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The creative industry is a friendly and helpful place, and committing acts of kindness can raise your own mood, too. To celebrate World Kindness Day, we explain how to make kindness to your fellow creatives a habit.
World Kindness Day, celebrated on 13 November, is a lovely thing. It’s a reminder of one of the best and happiest aspects of being a human: our capacity to be kind to each other. Because of all the bad news on TV, most of us spend most of our time getting on pretty well with each other.
And if you happen to work in the creative industries, that makes you a lucky person indeed. Because as well as your work being fulfilling, you’ll probably find that this is one of the kindest, most supportive and helpful communities around.
That doesn’t happen by magic, though. It only happens because we all continually help and do nice things for each other. So, if you haven’t done something kind for a fellow creative lately, it’s worth thinking about. Because when you do something kind for others, it doesn’t just help them. It also buoys you up and gives you a sense of inner calm that selfish or self-centred acts can never quite replicate.
Not sure where to start? Here are nine ways to spread kindness and support your fellow creatives. These acts of kindness, small or large, have a ripple effect, lifting others up and cultivating a more inclusive and supportive creative industry.
1. Share opportunities
It’s typical: you wait ages for a commission, job role or collaboration opportunity to come along, and then you get offered two at the same time. You can’t commit to both, so why not pass it on to someone you know who would benefit?
Art director Gary French says that the nicest thing a fellow creative has done for him is “referring me with insistence for a job at their company; we’re still friends.” And artist Wade Johnston always aims to pay it forward in this way.
“If I’m too busy to take on an assignment, I’ll recommend a designer I know who needs the work,” he says. “If I know of a designer who’s looking for a job, I’ll always recommend them to someone who’s hiring. I do the same for artists looking for gallery representation or collectors looking for new artists to purchase from. What goes around comes around.”
2. Use your platform to promote others
Don’t have a job or commission to pass on? Social media can also be a powerful tool for promoting fellow creatives. Share work by others you admire, or tag a creative in a post when their expertise fits.
You might think this is a waste of time, especially if you have a modest follower count. But social media isn’t about numbers; it’s about relevance, so if you work in the same industry, you might be surprised by the influence you can have.
A single shout-out or tag can lead to job offers, clients, or, at the very least, new followers who value their work. So, use your voice to amplify those around you, especially emerging talents who may not yet have a large following.
3. Give genuine encouragement
When you see potential or talent, don’t just think it; say it. Often, all it takes is a small compliment to boost someone’s confidence. This can be incredibly valuable for creatives dealing with self-doubt. (Which is, you know, all of us.)
Take photographic and sculptural artist Charlie Cluff. “Earlier this year, I met this artist, who was having an exhibition at a pop-up gallery near me,” he recalls. ” He was so kind about my work and supportive of my practice, and I spent a long time chatting to him. As I was about to leave, he took a painting of the wall and gave it to me. He said he felt it was important to support fellow artists and gave me the artwork for free. ‘One day, when you’ve made it, I know you’ll do the same for someone else’, he said.”
Not all of us can afford to give our work away, but the main thing is that a little encouragement can go a long way. Think about the last time someone praised your work and how it made you feel. In that light, doing so for others is a no-brainer.
4. Celebrate others
Telling other creatives when you admire their work is one easy thing to do. But why not take the next step and suggest a collaboration? Even if they say no, they should be flattered.
“I absolutely love collaboration and forging relationships with other creatives,” says fashion consultant Michelle, aka The Fashion Expert. “We all have our own zone of genius, and not being afraid to share or hype someone up is actually quite freeing. I think the longer you’re in business, the more you get out of that competitive mindset of ‘There’s not enough to go around’. There absolutely is!”
5. Offer mentorship or guidance
A creative’s journey can be challenging, especially at the beginning. If you’re further along in your career, think back to when you started and how much you’d have welcomed a mentor. Then, consider whether you might mentor a less experienced creative yourself.
“Advocating and celebrating your fellow creatives and giving them a nudge through that door is probably one of the most important things you can do for each other, instead of trying to keep things for yourself,” says creative director Tom Muller. “My very first boss hired me because he saw potential, not because I had experience. So open the door for someone, and use your experience and voice to give them an opportunity.”
If you don’t have the capacity for a formal mentor relationship, you can still make an impact. As Jordan Laird, creative director of Studio Something, recalls: “Dougal Wilson, the famed music video and ad director, would always take time to give us feedback, meet with us and offer advice when we first started. We both started at Leith, which is why I think he helped. He didn’t need to, but he is one of the nicest creatives out there.”
Taking someone under your wing, even briefly, can change their career. Simply listening, offering advice or opening doors for them will give them a foundation of support to build on. Designer Fabián Sanabria shares how a creative director’s belief gave him a major break. “As a Latinx person growing up in Costa Rica, I didn’t have access to many opportunities,” he recalls. “But an ECD I briefly worked with saw my potential and gave me my big break at a global tech company. This literally changed my life and has allowed me to support my parents through tough times.”
6. Lift each other up
It might sound obvious, but you don’t always need to make a big gesture to make a big difference. Sometimes just being nice can be just as important.
Indie yarn dyer Eleanor Shadow offers an example. “I recently did my first in-person vending in a really long time,” she recalls. “I was so nervous and experiencing major imposter syndrome. My fellow vendors were such wonderful people, all supporting each other and always having kind words to say about each other’s work. It was truly uplifting to feel like I belonged and be able to forward the kindness I experienced.”
Sophie O’Connor reveals: “I had a miscarriage while working at Mother London, and when I came back into work they had left me a little note on my desk with a bunch of flowers. Such a small gesture, but at that moment, it meant a lot, especially considering I was one of only two women in the design studio.”
And you don’t need to work in a physical studio to offer this kind of support. “I once organised an e-baby shower type gift for a freelancer we all knew in our circle,” says journalist and PR trainer Kerri L Watt. “I thought, why should offices get all the fun? So I organised it, collected donations and posted a hefty gift card to her. She loved it!”
Whether you’re at an event, in the studio, or on an online forum, creating a space where everyone can shine makes the world we all work in happier and more inclusive. And on a personal level, being there for each other in a competitive industry helps fight isolation and creates a real sense of belonging.
7. Be willing to share
Sharing tools, tips, or resources can make someone’s life significantly easier or just fill them with joy. Photographer Leon Doggy Dogg, who specialises in dance, style and hip-hop culture, offers an example. “I love an electro-pop album from the early 2000s, which had a top-tier producer behind it,” he recalls. “But due to licensing, it never made it to streaming. So, I once vented on Twitter that I love the album. It’s a genuine favourite of mine, but I only have a CD, and nothing has CD drives any more.
“Out of nowhere, the producer himself replied to my tweet with nothing more than a Megaupload link. Inside it, there were high-quality WAV files from the entire album. Nothing more was said. That has stuck with me forever. Legend.”
8. Build kindness into your daily practice
It’s great to perform a small act of kindness like this occasionally, but it’s even better to make kindness a part of your routine.
“I think rather than pinpointing one thing, we need to make it our way of being,” believes watercolour illustrator Imogen Partridge. “Small actions each day, passing on recommendations, telling people they’re doing a great job, telling people when they inspire you. Kindness in business is so underrated.”
By making these small gestures a habit, you contribute to a more positive and uplifting creative community every day.