Opening myself to networking

[gerbenpasjes]

Its never a bad idea to start building up your network early. I learnt this the hard way and had to play catch-up.

You can always start by making a Linkedin profile and connect with other artists there. I heard somewhere that an artist should network 25% of his time. May be a good idea to start early?

Network is everything in my experience. I had to get my first job "all by myself" but also for that job I reached out to an ex-employee of that company, and it turns out he recommended me after I connected with him. 

After that I've never had to start from scratch, all my jobs were through people who knew me and recommended me to their bosses (Dutch game industry). 

The contacts I've made in real life have been a lot more influential than those from online, but perhaps for freelancers, it is different. 

25% does seem like a lot though. I don't know much about "active" networking, mine's always been IRL or passive (eg: I connect with someone but don't engage with them actively). 

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]darktiste
it would be stupid to network without a solid load of work behind me[/font]

I feel ya and I agree with you but also not(?). There's no straight do's and don't's for artists. To give an example, I got my first job not because the work was good (it was pretty lame) but because I was super-serious about it and reached out to other employees to help me get in. Once I got in, the work started getting better. 

Most people out there will be easier to connect with if you have killer work. But just being a nice person, with a good work ethic and a thirst for learning goes a very long way. 

[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]Zorrentos
You can always start by making a Linkedin profile and connect with other artists there.[/font]

Sure you can (and should!) but also remember one good connection with whom you actively talk and trade art with is worth so much more than 100 silent, quiet, anonymous connections. If you attempt to engage with enough people you'll find one that's more open and receptive than the others, and you can start to build a relationship from there. 



As always these are my opinions and experiences, everyone's situation is different!