If You Don't Treat Your Art Like a Business...
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If You Don't Treat Your Art Like a Business...
...then you're underselling yourself
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The hardest thing for an artist is often to look at themselves as a business person.
They don’t want to distract themselves from their creativity and vision… and they certainly don’t want to move out of their “lane” or “zone of genius” working on the non-creative components.
And it makes sense… until you realize that YOU, in it of itself, are a business, and building anything of value (i.e. You) will require you to manage it (You) to its (Your) fullest potential.
Why being doing systems, finances, hiring, operations, marketing and selling when you can simply just focus on the “art,” right?
The fact is, if you want to see your art thrive in this world… if you want to see the impact from all that you create, then you’re going to have to embrace the process of all the other things.
That is art.
Art is the journey. Art is the process.
And if we don’t respect it, it may never have the kind of impact this world deserves.
If you’re not treating your art like a business, then you’re underselling yourself…
We can, and should, make our wealth from our gifts… not because the goal is money, but because the goal is the process and everything good that comes with mastering it (our trade, gifts, talents… our art).
In this letter, I’d like to focus on 3 key points for you to think about:
Managing your “art” doesn’t take away your creativity, it expands it.
Underselling isn’t an option when our uniqueness is rare.
Running yourself like a business is a sure way to see your greatest returns
Let’s dive deeper into each of these. 👇🏼
Managing Your “Art” Doesn’t Take Away Your Creativity, It Expands It
There are three things I want you to consider here.
First, there’s more creativity to be found when you build systems and processes around your work.
Being creative is not only reserved to the actual “art” or “creation” that is birthed, but it’s used throughout the entire lifecycle of steps that take what you create, in order to market it to the world, earn a living from it and expand so more can take benefit from your value.
Systems, finances, hiring, operations, marketing and selling only seem “unsexy” until you realize that your creativity is embedded in ALL of it:
Constructing the systems to which your creative world thrives and the customers / clients receive your value.
Understanding how to use the finances that fund your supplies, inventions or expansions.
Delegating the right work to the right person or people so you can focus more on the core of the “art.”
Finding ways to display (marketing) your work to the world so they know they can purchase it (sales).
Second, in relation to the above, when we embed our creativity into all other processes, we actually expand our creativity… we’re having to go beyond the canvas in front of us and practice it in all areas of our business… and our life. This forces expansion.
Creativity is everywhere… and embedding it further into all the other “things” actually makes your value go up.
Third, if we respect our “art” then mastering it is the only option we have. In order to master it, we must water the details that make it thrive. The details, while sometimes mundane, are where we grow and some of our next ideas come from.
You’re uniqueness is rare, run it like a business.👇🏼
Underselling Isn’t An Option When Our Uniqueness is Rare
When you do something from talent, gifts, soul or a calling, you’re bringing something to this world that is innately you. That makes you rare… and rare cannot be undersold.
Sometimes creative people get so caught up in the creativity that they think selling means “selling out.”
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Selling your work, which increases demand in the marketplace (world), creates revenue, which gets reinvested into creating more of your work, thus repeating the cycle upwards.
When you “sell” your work, it exists in the hands of others, which creates ownership… ownership creates value… real estate is no different than your authored books, client’s websites, your paintings, your productized knowledge, your trainings… these are all assets and assets have value upon consumption.
More consumption = value goes up
When value goes up, you cannot undersell yourself.👇🏼
Running Yourself Like a Business is a Sure Way to See Your Greatest Returns
If you don’t understand what you’re doing with your time, energy and money, you will not be able to sustain your art or your life.
If I were to remove the word “business” and replace it with discipline, you’d see that everything good is a discipline and where your greatest returns come from.
I even did a podcast on it, Everything Good is a Discipline, Including Love (Apple, Spotify)
Let me give you an example.
If I create just to create, I may enjoy the time, but I may also lose it from being able to do it again depending on finances.
If I create and want to see it thrive, I use time wisely, adding in marketing (energy) and sales (money).
Returns don’t always look like money. Often it’s in various forms such as more art, more time, more creativity, more health, more peace… just more.
We are in the business of life. You are the CEO and it’s your responsibility to not only manage it, but make it thrive.
TL;DR
The hardest thing for an artist is often to look at themselves as a business person, until you realize YOU are the business.
We can, and should, make our wealth from our gifts… not because the goal is money, but because the goal is the process and everything good that comes with mastering our trade, gifts, talents… our art
Managing your “art” doesn’t take away your creativity, it expands it
Systems, finances, hiring, operations, marketing and selling only seem “unsexy” until you realize that your creativity is embedded in ALL of it
Underselling isn’t an option when our uniqueness is rare
Selling your work, which increases demand in the marketplace (world), creates revenue, which gets reinvested into creating more of your work, thus repeating the cycle upwards
If you don’t understand what you’re doing with your time, energy and money, you will not be able to sustain your art or your life.
If I were to remove the word “business” and replace it with discipline, you’d see that everything good is a discipline and where your greatest returns come from
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
My close, amazing friend Nadeem Al-Hasan and I recently launched a community for Creators & Entrepreneurs called Build 1 Thing in efforts to:
Help you avoid burnout… mentally, physically, emotionally and financially
Help you master the business side of your trade using the digital economy
Help you connect with other creatives and entrepreneurs from around the world
It’s completely FREE to join unless you want to be a part of our learning cohorts and have us build WITH you.
Read this week’s Simplify, Multiply, Diversify below…👇🏼
SIMPLIFY…
You are the business. Learn to run yourself or others will extract your value.
Translation:
Either you reap the rewards from managing YOU or others will do it for you.
When you realize you’re the business, you’ll make decisions differently thereby creating your life instead of having it be run for you.
MULTIPLY…
When you do something from talent, gifts, soul or a calling, you’re bringing something to this world that is innately you. That makes you rare… and rare cannot be undersold
Rare is valuable. Just as you treat valuable items you own, yourself deserves the same respect.
DIVERSIFY…
Creativity expanded across various business activities only enhances your opportunities, not contracts them. More opportunities equals more abundance.
🧠 Whenever you’re ready, there are 4 ways I can help you:
1. → Crafting Your Message LIVE Workshop (Register FREE) - Dec 8, 2022 at 11am MST -
2. → Build 1 Thing Community - Live workshops, tools, resources, how-to’s, networking in your city and more to build EVERYTHING on the Internet… especially you. Free to join ➠ HERE (Over 50+ entrepreneurs, creators & 1-4 person businesses)
3. → Free Weekly Texts for the Soul that promote personal growth / fulfillment, health, wealth, happiness and keeping out all the noise (300+ members)
4. → 1:1 Digital Consulting to implement systems? Book 90-min ➠ HERE
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New Podcast Episode ➠ Worrying is Worshipping Your Problem, Prayer is Surrendering It (Apple, Spotify)
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If You Don't Treat Your Art Like a Business...
MATT!! This letter is so potent! This is such a powerful message. I can really relate, when I first started my business I was GROSSLY undervaluing myself. I did not treat myself or even my business like a business. Honestly it felt more like a nonprofit or charity at that time. 😆
What shifted for me was that one of my clients was actually a business coach and I didn’t even know!!! One day after a session she asked me if I’d be interested in hearing about her work. She told me that she saw so much potential in me & my business. I said yes to working with her even though it was scary as fuck and the largest investment I would into myself & business at that time which was just near the end of 2020. Since then I have invested $10,000 and I didn’t have this money sitting in the bank. I earned it as i went by shifting everything in my business and actually implementing what I was learning.
Every conversation, every interaction is integral in building my business because I am my business.