7Building Creative Networks

Fawzooz knew that creativity grows through people, so he set about building his network in software and information security, and in other creative fields. The young man asked him: “Our village is small, so who do we know?” And Uncle Saleh noticed that Fawzooz came back from every trip with friends.

Fawzooz said that a network is the people he trusts and who trust him, not the number of names in his phone.

“A real network is people whose opinion you trust.”

The beginning. Fawzooz joined specialist forums and groups, sharing what he knew and keeping up with what was new in AI and cybersecurity. He shared his projects and ideas there too, and like-minded people gathered round him.

Meeting people. He made a point of attending technical and creative workshops and conferences, where he met experts from many fields, swapped ideas with them, and came away from every gathering with a new insight and a new friend.

A shared project. He took part in the village’s gatherings and arts groups, then brought people together on one project: a game that teaches children how to protect their secrets online, made by illustrators from the village and programmers from faraway lands. Each of them learned from the others.

Looking after the network. Fawzooz didn’t stop at getting to know people; he kept asking after them with a short message or a video call, giving them his opinion and standing by them. One day a big job opportunity came his way, and he passed it to his friend because it suited his friend better. And he said: “Whoever opens doors for people, Allah opens for him doors he does not know.”

The impact. And so Fawzooz’s network became “an orchard of friends, which he waters and which bears fruit”: inspiration, help, and new ideas and projects.