‘Building Each Other Up Allows Our Communities to Build Us Up’: Why Gatekeeping Destroys Our Own Creative Potential
By Lauren Bulla
Someone asks the fateful question: Where did you get that top? What band are you listening to? Where was that cafe you posted about? Aghast with shock, pondering why their admiration of your obscure interests couldn’t be in silence, you find yourself in the midst of a moral dilemma. I remember feeling high and mighty upon my self-constructed pedestal for liking obscure bands in high school. There was this constant, almost painful need to gatekeep details about niche musicians my friends and I liked, all the while posting about the 8-hour queues we’d endure to get front row.
Stephanie Weber discusses when gatekeeping and music directly overlap in her article, ‘Why I Loved to Gatekeep’. One of her crowning achievements in high school became her obscure music taste, which she ironically stole from her sister. Later in the article, she expresses that even when bands expanded in popularity, she held steadfast to her search for originality, everywhere. Later, she realised that ‘the façade of trying to be mysterious, and charming [...] with knowledge about niche films and the local music scene is appealing for the first week or so but gets old fast.’ A lot of the time in our quest for individuality, we actually create avenues of isolation.
When I discovered the platform Obscurify, which analyses your Spotify data to reveal how obscure your music taste is, I’d be lying if I pretended my eyes didn’t light up a little when I saw the calculation shoot up to 91%. But my past insecurities ultimately prevented me from navigating the world candidly. When I was a teen, I would’ve been hesitant to share new music and opportunities, as I wasn't quite certain of myself yet. Though I’m still defining what this actually means, I’ll be the first to share anything and everything now. As a result, I’ve had more connections and creative avenues open than I can count.
Though I agree that gatekeeping, or what I’d prefer to define in some contexts as ‘protecting your peace’ has its merit, these roads usually lead back to insecurity. Do keep in mind that there are many creative opportunities that limit engagement for purposes of accessibility or representation. In these cases, there are nuances worth considering.
The creative industries can be very unforgiving, so it makes sense that both veteran creatives and newbies may be apt to hold onto opportunities. D Watkins addresses this in his article, ‘Don’t Fear the Gatekeeper or Become One Yourself’. He expresses that, ‘the art world can be as dirty as a gas station bathroom [...] it has cutthroat sides, and at times it can seem impossible to break into.’ Though this is a facet of creative industries, it is not the only one. We cannot let this uninspired, nay, boring, reality prevent potential expansion.
Over the years, I’ve participated in many creative communities. I’ve found that the energy you put out comes back in your direction, one way or another. This may seem counterintuitive as you’d assume that the more people aware of an opportunity, the lower your chance of obtaining it. Instead, consider that you are first to uncover an open call, application, or opportunity and rather than silently applying, you share widely. This community-oriented action will create avenues for new and alternative opportunities, and others will start to share with you when similar options appear in their circles.
Think about it this way – if you find an opportunity and apply, great. You’ve increased your chance of getting that gig, but that’s the end of it. Now, imagine you also take that opportunity and share it with any relevant circles who could find it useful, and they share it with their circles etc. Of course, there will be plenty of people you send such things to that don’t happen to reciprocate, but even in these cases, the benefit routinely outweighs the negative. Please see the diagram below, which I created to help expand on this:
In the case of waiting for gatekeepers to let you in, our rapidly changing digital landscape in fact creates opportunities to create and share on your own terms. Self-assured first steps are the way we will begin the process of building out our networks. When you take a risk, other people will see that and feel inclined to do so themselves.
Another facet of this conversation is the sheer improbability of appealing to all tastes. In ‘Terence Nance on Getting Past the Gatekeepers’, T. Cole Rachel aims to gather insight on how to navigate some of these spaces. In his world of filmmaking, Nance expressed, ‘art is a conversation,’ meaning that ‘making the feature is starting the conversation in a way that maybe more people will join it.’ Finding it fruitless to interpret human reaction, he explains, ‘we’re so complex [...] that you can’t predict it, and even if you understood that complexity, we mutate.’ In his personal art practice, Nance will act on ‘whatever is yelling the loudest inside [him] and essentially just shit it out’.
As gatekeeping can be quite pervasive, it’s important to understand the ways it presents in creative industries. Specifically, when creatives may face backlash for exploring unconventional styles, subjects or ideas that go against traditional norms within their medium. Gatekeeping is not only relevant to the way people can access opportunities generally but also to the types of creative styles that receive support or praise.
I cannot tell you how many opportunities have come my way purely because I am always trying to embody this practice. The more we build each other up, the more our communities build us up. Watkins believes it is our responsibility to help our fellow artists. He states: ‘It doesn't matter if the reason [for gatekeeping] stems from insecurity, the fear that there can only be one, or aloofness. Those excuses are equally terrible. There are too many talented and creative people in the world who simply don't have the connections to the industries they are capable of excelling in.’ It’s just good sense to help each other.
When you share with others and help them in the process, soon you’ll find that each brick is being laid not only by you but also by each of the community members you’ve begun sharing space with. In Kyle Bernier’s article ‘Beware of Gatekeepers’, he ends on an important note: ‘when you grow in your creative interest, you too may be standing at the gate – the choice of whether to open it or close it is up to you.’ I argue that it is always far better to open it. Not only are you helping another begin the process of recognising their creative potential, but you are also extending your palms into what will blossom into a robust creative network.
Sources:
Bernier, Kyle. Beware of Gatekeepers. Published in Art Lovers Welcome, Medium.com. 14 May 2022.
https://medium.com/zentangle-art-and-more/beware-of-gatekeepers-93dfcef6e26a
Bhat, Sneha. Our Common Strive for Originality: Why Do We Gatekeep? The Teen Mag. 21 July 2023.
Rachel, T. Cole. Terence Nance on Getting Past the Gatekeepers. The Creative Independent. 27 January 27 2017. https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/terence-nance-on-getting-past-the-gatekeepers/
Watkins, D. Don’t Fear the Gatekeeper or Become One Yourself. Salon. 19 March 2022. https://www.salon.com/2022/03/19/dont-fear-the-gatekeeper-or-become-one-yourself/
Weber, Stephanie. Why I Loved to Gatekeep. Wecb. 11 March 2023. https://www.wecb.fm/milkcrate/2023/3/11/why-i-loved-to-gatekeep
Zalkow, Yuvi. Gatekeepers and Creativity. Writer Unboxed. 14 May 2022.
https://writerunboxed.com/2022/05/14/gatekeepers-and-creativity/