Definition of community: the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.
It doesn’t appear by magic. You create a community around something when you believe in it and focus on it with effort, consistency, dedication.
In Bruce Springsteen’s memoir we find an interesting fragment. After recording Born to Run, the E Street Band is about to give their first concert in London, abroad, first step out of their USA comfort zone. Here is what he says, his thoughts at that time:
“It’s Showtime. The audience seems reticent, the room feels uneasy. That’s my responsibility. You’ve got to let the audience feel that they’re coolly within your hands. That’s how you help them feel safe and free to let themselves go, to find whatever they’ve come looking for…”. “Right now, I can feel myself caring too much, thinking too much about…”
That was the beginning of everything, of what he is today, what he has built along years. This is how he created a kind of community around music.
Recipe for a successful “sense of community:
Ingredients:
- Care
- Preparation
- Caution
- Respect
- Confidence
- Values
Instructions:
- Select the audience you feel your talents deserve
- Get ready, learn, be prepared for the next show
- Perspire, transmit with every action what you have learned, what matters to you (Values) and what you are able to do
- Don’t rush. Be confident. Be wary
- Go on, even more when you feel the stinch of fear
- Build that space where people will feel free to share, express their concerns
Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients and follow the instructions over and over again. Do not skip any step. The product is awesome, you will have built your community, where people will be eager to progress, move one step away from their comfort zone.
It is a slightly different formula for The Boss, but it works the same way. There is a special bond between him and some of the cities he visits. Able to create a special atmosphere at his concerts, where the public is part of a unique event.
Believe, work hard and you put your soul in what you do. You will succeed, eventually.