To ensure sustainability and to help expand your work, it is important to surround yourself with collaborators (i.e., people who understand your work and trust you) as early as possible. Whenever you connect with someone, ask yourself how they might become a collaborator.
A collaborator doesn’t have to aways be a partner in a project. They can simply be someone you can ask questions keep you accountable. Your collaborators can also hold knowledge about how best to engage an audience.
To show that you value collaborators, be clear and concise with your questions and act on that person’s advice. If they keep you accountable, show that you are doing your work.
References
Blank, Dan. Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience. WeGrowMedia, 2017.