I know I keep insisting that this blog is for both artists and entrepreneurs, but you may be thinking I seem to slant more toward the artists. There are two reasons for that. One, most artists are entrepreneurs as well. At least they are once they start selling their art. Two, most entrepreneurs are artists as well. At least they are if they’ve built their business on a new concept, product or service.
And most artists and entrepreneurs share similar traits. The successful ones are highly creative, somewhat rebellious, opinionated, energetic risk-takers. They understand that failure leads to success and that building relationships matter. They’re not afraid to start out with only pennies in their pockets and too few hours in the day. They are willing to do it all, from loading the dishwasher to loading the truck, from running the numbers to running the errands, from building the systems to building the product.
Artists and entrepreneurs are kinsmen, and we seek each other out. We instinctively see that art and business go hand in hand. We lean on each other for support and encouragement. We are also, for some reason, often mathematically challenged. Not sure why that is.
Many of the entrepreneurs I know, just like most of the artists I know, never earned a business degree. Most were working in jobs that did not fill their hearts or souls when they quit to launch their companies. They took huge leaps of faith, often to the consternation of their families. Nearly all of them think their businesses will hit it big. Some will, some won’t. But life is short, and these people know it.
And even if their businesses fail, they’ll never regret having tried. Why? Because if you are an artist or entrepreneur at heart, you know that it’s better to put your all into a job you love and fail, than it is to sit in your cubicle and wonder.
