Hey Reader,
There’s an idea a lot of us carry as creatives, often without realising it.
It shapes how we work, how we plan, and how much we think we’re supposed to handle on our own.
It took me longer than I’d like to admit to question it.
Let’s dive in.
The Lonely Artist Story
There’s a story many of us pick up without realising it, that doing things properly means doing them alone.
Days spent shooting solo.
Late nights editing.
Sitting in a café trying to map out the next six months without asking anyone for help.
It’s an appealing idea. It feels disciplined. Like, the only way the end result can really feel earned.
But over time, I’ve found this approach makes the journey heavier than it needs to be.
Not because the work itself is wrong, but because cutting yourself off from collaboration, support, and new perspectives slowly turns the process into something isolating.
And most of the time, that isn’t the intention.
It’s a habit.
Why Going Alone Sometimes Backfires
For a long time, my goal was to be discovered organically through my images.
I had this idealised picture in my head.
A marketing manager for a beautiful hotel is scrolling through Instagram, landing on my work, and thinking, yes, we want Matty.
I genuinely believed that if the work was good enough, it would eventually find the right people and turn into business.
I had no intention of asking for help.
My images were the proof, or at least that’s what I told myself.
Looking back, that wasn’t discipline. It was pride.
I was too stubborn to accept that while strong images might attract attention, most business, opportunity, and growth still comes through connections.
Through people talking, recommending, and opening doors, not just algorithms doing their thing.
That doesn’t mean pursuing a solo path is a fool’s journey.
But refusing help along the way usually is.
Leaning isn't Cutting Corners
One thing I’ve had to reframe is what it actually means to “earn” work.
For a long time, I believed opportunities only counted if they came from strangers discovering me online.
Anything closer to home felt like a shortcut.
But most of the work that’s moved my photography career forward didn’t happen like that.
It came through people who already knew me.
Friends, extended circles, past connections.
Someone recommending me because they trusted how I work, not because an algorithm happened to surface my image.
Those opportunities still count.
And more often than not, they lead somewhere else.
The same pattern shows up outside of work, too.
After a long flight recently, I hurt my back and did what I usually do, tried to deal with it myself.
Eventually, I reached out to an older client I’d helped with their brand launch imagery a while back.
One message later, I had a physio appointment booked.
It felt slightly awkward asking.
But it worked.
And it reminded me that reaching out doesn’t undo the effort you’ve already put in, it just stops you carrying things you don’t need to on your own.
Why Leaning Only Works When You Show Up
What I’ve learnt is that leaning only really works when it’s built on history.
Not a ledger that tracks favours.
Not a constant trade of I help you, you help me.
Just genuine time spent showing up without keeping score.
Helping when it’s inconvenient.
Doing good work even when it doesn’t fully pay off yet.
That’s usually how networks are built.
Most of the opportunities that have mattered to me didn’t come from being exceptional in isolation.
They came from proximity.
From being around.
From people knowing how I work and trusting me enough to recommend or reach out when something came up.
When you’ve moved through your work like that, leaning later doesn’t feel like cheating.
It feels fair.
A Small Action for this Week
If this resonates, try one small shift.
Tell someone what you’re working on.
Let people know you’re available.
Or ask one small question instead of carrying it alone.
You don’t have to do everything by yourself for it to count.
And more often than not, the work becomes lighter and better when you stop trying to.
Catch you next week,
Matty 📷 🚀
