As artists, we tend to feel protective of our work as we pour our hearts and souls into it. However, we can also fall prey to our egos. We want to prove to others that we can do it by ourselves. Or we may even have trust issues from being wronged by someone in our past.

However, creative collaboration does have some benefits. Here are a few:

It can help you learn new skills and techniques: There are always going to be people with more experience than you. Also, there are always going to be people who are more skilled than you. By working with someone on a creative project, they can show you new things that will benefit you creatively. Maybe even show you the ropes in an area of the industry you haven’t explored yet. If you’re a songwriter, a collaborator can help you write or produce songs outside of your usual genre. Taylor Swift collaborated with indie artists and producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff to help her transition into the indie genre with her latest albums, folklore and evermore.

It can help you gain more confidence: Most creatives are shy introverts. You’re learning to open up and share ideas when collaborating with someone. Collaborating can also help you learn how to receive constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is necessary for your growth as an artist. Receiving praise and acknowledgment for your hard work is a huge confidence booster and may encourage you to keep up the productivity.

It can help boost your productivity: You’ll likely feel less stressed and overwhelmed when working with someone else. Collaborating makes it easier to divide a project and delegate tasks to whoever is more capable. Make sure that the people you choose to work with are equally creative and trustworthy, and share your work ethic. Collaborators hold each other accountable so that the job gets done more efficiently.

It can help improve your conflict management skills: Unfortunately, creatively collaborating with someone may cause a clash of ideas. Or they have a completely different process than you. Butting heads is normal in any collaboration. It can help us learn to stand up for ourselves and our ideas, have patience, and compromise.

It can help improve your networking skills: Networking is a necessary tool to help advance your artistic career. By reaching out to potential collaborators, you’re also opening doors to possible mentorships, internships, record deals, and so on. Working with collaborators can also help you make lifelong friendships and establish a community that will support you every step of your artistic journey. Check out our article “Networking Tips for Artists” for more information on this topic.

As artists, it’s ok to ask for help. We can’t let our egos get in the way. Collaborators will always help you bring out the best side of your artistic work. By working together, you’ll learn so many new things and create beautiful memories along the way. Have fun and get creative.