Artists and entrepreneurs are arguably opposites; one driven by inspiration while the other – by financial independence.
The real question here is; how can an individual be both simultaneously; an artist and an entrepreneur, in order to pursue their art for a living?
While strong entrepreneurial skills are imperative for the success of today’s artist – in our digital age – there are major struggles the conflict characteristics in people wearing both hats, interchangeably.
Personally, as an artist-entrepreneur, I find this untapped subject to be one of the greatest challenges in my life.
How can an artist-entrepreneurs balance being driven by inspiration (the kind that sets one’s heart on fire) with financial independence – allowing them to live the luxury of being a full-time artist?
Passion Vs Money
Artists are individuals who typically use a medium of art; music, drawing, acting, painting, singing, writing, doodling, etc. to express something within or greater than themselves.
Real art is created by artists for the sole purpose of expression.
Real entrepreneurs start businesses based on unexploited opportunities in the market. These opportunities are then pursued for financial returns. (Yes, there is an art to entrepreneurship – but that’s the exact type of art we’re deliberately not taking into account – selling – because that is exactly contrary to the sole purpose of creating for “expression” – without ulterior motives.
Who are Artist Entrepreneurs?
Artist Entrepreneurs individuals who pursue their ultimate passion and/or purpose in life while making a living out of it. Artist entrepreneurs usually make high trade-offs between creating for the sole purpose of expression, and creating for the purpose of selling.
The Real Struggle..
Artist Entrepreneurs have to balance their artistic senses and desires to ensure that, while they are indeed creating, they are able to find consumers to help pay their bills.
Subsequently, this tradeoff means that they face these two major problems:
Time vs. Money
Creating or making art takes time – sometimes enormous amounts of time.
As a person gets older, time becomes a scarce resource.
**A typical nine to five job pays the bills thus consuming most of one’s time and energy throughout their life.
Artist entrepreneurs have quite frankly rejected this notion of life.
Living a nine to five to end up somewhere in their 50s with little knowledge of why they spent over 70% of their lives working for someone to pay their bills brings them no satisfaction whatsoever. In fact, it causes so much pain for them to fathom that statement, that they’d rather work double the hours – and own their life.
Typically, this problem is not just limited to artist-entrepreneurs; it really is everyone’s problem.
Just think of how many people look forward to the weekend. Every… Single… Week…
You get the point.
Artist Entrepreneurs are rebels who have consciously made it their life mission to escape the system – at their own expense.
The most successful artist entrepreneurs are those who can optimize the time to create art while earning a living from it.
Time vs Money can be an extremely complex phenomenon for great artists who like perfecting their craft…
Ask our good friend Ash, an Egyptian producer who’s amassed over 80 million streams and charted in the Top 50 of many countries including Turkey, Greece.
He’s definitely got a lot to tell you.
Heart vs Logic (Passion vs Economy)
Logic says do whatever makes you happy.
Logic also says: make sure you are financially independent – for freedom.
Heart says follow X passion – see where it takes you.
Heart screams when you aren’t doing something that fulfils it.
Heart will depress if you abandon it for too long.
Artist entrepreneurs get that.
They understand that the most challenging part of turning a passion into a profession can result in losing the pure essence, spontaneity and freedom when “creating” art in order to serve a potential client – to earn money.
The real struggle of being an artist-entrepreneur is balancing heart with logic.
Doing art for art versus doing art for dollars.
The root of entrepreneurship is in understanding and mastering the market’s needs in order to offer a value proposition to customers – one that is worth being compensated for.
In simple terms, entrepreneurs are always filling in gaps and solving existing problems in societies.
The real struggle of being an artist-entrepreneur is maintaining the same burning desire for your art despite being forced at times to put on the hat of an entrepreneur – in order to be compensated for their creations/services.
Perhaps for that very reason, many of the greatest artists remain to have their best work unreleased.
Many do that to deliberately keep something to themselves, for their love of the art they purse extends beyond the financial gain they live off of.
You’ll often hear that artists no longer feel that their art belongs to them once they release it out into the public..
Do you feel the real struggle of being an artist-entrepreneur yet…
Are You an Artist Entrepreneur?
At Empower we’ve decided to make sure artist’s have a platform to ensure they can showcase their deepest form of expression.
We believe pure art heals the mind and soul.
The team urges you to share what you feel comfortable sharing to help YOU too – start the ever so complex journey of becoming an artist-entrepreneur.
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