’t override. Artists are sensitive creatures, and we offer our hearts up with the work we make. When someone offers something up, or presents us with their work, even if doesn't sit totally right with you let it be for a minute before you discount it. Adding, suggesting and embellishing are much better ways to build together positively. If something really irks you about the direction the collaboration has taken, then own your feelings around it, voice them with as much respect as possible for the work already gone into the project and do number 5!
5) Have a cup to Tea. You cannot force or rush these things if it’s not flowing. A bit of small talk, a breath of fresh air, some sun on your face, some time away from the project, or a good ol brew (or 6) will help everyone stay focused and return to the project with more flexibility and new ideas.
6) Whats the environment? If you’re collaborating together in the same space think about making it a pleasant, and tidy space to be in. It’s a little thing, but I think it makes a difference.
7) The 10 minute challenge. This is honestly a game changer and I highly recommend it no matter what you’re working on. Stop what you’re doing, and start something completely new, completely different and try and finish it, or get as close to sketching it out with as much detail as you can in within 10 minutes. Switching to this highly impulsive, instinct led approach to collaborating often yields incredible results. It’s also really fun, and ignites pure collaborative improvisation mode. Try it. You might make something great, it might be shit, but in any case, it was 10 minutes of your time, and if there’s something there, you can dig a little deeper and develop it.
8) Collaborate with people who do something different than you. You’ll gain a new perspective on your own work in the process, as they will get glean the same perspective from you.
I’ll use Lisa, my wife, as a perfect example here, she’s a print designer with her own brand and she reached out the London Flower School, being a huge admirer of their work, with a pretty open invitation to explore a collaboration. No one on either side knew what shape it would take at the beginning, but after months of dissecting flowers, arranging them and taking pictures of them, a large-scale installation exhibition manifested in London. A product she developed with the flower school for the exhibition was then seen by a fashion agent, who just happened to be walking by. She saw promise in this particular product, really 1% of the entire exhibition, and in due course this one product developed into being Lisa’s best selling product line to date. I guess the moral here is, you never know whats going to happen when you start planting seeds, taking a few risks and putting yourself out there.
9) Just be upfront. So you’ve opened a new door full of potential - great - what next? I cannot encourage you enough be transparent from the start, and as soon as is reasonable, sooner rather than later, make it clear what this is about. Is it for fun, is it for potential commercial gain, how much time/energy will it take. Basically - whats the deal? Beyond the creative part, where in lies the responsibility, does it feel fair? Does it feel fair to them? Are you 50% 50%, who’s paying for it? Will you be paying for it? Or is this just an energetic exchange. Also, what about timeline? Do you have a key date in mind, or will you be working to a deadline. These are just some of the questions you should be digging into. Don’t jump ahead of yourself of course, sometimes these things need time to become clear, but I think you’ll find everyone involved will appreciate some respectful assertiveness.
I firmly believe creatives should always be paid for their work, but sometimes you just want to see where something goes before you get your business head on. Admittedly In the past I have taken a slightly avoidant style when it comes to the business end, and trust me it hasn’t done me any favours. Best just be upfront, be fair, know your own boundaries and don’t sit in silence if you're not met with the same respect and mutual understanding at the start. You will save yourself drama in the medium and long term by walking away from some collaborations too.
10) Keep it organised. A joint project may legitimately go off the boil for months, or even a year to resurface in a different way. Never waste the work you’ve done or loose the record of it. Store everything, physically or digitally in a way you can easily locate it.
11) Enjoy it. Finally - and though I’ve said this in the body of text above, I have to re-iterate it. HAVE FUN. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if you're going to collaborate well, continuously through your career you’re going to want to leave most sessions feeling light + full of energy and excited. Take the pressure of yourself, prepare, and dream as big as you like.
My most recent collaboration, pictured at the top of this page, is with mixed media artist Sahaj Guptaa, who has interpreted two of my songs into A3 sized art-print posters. Sahaj made them from collaging, scanning re arranging and painting over some imagery and lyrics I gave to her. Sahaj initiated contact, having known of my music for some time, with a very non specific, ‘Hey here’s my work, I’d love to work on something together’ and safe to say I loved what she did and immediately saw potential in us coming together to create something. After a brain storm the idea of a poster came to mind and from the outset I suggested we could, upon finalising the designs, could split any profit made from potential sales 50% 50%. Sahaj created a google form to collect some information from me that she felt was important to her creative interpretation of the project and it was exciting because I had no idea what Sahaj was going to come up with initially, I just trusted her vision. From there we had to to clarify our direction once, but from there it was just a few minor revisions that we needed before the final product came to be.
So with that being said - thanks for reading, hope you took something from it and if you’d like to check out the Merch store, you can pre-order a copy of this art print, signed and printed on canvas - or get it right now on a high res digital download to use however you see fit.
https://www.samwaymusic.com/merch
Much love
Sam
x