Doesn't play well with others.

I’ve never been great at asking for help.

I’ve always felt like I need to do everything myself - to prove that I can. To prove that I don’t need help. To prove that I have the skills, the vision, the ability to pull off something amazing on my own.

Being a jack of all trades has always felt important to me - like a core part of my creative identity. I’ve built my work around the idea that I can turn my hand to anything, figure things out as I go, and make it work.

But lately, I’ve been wondering - maybe I don’t have to. In fact, maybe things turn out better when I say “Hey, let’s work together on this.”

I’ve started taking on more projects where I have to bring in other people - not because I want to, but because I need to. The expectations are higher, the skill sets required are broader or at a level that I can’t deliver alone.

For example, illustration and animation. I can dabble, but I’m not at the level I need to be for some projects. So I’ve started working with other people who bring these skills.

And I won’t lie - giving up creative control feels strange.

But the truth is, sometimes the best thing you can do for a project is admit you can’t (and shouldn’t) do everything yourself.

So I’m really, really trying to reframe this. Instead of ‘losing control’, I’m bringing someone in to add more value to the project - to make it something I never could have created alone.

I run a night called Digital Storytelling at my co-work space The Skiff. The idea is simple - I set a story, and we have two hours to create something digital: a game, an animation, an interactive piece. Some people work alone, others collaborate (read more about this night here).

At first, I chose to work alone. Not because I was against collaboration, but because it felt natural - I like doing things myself.

But watching the other teams, I felt like I was missing something.

So I decided to buddy up with my friend and designer/illustrator extraordinaire Jo Harrison.

We made a zine - assets made with phone cameras, content written by Chat GPT, designed in Procreate and printed on the standard office printer. It was lo-fi, bonkers, rough around the edges, and so much fun. (Wanna see? Download a printable version here of CRSR, our Alice in Wonderland inspired zine.)

But it also made me realise something: Collaboration isn’t just about supplementing your own skills with someone else’s. It’s about multiplying creative energy.

It’s about bouncing ideas off someone else, watching them add something you never would have thought of. It’s about trusting that even if things don’t go exactly how you imagined, they might go somewhere even better.

Here’s the thing - I’m still bad at pushing for my own ideas and blending those with the rest of the team.

When I collaborate, I find myself caving too soon, or pushing too hard.

And at times, that’s fine. But sometimes, I look back and think, I should have pushed harder or shut up - because who knows where it would have ended up?

So that’s what I’m working on next - figuring out when to hold my ground, and when to let go.

I know collaboration is a skill, so I’m figuring out ways to make it easier and more enjoyable for myself. Here’s what I’m trying:

• Being clear on my own role. What do I bring to the table? What am I responsible for? Who has the final say on different elements?

• Setting boundaries early. What’s non-negotiable for me? What am I happy to let go of?

• Pushing for my ideas - but not at the expense of the project. If I think something is important, I need to back myself and fight for it. But I also need to trust that other people’s perspectives might make it stronger.

• Letting my collaborator surprise me. The best part of collaboration is when someone brings in something unexpected. That’s the whole point.

• Making sure it’s fun. I want to enjoy the process, not just the outcome.

I’m still figuring all this out. I’m still getting used to handing over creative control. I’m still working on pushing for my ideas when they matter.

But I’m starting to see that collaboration isn’t about losing control - it’s about creating something bigger than I could ever make alone.

So if you’re like me - if you’ve always felt like you have to do everything yourself - maybe it’s time to let go a little.

You might just create something better than you ever imagined.