This article is brought to you as part of the ASCAP Wellness Program.

 

For so many music creators, collaboration is what really makes their creative spark ignite. Whether it’s jamming with your garage band or composing to your lyricist’s newest verse, there’s nothing quite like the magic of working together to create something truly special. Even solo artists rely on others from time to time, whether that be a sound engineer, studio manager or any number of industry professionals who provide specialized input and services. 

 

While managing other people’s feelings may not be your job, learning to maximize these collaborative relationships can be the key to bringing out the best in everyone – including yourself! An open and respectful working relationship can be the gateway to producing higher quality work that everyone can be proud of.

 

Of course, this is easier said than done. Working with and relying on others at any stage in your process can present challenges, especially in a creative field like music. It may not always be smooth sailing, especially if there are a lot of strong opinions or clashing personalities in the mix. 

 

Collaboration requires communication, teamwork and creative problem solving, says Dirk Matthews, a career services educator and president-elect of the National Career Development Association. 

 

“Clear communication of one's creative vision provides the groundwork for collaboration,” he says. “Admitting you don't have all the answers, and bringing questions to your collaborators opens the door for fresh input. While we may not want to let go of certain parts of our project, collaborators can shape ideas and potentially help us connect our work to our intended audience.”

 

Below, Matthews and other experts share their tips to help creators manage and maintain  collaborative relationships. 

Be responsive and present

With collaborative relationships, it’s important to be respectful of everyone’s time, says ASCAP member Emilio Guarino, a classically trained bass player, producer and engineer at Glitch Magic. 

 

Guarino makes it a point to respond to people’s emails, phone calls and text messages within 24 hours, as well as letting them know quickly if he needs to turn something down, or needs more time to respond.

 

“This is partially a respect thing, but it also helps to show people you're on top of stuff,” he says. “Something as simple as ‘Hey, I'll have a block of time to review these tracks on Wednesday,’ can do a lot of good.”

 

Additionally, Guarino is mindful of not being on his phone in rehearsal or studio settings. “Show people you're there in the moment with them,” he says.

+ How Creators Can Set and Enforce Personal Boundaries

 

Invest in understanding each other’s personalities

The world – the music industry included – can often feel like it feeds on  partisanship and opposing viewpoints, says Jason Peterson, chairman and CEO at GoDigital Media Group. Creators would do well to remember they are a unifying force, he says, which should hopefully incentivize them to hear each other out and find a way to stay true to each person’s artistic vision. 

 

“Music is something that brings people together – oftentimes people who would otherwise find themselves with little else in common,” Peterson says. “One need only think of some of the greatest collaborations and how they’ve fostered not just a single track’s performance, but exposure for an entire genre or culture.”

 

Peterson encourages creators to remember that it’s not each person’s individual design, but rather a shared vision that should inform any collaboration. “This should open each side up to clear communication and exploring new sounds, voices and ways of working,” he says.

+ WATCH: Chris Stapleton & Dan Wilson: How to Co-Write Hits

 

Be willing to separate your ego from your ideas

Particularly if you are invited to collaborate on someone else's project, you have to be willing to let go of certain ideas, Matthews says. You may be working as a team, but you need to be mindful of those who have the most at stake.

 

That means contributing what you can and letting go of ideas that aren't welcomed as the right  fit. But don’t misinterpret this advice as discouraging you from offering up your ideas in the first place; after all, there’s a reason you got the gig to begin with!

“If you only have a riff or, say, limited series of chords to work within, sharing constructive ideas with your collaborators will at the very least allow you to receive feedback regarding how others interpret your idea, and help you better understand their vision,” he says.

Be empathetic, honest and respectful with constructive criticism

 

The importance of being able to provide constructive criticism cannot be overstated when it comes to the creative process. Although, some people tend to forget that delivery is everything.

“Other industries can afford to be more blunt and confrontational, but we're in a creative field where people tend to be more sensitive – because that's a big part of making great art,” says Guarino.

“The most important thing in any collaboration is that everyone feels heard and respected,” adds Peterson. “In creative endeavors, there is usually no 'right’ – only preference. So feedback should be framed as such.”

+ How to Give Better Song Feedback

Keep an open mind

It’s natural to gravitate  towards working with like-minded collaborators. However, who you end up working with  won’t always be entirely up to you.

This can be a good thing, though. In fact, there is much to be gained from teaming up with those with a different approach; it can actually help to evolve your vision for a project, says Guarino.

“Some of the coolest projects I've worked on came about just by being willing to embrace a different point of view about how something should or could be done,” he says. “If someone has a very strong opinion, I'll always try to understand where they are coming from, and in many cases this doesn't diminish my vision; rather, it expands what I thought was possible.”