It seems to be a buzz word at the moment ........I hear people saying they did a :'collab'.... I tend to shy away from people using the latest buzz words. But is it just a fancy word for working together? 

In fact, collaboration is so ingrained in the way people work online nowadays. Havent we all been doing it for years.... working together to achieve a common goal?

How well you collaborate or work with others will greatly impact the outcome. It is not just about cross promotion it is about creating something unique from that relationship that you cant create alone.

We have all had a negative experience when working with others however we always do learn something about ourselves and others. For a successful partnership I think you need to be particular who you work with especially if you are small business or work alone.  From my experience I think you  need an initial connection, common values, a spark even.

When I met Artist Emily sparks flew! Emily lives in Ballarat and our world's collided a few years ago... spraying rainbow magic dust everywhere! When I contacted her to do a collaboration she said yes immediately.  Emily finds things like the iridescence hiding within a seashell, the rainbow swirl of an oil stain on the road, or a prismatic reflection cast mysteriously on a wall irresistibly magical, and squirrels away the imagery in her minds eye to later inform her visual works, read more about Emily here  🌈

So what are the benefits of collaborating?
 

Evolve
We dont always have to move forward, we can move side ways. Engaging with you  customers in a different way, giving them another option something that they cant find anywhere else. Working with others also helps us to solve problems, Emily I went back and forth working out how to create this limited edition range, with the aim of making it a Ballarat project and printed in Australia. 

Learn
One of the best things about working collaboratively with people who bring different skill sets and backgrounds to the table.

This means asking for feedback and opinions, sharing knowledge, finding out how your collaborators approach their side of the project, and gaining a insight into a different way of working.

Those that collaborate not only have an opportunity to learn from each other—their mistakes, successes, failures, workflow.

Connecting
Emily and I both work mainly alone..... operating in isolated silos at times, which has its advantages but it can be a little boring and isolating

As connections are made, it is a little boost for ourselves and businesses. Regularly working together with people outside builds our own confidence, well being and satisfaction and very rewarding.

Efficient & Fun
But for many types of projects, collaboration is just more efficient. When the project is complex and demanding, we have to be able to admit to ourselves that we’ll need help. It’ll have to be a group effort. And that’s where collaboration comes in. It helps us divide up a heavy workload, find creative solutions to tough problems, and wrap our heads around the big picture.
An organization that makes collaboration a big part of its culture is bound to normalize this style of working, thereby creating a more efficient and fun business.

When you work together seamlessly they have more impact than a single individual would. ... it allows collaborators to work together towards a defined business goal, increasing the chances of success through a collaborative effort.

We are very excited to bring these limited edition Handkerchiefs to you. 
The fabrics are printed in Melbourne, Australia making them truly Australian made!  These are limited Handkerchiefs and will be available soon, so register to receive notification when they are available. 

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” — George Bernard Shaw