How I’ve learned to create my own Brains Trust for my creative work.

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Well, you’ve finished your project, sculpture, painting, manuscript, music score, or poem. What’s next? You love it. Your mum loves it. You think to yourself: it is the best I can do. But is it good enough?

One of the fundamental characteristics of us humans is the ever-nagging self-doubt. Should we just push our project to the back of the desk, tucked in a computer folder, or hide it in the shed because we aren’t sure it’s good enough. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t? But when we are sure that it
is the best we can do, what’s next? This is where I struggle. I know what I’m good at, I even know what I’m great at, but there is a hell of a lot that I just don’t know.

Let’s get down to basics, I am a self-published Children’s Picture Book author. I have a great story, or so I believe. But how do I make sure without spreading my work far and wide before I even get it off the ground? What I learned quickly in my career was to find what I call a Brains Trust. I have found in my ‘circle-of-influence’ – family, friends, clients, and their family/friends – a fantastic group of trustworthy skilful people to help me get my book off the ground, or in my case, out from the back of the desk.

And it was simple. All I had to do was ask.

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Do we really know what our acquaintances do? What’s their passion? Do they complement mine?
I needed to get out of my head and stop trying to do everything myself. I made a ‘what do I need’ list and you can too.

Create a List
Something like this. Personalise it for your circumstances.

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I have 10 manuscripts, but how do I narrow them down to the best four? I asked my clients with children/grandchildren or those who work in the kid industry to be beta readers. I gave them the manuscripts and a quick survey with key points, such as does the manuscript have age-appropriate wording, child-appropriate themes, readability and likeability. From this, I could identify the top three. These beta readers were invaluable.

 

I then left these manuscripts for two months so I could look at them with fresh eyes. After two re-writes, I had to find development and copy editors.

This was when I thought, how am I going to go about this? So, I joined a local writer’s group. After a few months, I got to know some members and became a committee member; therefore, expanding my potential contacts. It was at one of these meetings where I found another member who helps authors in editing, marketing, etc. I grabbed her card and got in touch. Now three of my manuscripts have been edited by her company.

Meanwhile, I started asking my clients ‘what is their passion’ and this is where I found out that one of my clients designs book covers and book layouts on the side. I checked her work and it was great. She also knew a wonderful artist who I hired to do the illustrations for my first manuscript.

 

During this time, I had been doing some studying of my own to expand my writing skills into copywriting. This is where I learned about freelancers and freelance companies. With research, I joined one as a buyer and found my next two illustrators. Through the writers’ group, one of the committee members put me in touch with a videographer who was looking for a scriptwriter. We connected and now he is going to produce a video for me for a Kickstarter campaign I am doing for my first manuscript.

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Also, through the writers’ group, I met a member who had run her own Kickstarter campaign. I asked her questions about her campaign, and then researched other successful campaigns. Just through the philosophy of asking people close to me about what they do and what their passions are has allowed me to form what I call my Brains Trust: my beta readers, editors, writers’ group members, clients and clients’ contacts. These people have the skills, knowledge, and objectivity that I don’t have to critique and help my work become the best that it can be. However, Brains Trusts are not just for creators. Everyone needs help sometimes.

It is not just the artistic types who need help to achieve their goals and dreams. Many people from all works of life gather a Brains Trust around them even if they don’t know it. Have you found your Brains Trust yet? If not, have a good look at the people that you know. Do you really know them? Do you know their skills, their goals, and their passions? If not, ask. They may want to be a part of your project but don’t want to seem to
interfere. What are you waiting for?

I know I would be lost without them. Stumbling through the unknown of how to make my books come alive. Wasting time and money learning skills that are already available to me through my Brains Trust. By creating my Brains Trust, it has allowed me to spend my money more wisely and as a bonus financially help my friends. It has also helped me not waste time on learning skills I don’t need, leaving me more time to write and create more manuscripts.

Don’t wait. Build up your Brains Trust like I have. You won’t be disappointed.

By Sandra Mayer