By Julia Piper

News Correspondent

For many artists, a major obstacle on the road to completing a piece of work is not lack of inspiration, but rather a lack of collaboration. The Boston Student Arts Network (BSAN) is a new online resource that helps students connect with fellow artists to collaborate on projects.  The network can be joined at bostonstudentarts.org.

Kelly Soule, who graduated from Northeastern in May, is the person behind BSAN.  The idea to create a network of student artists came to her while she was still in college, studying communications and cinema studies.
“I’d be bribing my friends to be in my films and trying to figure out things on my own,” Soule said, referring to her time as a communications and cinema studies major.
It wasn’t until she graduated that she had time to pursue the idea.  Soule said she wanted to give current and future students what she didn’t have during her time in college – a way to network with other students with shared interests.
BSAN gives film students, actors, makeup artists, photographers, models, composers and many other art majors the opportunity to connect with one another in the pursuit of building their personal portfolios. The site has been active for about seven weeks, but it already has around 50 members. The growing group of students collaborators come from various institutions all over Boston and the surrounding area, including Northeastern, Harvard and BU.
“It’s definitely a growing network right now,” Greg Gustin, a BSAN member who also graduated from Northeastern this year, said.
Soule was the primary creator of the site, but she also credits Jenna Larson, a fellow Northeastern alumna who takes care of the graphic design aspect of the website. BSAN currently operates from Soule’s apartment, but she hopes to expand as the network’s membership grows.
“I think the possibilities are really endless,” Soule said.
BSAN provides students with the opportunity to connect with other students and professionals in creative industries. The site features a public bulletin board with posts on available internships, artistic opportunities, volunteering gigs or other projects they’re looking to collaborate on.
One example of a current posting on the bulletin board offers volunteer experience at the upcoming Boston Fashion Week and another seeks an intern for the Salem Film festival; both postings offer students the chance to network with professionals and build a foundation for future co-op and job opportunities.
“It’s really going to help me get in touch with people I probably never would have been able to get a hold of before,” Gustin said.
He said he recommends the site as a great tool for students who want to collaborate with others who share their interests.
It’s still too early in the school year for any finished collaborations as a result of the site, but Soule said she looks forward to the projects that will come out of connections made through BSAN.  She also hopes to expand beyond just setting up connections and internships.
“I would love to take this as far as it can go,”  Soule said.
Soule said she wants BSAN to organize film festivals, art shows and a battle of the bands.  The group’s first networking event is on October 16, and will offer members a chance to meet face-to-face with one another.
Students can join the network by signing up online, which involves providing a short blurb about their skills and what they want to get out of using BSAN.  Members are then organized so BSAN can contact them for opportunities that match up with their interests.
“I always felt like there should be the universal resource for students [and] not even just in film,” Soule said.