# How to talk about your creative work at a party

Source: https://metalabel.substack.com/p/how-to-talk-about-your-creative-work

## Summary

The article, from the Metalabel newsletter, argues that creative people can make a party introduction more memorable by giving a short, structured context: an establishing statement, specific details, and what is new or unusual about the project. The author describes a failed first conversation at a party, where a bare description of Metalabel as "a new space to release and collective creative work" ended the exchange, and a second conversation with a famous acquaintance, where adding those three elements led to interest and a plan to talk again. The piece also offers sample introductions for a documentary filmmaker, a painter and a designer, and it closes with a newsletter featuring the artist Rui Nakamura's CROQUIS art book, priced at $25 in an edition of 20.

## Article

The other night I was at a fancy party feeling out of place.

For the first few moments I lurked on the sidelines hoping someone would deem me interesting enough to approach.

After waiting in vain, I struck up a conversation with a woman standing nearby. She quickly revealed an impressive personal and professional background.

“What about you?” she asked. “What do you do?”

This question was easy to answer. A lay-up. But a mix of energy from the party and fear of inadequacy made me blurt out instead.

“I’m a writer and I have a project I’m working on called Metalabel,” I gasped.

“What’s Metalabel?” she asked.

“A new space to release and collective creative work,” I answered too fast.

“Oh, okay,” the woman said, unsure. She kept looking at me, waiting for me to say more.

I felt overwhelmed by an impulse to get away from the conversation. “Well it’s nice to meet you,” I said, waving and wandering off, every atom of awkwardness clinging to my skin. I could feel how poorly that had gone.

Across the room I saw a famous woman who I’ve met a few times before. I walked over and said hello. She greeted me warmly, which made me feel less anxious. She responded to my questions about what she’s been up to, then asked me the same.

“What about you?” she said. “What are you doing these days?”

“I’m working on a project called Metalabel. It’s a new space for releasing and collecting creative work.”

Her eyes lifted in interest. I felt encouraged to continue.

“It’s a curated space where you can release work on your own or with other people. So far people are using it to sell zines, art, music — I even released an essay as a limited edition zip file. On every release you can automatically split the earnings between collaborators too.”

She responded that this sounded cool and like something she would use. We agreed to talk again.

Two conversations two minutes apart with night and day different outcomes. Largely based on context. The context of feeling more at-ease in one conversation versus the other, and the difference in context I provided when answering their questions.

In the first conversation I blurted out basic information without suggesting why it should matter. I provided facts but no feelings or bigger picture. The second conversation went differently because I shared context for why she should care.

I realized later that I provided this context in a structure that’s repeatable too. Let’s rewind the tape:

“Metalabel is a new space for releasing and collective creative work.”

First I offered an establishing statement. This first statement creates a frame of reference — ”new space,” “releasing,” “creative work” all place us in a certain zone. Like an establishing shot in a movie that sets the scene.

“We’ve made a curated space where you can release work on your own or with other people. So far people are using it to sell zines, art, and music.”

Next I shared specific details that gave a more practical shape to the first statement. The picture becomes more clear.

“I even released an essay as a limited edition zip file. On every release you can automatically split earnings between collaborators too.”

This closed with me sharing what’s new or unusual about it. I left a final impression of how this project is different or new from what they might know or expect.

When you bring these pieces together, you offer the right amount of context. The right amount of context is important. Too little and people won’t pay attention. Too much and people tune us out and walk away.

Establishing Statement + Specific Details + What’s Novel = Your Context

Here’s a few examples of how this model might work for someone wanting to introduce themselves at a party:

"I’m a documentary filmmaker. I tell people’s stories using footage I find and a visual storytelling style I developed. My most recent movie played at the Toronto Film Festival.”

“I’m a painter. I make abstract oils on enormous canvases. The last painting I made was 30 feet across.”

“I’m a designer. I make websites that are kind of like art, but also have early internet vibes. I just finished a project where I collaborated with thirty other people to build something.”

