On Community
I've been working on what I wanted to say about community for the last few months. Every time I think I've found the thesis, another idea quickly follows behind it. So forgive me, this is a thought journey.
The concept of community is really hot right now.
It's become one of the most common words in the creative sector and beyond. It's on websites, strategic plans, grant applications, values, mission, and vision statements. Mine included.
And I believe in it.
Community is an antidote to polarization, increasing isolation and loneliness. It's one of the ways we honour our shared humanity and break down barriers.
I believe in community. More specifically, I believe in the practice of community.
I do wonder if we have become better at talking about/ marketing community over actually practicing it.
Community is Not a Deliverable
Community is built over time through relationships and shared experiences. It's slow. It's trust earned through consistency. It's the accumulation of hundreds of small interactions that create a sense of belonging.
And that can't be delivered on a timeline.
I'm increasingly uncomfortable when I see organizations treating community as though it's a deliverable.
Simply gathering people in the same room does not a community make.
An audience can become a community, but an audience is not automatically a community.
Patrons may support an organization for years without feeling part of it.
Even board members may faithfully serve an organization without experiencing a sense of belonging.
Community is defined by relationship. It asks something of us. Time. Consistency. Generosity. Mutual investment. At the risk of being poetic it’s the willingness to know and be known.
Community is something we practice. It is an action.
Marketing Community Isn't the Same as Building It
Marketing is about communicating value. There's nothing wrong with marketing. We need to tell people who we are, what we do, and why our work matters. But marketing community isn't the same thing as practicing it.
The work of marketing is talking. The work of community is doing.
You Can't Build Community Around Yourself
This is a common conversation at high strategic levels:
"We want people to feel connected to our organization, our festival, our work. So how do we build community?"
That question makes me uncomfortable because it places us at the centre. And that is 100% the wrong starting point.
Community isn't about getting people to gather around us, it's about creating the conditions where people begin gathering around one another.
Community is an act of service. It asks us to look outward rather than inward.
You cannot own community.
Community Already Exists
This is a spicy take.
Organizations sometimes talk about building community for people who are described as underserved or underrepresented.
The intention is almost always generous… But, before we ask how we might create community, perhaps we should ask what community already exists?
Who's already doing the work?
Who are the trusted voices?
What relationships are already there that we simply haven't taken the time to see?
And don’t ask these questions so that you can take over. I know that you think that you would do a better job. Even if it were true, it’s not yours to take.
Community already exists. Our work is to participate in it well. To listen and to contribute.