You know the feeling when you open your email and read a message from someone who has honestly, genuinely been impacted by the work you do?

While they might not seem to be as important as landing a big new client or pulling off a successful launch, as creators and entrepreneurs, these small moments of acknowledgment are often the lifelines that keep us going while buried deep in the grind.

We’ve all experienced the feeling of putting our heart and soul into our work and then releasing it into the void, unsure if anyone is even engaging with it let alone being impacted by it.

I’m a believer that you get what you give, and as such, the more positivity you put out to your fellow creators, the more you’ll find coming back to you.

If we want to foster supportive creative communities, we need to take the lead in creating a culture of generous praise, encouragement and support ourselves.

I’ve had a number of experiences where I’ve jotted down a quick note to someone I admire on Twitter, Instagram, or through their company’s messenger bot platform and have more than once had the founder of the company respond telling me how much they needed that encouragement right then.

Next time you come across someone who’s work you admire, tell them. You don’t need to write a long, heartfelt message, just tell them you appreciate what they’re doing, and as a fellow creator you know it’s not easy.

It doesn’t cost us anything to be generous our praise, let’s give as much as we can.

Want to hear more about building an audience around work that matters? I think you might enjoy these reads!

https://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/leadership-times-of-crisis-de0248ee4bbhttps://medium.com/datadriveninvestor/leadership-times-of-crisis-de0248ee4bb