Season 4 – epiBLOG 16:

This is a phrase or term that I use daily. In my thoughts. In my blog posts. Even in my social media posts.

So… what do I mean by “entrepreneurial artist?”

Today’s topic is on defining what an entrepreneurial artist is and how you can naturally integrate this blog into your weekly agenda in order to expand your career as a working, or “entrepreneurial,” artist.

First of all, there is a BIG different between an “artist” and an “entrepreneurial artist.”

An artist usually (not always) lacks the confidence to make their artistic passions their career. They fall into the pattern of thinking that they have to have a day job while they create their art “whenever they get around to it.” That sounds like a creative way to live. Right? Fun.

This is not to say that you don’t need a day job while you’re pursuing your artistic goals. Sometimes you do. I’m just saying not to create the mindset that you HAVE to have a day job while you continue to NOT put any significant energy into your art. Nothing will change about your life. You’ll continue to use the excuses that you either don’t have enough time or don’t have enough money to focus on your art.

An “artist” tends to create their art as a hobby. It’s just for themselves or for a few select people they are willing to show it to who will not criticize their work. There’s nothing wrong with creating your art for yourself, family, and a few friends. However, chances are, if that’s all you’re willing to do, you are more than likely not trying to make a living doing it.

An entrepreneur is defined as a “person who organizes and manages enterprise, especially business, usually with considerable initiative and risk,” according to Dictionary.com

If you’re a working (“entrepreneurial”) artist pursuing this part-time or full-time, are you not organizing and managing your art and/or services that you provide to others? Spending time on networking. Marketing yourself in person at events. Marketing yourself on social media. Simply reaching out to others outside of your social circle in order to let them know about WHO you are and WHAT you do. That’s part of organizing and managing your art. Only a part. I’m fully aware that there is more to your business than just those tasks.

Do you not take initiative by continuously creating your own art for yourself while balancing your time for creating your art for your clients? Be it writing a song. Writing a script. Creating a new recipe. Designing a new clothing line. Designing the environment for a game you’re helping to create.

All of those actions take initiative… and risk.

You risk failure. Rejections. Criticism. Oftentimes we all experience all three of those things and then some, but we move forward anyway – just like any entrepreneur with an endeavor that they believe in.

And what is “artist” defined as? Dictonary.com has seven different definitions for what an artist actually is. Why? Because we are hard to define.

Its first entry states that it’s “a person who produces work in any of the arts that are primarily subject to aesthetic criteria…”

Of course, this definition alone slightly diminishes the art of music, as “aesthetic” focuses on the significance of art that can be seen. I’m sure Stevie Wonder believes that he’s an artist. And I know Ray Charles believed he was one before he passed away.

Again, artists are hard to define.

Entrepreneurial artists are creators. We create clothing lines, paintings, songs – instrumental and with lyrics, books, screenplays, short stories, articles, blogs, podcasts, poetry for greeting cards, video games, menus at five-star restaurants, we design houses, we create sculptures, television shows, movies, plays, choreography, graphic design… the list goes on…

An entrepreneurial artist organizes and manages the business in which they create their art.

HOW TO USE THIS BLOG TO EXPAND YOUR CAREER:

Read it consistently in order to remain current on advice that can apply to you TODAY. I do my best to write about topics that I feel would benefit others to help move their career forward. My advice comes from personal experience and/or the experience of other established artists whom I’ve interviewed. There isn’t any content provided that hasn’t been proven effective in another person’s life. I was not always a full-time writer like I am now. When I first started this blog, I was still a working writer (mostly screenwriting/filmmaker), while I managed my career as a professor teaching screenwriting. A big part of what I believe in is practicing what I preach. I refused to tell my students to go into the world and do things that I wasn’t willing to do myself. So I continued to work as a screenwriter/filmmaker while I was teaching at the college level. That’s the same attitude that I bring to the content within this blog. I must practice what I preach.

Read the interviews within the Professional and Successful Artists Series. This will give you a different point of view from a variety of artists on how they handle obstacles, life, and their careers. All artists must be full-time in their careers to be eligible to be interviewed so that they can provide authentic content to my readers and subscribers. This is important to me. I don’t want phony people filling you guys up with bulls%$t advice that doesn’t work. I want you to be successful. One of the ways that people are successful is that they listen to the advice from successful people.

Pay close attention to the “how-to” blog posts and apply them to your career. I actually provide specific information on how you can carry out certain tasks so that a particular area in your life/career can be more manageable, effective, and/or productive for you. Some of the advice will resonate with you, some won’t. I’m simply inviting you to apply my suggestions. See how they can work in your favor. Perhaps this will “unstick” an area in your career that you’ve felt stuck in for quite some time.

Complete the “Lessons” at the bottom of the blog posts. These lessons are not just “busy-work” or assignments so that you can add something else to your to-do list for the day. Rather, I want you to apply the lessons to what you’re looking to accomplish within your career so that you can expand and grow as an entrepreneurial artist.

Leave comments for me so that I know the content is working for you or not. I want to be able to get feedback on what you’re looking for out of the content that you’re already receiving or if you’re feeling like you want content on other topics that aren’t even being covered. I want to hear from you and provide you information that you’re seeking.

Today’s LESSON is to distinguish between who you are (entrepreneurial artist or artistic hobbyist) and to pull on resources that help to support what you want.

FUN ASSIGNMENT: Read through all of the old blog posts that you’ve missed.

Resource: Dictionary.com

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