14 answers
Pearl
Student
India
25
Questions
Asked
1704 views
How can I get better at networking not just making connections, but actually building meaningful relationships that could be beneficial in the long run? Also, can you suggest any good networking platforms for artists, apart from LinkedIn, that are beginner friendly and great for connecting with like minded creatives?
Thank you so much in advance! I’d truly appreciate any tips or insights you have to share.
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14 answers
Kristina Du
Enterprise Technology Solutions Associate at PwC
50
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Kristina’s Answer
To build meaningful relationships through networking, focus on being genuinely curious and supportive—engage thoughtfully with others’ work, follow up over time, and aim to create mutual value rather than just collecting contacts. Instead of quick follows or likes, leave comments, ask questions, and share your own creative journey naturally to build trust and connection. For artist-friendly platforms beyond LinkedIn, check out Behance, Instagram, ArtStation, Discord communities, and The Dots—each offers unique ways to connect with like-minded creatives in a more relaxed and authentic way, especially if you're just starting out.
Your advice was so helpful!
Pearl
Katie Jacobs
Consultant
12
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Katie’s Answer
It’s a good idea to even start locally or leverage the built in network that you already have. This could include family and friends, school mates, colleagues from any extracurriculars you are involved in. It doesn’t have to be difficult or initially create a huge network. One rule of thumb that I think is always worth keeping in mind regardless of if you are intentionally networking is treating people with kindness and making them feel valued. People always remember how you make them feel and you never know when you will cross paths with someone again.
Thank you, Katie!
Pearl
Yoana Krasteva
Community & Events Lead
2
Answers
Sofia, Bulgaria
Updated
Yoana’s Answer
Creating a network of meaningful connections is key to enriching both your personal and professional life. Be true to yourself and show real interest in those you meet. Instead of just waiting for your turn to talk, really listen to what others are saying. It's more valuable to have a few strong connections than many shallow ones. Good relationships need care and attention, so be a good listener, offer help, and think about how you can support others. Keep in touch and be patient, as meaningful relationships take time to grow.
If you're passionate about the arts and want to meet like-minded people, go to events and gatherings where you can meet them face-to-face. This is a great way to practice your networking skills and build strong relationships. It might be tough at first, but stay motivated. Be bold and discover what the world and its people have to offer.
If you're passionate about the arts and want to meet like-minded people, go to events and gatherings where you can meet them face-to-face. This is a great way to practice your networking skills and build strong relationships. It might be tough at first, but stay motivated. Be bold and discover what the world and its people have to offer.
Thanks for the advice.
Pearl
Pushkal Singh
Supply Chain Strategic Sourcing
4
Answers
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Updated
Pushkal’s Answer
Great question. Sharing from my experience.
Networking operates on a few basic principles that are essential to understand:
Cast a Wide Net: Start by reaching out to many people. Through these conversations, you'll gradually filter your network to a core set of mentors and mentees with whom you can build long-term, if not lifelong, relationships. It's natural that not everyone will be a good fit, and that's okay. The goal is to find a handful of core members who will be valuable to you.
Find Common Ground: The core members you connect with will likely share something significant with you—whether it's a past experience, similar career aspirations, or hobbies. Be ready to share your genuine story and learn from theirs. Relationships are often formed in the first couple of sessions.
Build Transparency: Meaningful relationships are built on transparency. Genuine conversations foster trust, which can lead to transformational advice and shared experiences.
Establish a Cadence: Relationships develop over time, so set a regular schedule to meet with your mentor or mentee. Flexibility is important, but having a recurring meeting ensures consistency.
Practice Makes Perfect: Networking may not feel natural at first. Initial conversations might be awkward, but don't let that discourage you. Just like relationships evolve, so do conversations. Keep practicing until it becomes second nature.
Plan Ahead: Think about what you want to gain from the relationship and structure your approach accordingly. Consider the experiences you want to share, the questions you want to ask, and the feedback you seek. Planning ensures that your time is used meaningfully.
Prepare and Share: Depending on your mentor's style, you might send an agenda or content in advance. This allows them to come prepared for the conversation. Find out if this approach works for them.
Take Notes and Follow Up: Document the advice, opinions, and experiences shared by your mentor. Follow up on how you applied their advice and the outcomes. This encourages your mentor and makes them feel invested in the relationship.
