3b: concepts of the professional network

Cooperation

cooperation - the action or process of working together to the same end

I found Robert Axelrod's 'game theory' extremely interesting as so much of the networking in the performing arts industry, I feel, is done for personal gain. When working in an industry that is widely regarded for being 'dog eat dog' it makes me wonder where the line is between cooperation and competition. Cooperation and therefore game theory can be seen in so many aspects of my working life as a performer and not only in my circles of networking. You only have to stand in a queue for an audition for five minutes to see game theory in action, there will always be people who are lovely and kind, chatty and helpful until you get in the audition room and then suddenly the elbows come out!
 I was once told that in order to succeed in this industry I would need to be prepared to walk over a lot of people to get where I wanted to be and I made the decision in an instant (being a firm believer in karma) to do no such thing. If we have some rehearsal time in an audition and some one needs help with a step that i've already got, I will help, and hopefully one day someone will do the same for me when I need it.  Networking can also fall foul of game theory as people in your friends and fellow performer circles may choose to keep audition information to themselves in order to give them a step up. This in turn often leads me to question my circle of friends. Who is really a friend and who keeps in contact simply to be in the know?

Within the concept of online networking I am definitely aware of having a stategy, and there are clear patterns to my interactions. If I meet someone important within the industry I would most definitely chat to them and then may well add them on facebook if we had spoken to a point where they would remember who I was! I don't think any performers can take meeting with people who have the potential to influence our careers as chance or see it as random. Grab it by the horns and make it count! (There are obviously boundaries, no one wants to look like a stalker) but I feel due to web 2.0, these boundaries are often very blurred with sites such as facebook and twitter being so popular. As for my friends, I share all my knowledge on up and coming auditions and opportunities. In my opinion, anyone that has been through the rigorous training we have deserves a shot and its so important to remember that we are all unique, I may not be right for a role which my friend would be perfect for, so why would I withhold that information? Again, this cannot be said for everyone, but like I always tell myself...karma, karma, karma!
 

Affiliation

Affiliate - to attach or connect

To me, the whole nature of whether you succeed or fail in the performing arts industry comes down heavily on our preferred levels of affiliation, and therefore our need for privacy. Being an only child I find that my need to affiliate myself with others isn't as great as someone who comes from a big family or who has lots of brothers and sisters. My own company is more than satisfactory for me and therefore affiliation and essentially networking is something I have had to train myself to do. The implications of your preferred levels of affiliation are obvious within many of my networks. No affiliation and people forget who you are, you aren't a recognisable face, you don't find any information out that will benefit you. Too much affiliation and you annoy people, leading to them not wanting to work with you or choosing to ignore you. Everyone 'enjoys and benefits from interaction' but I think understanding and respecting peoples boundaries is very important in order to remain 'professional'.

I found the extract from Crisp, J and Turner quite eye opening and it lead to me asking many other questions. Am I more private because I am an only child? Does what country we are from alter our need to affiliate? Maybe there is a difference in the level of privacy required between the working and middle class? Surely nature vs nurture plays a big role in this as whether we are introvert or extrovert must alter our ability to affiliate successfully?
This is definitely something I want to look into further and I would love to hear other peoples thoughts on my many questions!