Leonardo da Vinci had one. So did Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull. Dorothy Parker was famous for hers.
Each of them belonged to a creative community that collaborated on projects and challenged the status quo. And if the idea of a creative collective was valuable in Leonardo’s day, it’s essential in modern times, as technological shifts and changes in the workplace (think of the gig economy with its tribes of nomadic freelancers) have made us more independent and isolated. Younger baby boomers change jobs at least 11 times, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And Americans will spend three hours per day or more staring at their smartphones this year.
It is no wonder, then, that creative communities are flourishing in an era of malaise and disconnect. The Wing, a coworking and community space primarily for women, has expanded to 11 locations in just three years. Social clubs, like Soho House and San Francisco’s Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, have surged in popularity. And a number of books have been published recently about the importance of engaging with others, including Face to Face: The Art of Human Connection, written by Brian Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind.
“We figure out not only who we are, but who we could be, through our gatherings,” said Priya Parker, the author of the 2018 best-seller, The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters. “It’s an adage that birds of a feather flock together. But we have a choice of who we want our birds to be.”
Fred Dust, a former managing director for the design firm Ideo and a board trustee at the Sundance Institute, said there are two types of creative groups: those who seek to rediscover a spark, and professionals who want to be exposed to the ideas of others so they can sharpen their own.
“I’ve seen more hunger for people gathering,” Dust said. Some things “can’t be substituted for a heart on Instagram.”