Networking is a 2-way street: Think about how you can provide value to your network (taking on mentees that your mentor recommends? Sharing your perspective on a problem or conundrum they may be faced with?), whether it's through sharing knowledge, offering support, or connecting them with other professionals.
Networking operates on a few basic principles that are essential to understand:
Cast a Wide Net: Start by reaching out to many people. Through these conversations, you'll gradually filter your network to a core set of mentors and mentees with whom you can build long-term, if not lifelong, relationships. It's natural that not everyone will be a good fit, and that's okay. The goal is to find a handful of core members who will be valuable to you.
Find Common Ground: The core members you connect with will likely share something significant with you—whether it's a past experience, similar career aspirations, or hobbies. Be ready to share your genuine story and learn from theirs. Relationships are often formed in the first couple of sessions.
Build Transparency: Meaningful relationships are built on transparency. Genuine conversations foster trust, which can lead to transformational advice and shared experiences.
Establish a Cadence: Relationships develop over time, so set a regular schedule to meet with your mentor or mentee. Flexibility is important, but having a recurring meeting ensures consistency.
Practice Makes Perfect: Networking may not feel natural at first. Initial conversations might be awkward, but don't let that discourage you. Just like relationships evolve, so do conversations. Keep practicing until it becomes second nature.
Plan Ahead: Think about what you want to gain from the relationship and structure your approach accordingly. Consider the experiences you want to share, the questions you want to ask, and the feedback you seek. Planning ensures that your time is used meaningfully.
Prepare and Share: Depending on your mentor's style, you might send an agenda or content in advance. This allows them to come prepared for the conversation. Find out if this approach works for them.
Take Notes and Follow Up: Document the advice, opinions, and experiences shared by your mentor. Follow up on how you applied their advice and the outcomes. This encourages your mentor and makes them feel invested in the relationship.
Networking is a 2-way street: Think about how you can provide value to your network (taking on mentees that your mentor recommends? Sharing your perspective on a problem or conundrum they may be faced with?), whether it's through sharing knowledge, offering support, or connecting them with other professionals.
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
Pearl
VINEET BIST
4
Answers
Gurugram, Haryana, India
Updated
VINEET’s Answer
Concise & Professional:
Seek advice from seasoned experts.
Simple & Clear:
Form bonds with successful individuals for advice.
Direct & Impactful:
Engage with high achievers for valuable insights.
Minimalist:
Gain wisdom from accomplished professionals.
Seek advice from seasoned experts.
Simple & Clear:
Form bonds with successful individuals for advice.
Direct & Impactful:
Engage with high achievers for valuable insights.
Minimalist:
Gain wisdom from accomplished professionals.
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Pearl
Karan Gupta
Software Developer
22
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Karan’s Answer
Hi Pearl,
Over time, I have realized that if you want to build meaningful connections, you actually need to let go inside you the requirement of a connection to be meaningful.
Just be genuine in your engagements. Help or add value wherever you can without expecting any commitment.
It will definitely come back to you in one way or another.
If you want to engage with other like minded creatives, platforms such as Reddit and Discord are much more relevant and intimate nowadays.
You can spend time finding good communities and engage with relevant crowd.
However, please tread cautiously as one should with all social media platforms.
Over time, I have realized that if you want to build meaningful connections, you actually need to let go inside you the requirement of a connection to be meaningful.
Just be genuine in your engagements. Help or add value wherever you can without expecting any commitment.
It will definitely come back to you in one way or another.
If you want to engage with other like minded creatives, platforms such as Reddit and Discord are much more relevant and intimate nowadays.
You can spend time finding good communities and engage with relevant crowd.
However, please tread cautiously as one should with all social media platforms.
I will use this advice as I prepare for my career.
