#2. Why I Hate Networking

As I re-establish my work in a new country, I am forced to face my greatest fear... networking. There is something about it that has never felt comfortable and always a little too self-serving. But how else do you get up and running, when you don't know anyone?

Sunset over St Ouens Bay in Jersey a few nights ago taken with my iPhone © Thom Pierce 2026

We have been in the UK (and Jersey) for a few weeks now, decompressing from the whole "packing up our lives, getting married and moving to a new country" debacle.

I am currently working my way through the large variety of alcohol free beers that are on offer, searching for the perfect sun-downer. I like a pretty standard lager; not too hoppy, not too malty, not too tangy. Just a boring old lager. So far the Stella and Staropramen have rated highly, along with Peroni and Corona which were available in South Africa. But the winner right now is Estrella Damm.

Whilst conducting this important research, I am also starting to think about how to lay the groundwork for new collaborations and working relationships in the UK.

Do you have positive experiences of networking? Let me know in the comments below.

Beyond The Start Line

When I talk to people about life as a creative freelancer, I always talk about getting to the start line. That is the place where all the necessary foundations are in order; the portfolio, website and social touch-points are aligned and you are ready to take the leap into the dreaded rat-race of networking.

For some reason that I still cannot really fathom, I am terrified of networking. It is my achilles heal, my kryptonite, my worst nightmare. It sends me into a tailspin of procrastination where I search for any possible reason to completely redesign my website or move to a different country.

I have total confidence in my work. I know I have a good portfolio and I have the publications, exhibitions and awards to back it up. Over the years I have become very comfortable talking about my work, receiving both praise and criticism; and with fielding questions at exhibitions and presentations.

None of this bothers me.

I've reflected on this a lot and I still don't understand it. Is it fear of failure? A fear of success? Imposter syndrome? or just my ego telling me that I should just be effortlessly discovered? 

There certainly is a deep-rooted feeling that marketing is the antithesis of creativity (not true I know), and that artistry is undermined by the feet-on-the-ground slog of making contacts and showing work. 

But through social media, marketing is what creative people are doing all of the time. In fact, in the music industry, live performances were traditionally just marketing for album sales. And in the movie business press tours, awards ceremonies and Comic Con appearances are mostly just ways of selling films.

Intellectually I know that networking is necessary, but I still fiercely resist.

Mr & Mrs Tau from The Price of Gold, a collaboration between me, three non-profit organisations and three public interest law firms.

Networking: Selling Work or Selling Out?

There is a huge difference between telling someone I am a photographer and showing them my work.

If I tell a prospective client/collaborator that I am a photographer then I am added to a virtual pile of hundreds of different potential options. But once they look at my work then I am taken seriously; my foot is in the door.

And that's all networking is really, being a part of the conversation. Building ongoing relationships and staying top of mind for when a reciprocal opportunity arises.

So the goal is to get my work in front of people. Sounds simple, but it feels more complicated than that...

The problem is that selling myself often feels like an imposition or a pushy sales pitch. I hate sending out cold emails, marketing-smart blog posts or making unsolicited phone calls. It feels so desperate and transactional.

It occurred to me that intention matters.

So much of the time it feels like the intention is one-sided; that we are just a statistic in someone else's hustle. Or even worse, their side-hustle! But until I could marry-up my networking with my true intentions, it would always feel a little dirty.

I went into a small, independent sports shop yesterday (Graeme Le Maistre in Jersey) to buy a new pair of running shoes. I have used the same type of running shoes, Brooks Ghosts, for the last 15 years, but I could see from my online research that the prices varied widely between the newer and older styles.

I was so surprised to walk into the shop and see six different versions of the Brooks Ghost running shoe, all at exactly the same price. I asked the shop owner why this was when there was so much difference online, and his reply was simple...

"Because we aren't trying to rip you off, we are just trying to sell you shoes".

I remember walking into this same shop 40 years ago with my dad to buy my first tennis racket and, as I walked around the streets of Jersey yesterday, I recognised numerous other small, independent shops that were still surviving decades later.

This reminded me that not everything has to be about dominating the market, going public and retiring at 40 (that boat has well and truly sailed). Not all businesses have to sell, sell, sell by making their customers feel insufficient, undercutting the competition or fabricating a viral moment.

Sometimes it is okay to just make good work, for people who benefit from it and foster truly reciprocal long-term relationship that make everyones lives better.

Sometimes it's okay to have a long career with depth and meaning, that covers the bills but never grows into a massive, multi-national juggernaut.

And when I think about it like that, networking feels more like finding collaborators than convincing prospects; more like reaching out to like-hearted strangers than a relentless sales pitch.

Reaching Out

It feels really important to contact people with the same intention that I expect from a collaborator, reaching out with generosity and interest. I need something from you, but I also want you to need something from me.

This week I have started to monitor the UK news, looking for stories where my work could be useful, searching for patterns; human-rights, multiple personal accounts, injustice and institutional accountability (or lack thereof).

My plan is to find stories that I want to work on, stories that would truly benefit from my work, and then reach out to the people who are already involved; the researchers, journalists, campaigners and non-profit comms coordinators. To introduce myself and my work, and propose a chat about future collaborations.

The plan is to listen more than I speak. To ask questions and get to understand how they work and what they need.

It's a subtle shift but to reach out in a way that has intention and purpose, rather than a scattergun approach of contacting anyone who could vaguely have anything to do with photography, feels more respectful; focusing on the long-term rather than a one off money grab.

Do you have positive experiences of networking? Let me know in the comments below.

Next Week: The Big Issues (exploring human rights issues in the UK)