Behind each of these hypothetical people is a bigger, richer story waiting to be discovered in conversation. Simple but intriguing introductions like these can create the space to find them.

If you try using this model to describe a current or previous project, how does it feel? Does it roll more easily off the tongue? We’re down to be your sounding board. Respond to this message with your project expressed in this format. We’d love to hear more about it.

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Rui Nakamura is an artist and illustrator in Nagano, Japan. He makes charming and simple line drawings of everyday objects and strange characters in a unique and unforgettable style. CROQUIS is a new, limited-run art-book that collects Rui’s drawings into a cozy package.

“I like simple and pure drawings, such as those on a postcard or on the edge of a letter,” Rui says. “The drawings in this book are casual, fun drawings with no particular meaning. Sometimes I draw what I see in front of me, and sometimes I draw a scene from a movie.”

“As someone who often gives meaning and thought to many things, it is important for me to spend my painting time in a purely enjoyable way. I hope you will feel free to enjoy this book.”

Collect one of just 20 editions. ($25)

Collect "Croquis"

A few tools and invitations to explore this summer week:

As a side hobby we collect well-designed index pages. This one from our friends at Pioneer Works is great (and has so much great stuff).

This on how to build an archive (complete with Notion templates) is excellent

A well-done Distribution Playbook for indie films from the team at Seed & Spark

We love The Tiny Awards and the weird, small internet they celebrate (also proud to be a guest judge this year)

Our own Promotional Principles for Creative People by Creative People (work in progress)

We’re hosting a Promotional Principles for Creative People workshop in collaboration with Creative Mornings on August 1st

Join our squad as a Senior Front-End Developer, a full-time Community Relations expert, or as a part-time Creator Liaison

Have a great one, y’all,

<3 Metalabel

## Comments

**timdaub.eth**: Lol this hits home more than expected. 

I actually know for myself that what I do is pretty cool and I feel like if people would understand it in its entirety, then they could also see it as cool, but when I introduce myself to normies, I actually go in with the most common denominator answer possible „I run a tech news website.“ If they then ask me more specific questions I quickly start feeling awkward, especially when they ask me about „what kind of news?“ etc.

I‘ve said this in other places too, but I find it so awkward nowadays to stand by crypto with all the scammers in the space, so that I avoid associating with the field altogether. If someone gets to know me better, salami tactic style, I will, more and more, admit what I do and what my position is. But no fucking way Am I introducing myself with „I work in crypto“ straight away. It‘s social harakiri. The odds of doing that are that the opposite thinks with a 50% chance that I‘m some sort of lying sociopath who‘s scamming people online.

I said this in the TG too, but this is why I learned to hate degen culture. Not only does it free ride on the good faith of technically sophisticated projects, it also fucks with all of our real world reputation. Not good.

**macbudkowski.eth**: I agree with the author that adding context to the thing you do is important, and his second pitch is better. But I still would have no idea what Metalabel is.

“Metalabel is a new space for releasing and collective creative work.”

What kind of space? Is it a website or a physical gallery?

“We’ve made a curated space where you can release work on your own or with other people." 

What does curated mean? Who is the curator - your employees or the community? 

"So far people are using it to sell zines, art, and music.”

So is it an indie project or something big?

“I even released an essay as a limited edition zip file. On every release you can automatically split earnings between collaborators too.”

Not sure if normies still know what's the zip file. Plus the file format is irrelevant here.

This is how I would describe it:

"Metalabel is an app where people can share their digital creative work and let people collect it, just like they collect vinyl records, old books or paintings"

"Our editors pick the best art, music, and zines, and their authors make money by selling limited editions of their work. So far they made over $1M." 

"I even released my essay there, and some people collected my work. The cool thing is that if you do a collab with other artists, you can automatically split earnings. So if we recorded a song together at this party, the money would flow to us, 50/50"

(not sure if I'm right about the editors and revenue but it's just for illustrative purposes, plus I spent like 2 min on that)