Pearl
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
Go out of your comfort zone to ask adults about what they do for a living and how they got there, what they like and don't like about their careers or jobs. Adults love to answer questions about their jobs. And make sure to add their contact to your phone. Tell them a little about yourself, your interests, hobbies, what you may like to do in the future. They may have ideas or suggestions and they may also know others with whom you can connect.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
Networking is just a way to connect - so reach out with short commitments timeframe asks. Start by asking for a 15 min meeting to learn about someone's position or department; and then at the end of that meeting, ask if they would be willing to meet with you again. In a few months, reach out to them again and ask if you can connect again - on a specific topic. Keep that cycle up.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
Life is about building relationship, at home, at work, and in community at large. Pursue your hobbies, join groups and organizations that support your interests, and that will lead you to organically build your network. At work, join groups outside of your immediate job so you can connect with others in a different way, and demonstrate your skills and abilities to others by doing the task and that will showcase who you are to others, and again, drive your network. In this way, you get to know people more personally, and that always helps you professionally because by leaving a positive impression, you never know who is watching, and who is going to think of you when an opportunity comes along. If you stay hidden away, or in a silo head down doing a job, people lose out on getting to know you.
VINEET BIST
4
Answers
Gurugram, Haryana, India
Updated
VINEET’s Answer
Concise & Professional:
Engage with experts for experienced advice.
Simple & Clear:
Form bonds with achievers for guidance.
Direct & Impactful:
Network with top performers for insights.
Minimalist:
Learn from successful professionals.
Engage with experts for experienced advice.
Simple & Clear:
Form bonds with achievers for guidance.
Direct & Impactful:
Network with top performers for insights.
Minimalist:
Learn from successful professionals.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
Great question. This one was one that I always had because I'm a natural introvert, so I'm not typically one to just walk up to people and introduce myself or strike up a conversation with a stranger. The best way I've found to do that is to look for opportunities to get involved in things. Whether it is at a job, or at school, or joining a networking organization, that can help open the door to get to know people. In college I joined a Sorority and I joined a cultural club. Both were great because at the end of the day, as much as some of these organizations were to build friendships or volunteer for philanthropic causes, all of the fellow members were graduating with different degrees & going into different fields. It was a great way to get to know people who ultimately might work in careers that might interest you in the future.
Post graduation I still would get involved with non-profit organizations. Similarly, that would connect me with others from various career fields. Before you know it, you know quite a few people over the years.
Post graduation I still would get involved with non-profit organizations. Similarly, that would connect me with others from various career fields. Before you know it, you know quite a few people over the years.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
Once you have a network, it's important to not be afraid to connect with those within the network. In person connections are vital to building and utilizing the network of people. It takes effort, call them, set up outings, stay connected. Take initiative, be friendly and always remember that it's about building Relationships over anything else.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
This is a weak area for me; I'm a fairly extreme introvert which means networking and interacting with people is exhausting. Yet relationships build careers. The people you've worked with will be your resource for acquiring better jobs, over time. I believe in delivering value, first and foremost, so that people recognize in advance that hiring me will be a win. Think and talk in terms of helping and collaborating and supporting when interacting with your network. If you have any time to spare, volunteer. Describe your volunteer experience on social media, LinkedIn, etc. and ask others in your network if they have recommendations on places you can volunteer. Always remember that a network is not a list of names, it's a set of interconnected lives as complex or more complex than yours. You never know what interactions will spark opportunity, what conversations will trigger a connection. Ultimately being useful earns wealth in relationships, money, and satisfaction.
Blue Shield of California Volunteers
120
Answers
Oakland, California
Updated
Blue Shield of California’s Answer
1. Using your network starts by building a meaningful network. For example, rather than blind requests to network or ""LinkIn"" with someone, make sure you have a meaningful interaction(s) (face-to-face or view conversations are idea) first.
2. By having meaningful interactions with people in your developing network, you get to learn more about their interests, needs, and ways you can help them as much they might be able to help you. Maybe they have an upcoming volunteering event they are looking for a few helping hands for, maybe they are planning a gala or fundraiser that aligns with your friends' interests, maybe they have a hobby / sport that connects with your interests, and you spend more time together that way - point is, I find the best way to get more out of my network stems from how well do I know my network, contribute to my network, and connect to my network, the opportunities organically grow from there.
2. By having meaningful interactions with people in your developing network, you get to learn more about their interests, needs, and ways you can help them as much they might be able to help you. Maybe they have an upcoming volunteering event they are looking for a few helping hands for, maybe they are planning a gala or fundraiser that aligns with your friends' interests, maybe they have a hobby / sport that connects with your interests, and you spend more time together that way - point is, I find the best way to get more out of my network stems from how well do I know my network, contribute to my network, and connect to my network, the opportunities organically grow from there.