This book arrived in this morning’s post.
The blurb on the back begins with -
The Creative Entrepreneur is a visual, results-orientated, step-by-step method of business development for creatives from all walks of life who want to turn their passions into viable business opportunities. Whether you are an artist, designer, or small business owner, this book will empower you to renew and nurture you vision with the steps required to take and idea and make it real.
So it says on the back of the book. I have to been honest, those words don’t mean a damn thing to me!
I – JUST – DON’T – GET – IT!
This bit makes a bit more sense to me:
The Creative Entrepreneur offers a dynamic left brain/right brain approach to developing a business focus that evaluates underlying internal issues unique in creative types and show how to practically address them.
I certainly understand the concept of left brain/right brain working together. I have studied psychology, meditation, hypnosis, shamanism, etc. I can understand all/any of them. But ask me to understand business development tools designed to evaluate internal issues and then to practically address them. wtf does that mean in the real world?
The blurb continues…
You’ll gain a combination of powerful business and strategic planning tools and learn how to use them like a pro. Related journal exercises further explore and illuminate each concept in a visual and engaging way that appeals to how creative types think, learn and process information. And this journal becomes a companion and map for your creative business journey.
(I’ve already said wtf? haven’t I?)
Back to the book…
The Creative Entrepreneur is based on workshops designed to meet the challenges creative people have with the the business side of their work. These are the people who experience a kind of mythic divide between their creative work and the necessary evil of business must do’s. This split can create tension and even trauma for the creative soul who is blessed with..…
That is why I bought this book.
It’s based on journalling – hey I’ve been doing that for years, easy stuff!
.
Thing is, I am totally not interested in the subject matter. I have studied mass media, and completed a business development course. I’ve attended workshops in market research, and creating a working Business Plan. I’ve been bored to tears by all of the above, but always finished the workshops/training. While I understand the lessons and theory, I just dont’ put any of it into practice in my life.
I’m sorry if this seems a bit vague. But I’m doing the best I can to explain the learning/theory/education I’ve had just doesn’t mean anything to ME. I cannot connect the tools I’ve learnt with me and my life.
Looking at it from another angle, I’ve successsfully completed all this training, so why don’t I use it? Perhaps it’s just not in sync with the way my mind works. It certainly doesn’t feel relevant to me.
So why did I buy this book from Amazon? Because I know I am wishy washy with the business side of things. Even if I just don’t see it as something relevant, in theory I know I will benefit from business development skills of some sort used to promote my artwork. I also like that the book is sympathitic to creatives.
I’m suddenly motivated to do everything I’ve been procrastinating over. Ironing, hoovering, framing the watercolours that need doing…this all seems like things I really want to do right now.
I’d rather go pick up horse shit, honesty, anything but sit down and actually read this book!
So that is why I’m putting it on my blog. I figure all my readers will now know I’m going to work with this book. This will motivate me to actually try it, if nothing else.
I plan to share my progress through the book with you dear peeps. (can’t believe I’m doing this) I’ll aim for a post per week to let you know how I’m doing with it. That I am doing it, even.
Please nudge me if I don’t produce the goods.
Namaste
Erin
I'm looking forward to seeing how you go on. And if all else fails, outsource the stuff you can't / don't want to do!
Thank you Mike! That's a great idea about outsourcing the stuff I don't want to do.Knowning you're watching this space to see how I'm doing really has given me an a positive jolt of motivation. So thanks again
Oh sweet Erin. I know what you mean by all this stuff.I am going through this right now and recently digging outof an artist block (I hit the wall you were talking about in a previouspost). Now I am pushing myself hard and working on new stuff.Asking myself want I want to do with my art, ways to promote etc.Maybe we should become each others motivators and report into each other once week of what we have accomplished.
Oh Wendy you poor thing! Sending a big hug to you in SF **hugs**.Take the pressure off yourself, love. Just settle back into your art. Don't put pressure on yourself to fly in 10 directions at once ok? Been there myself, often enough.I love idea of working with you – it will be great to support each other.I need to go to work now, will contact you as soon as I can.
I know how you feel, my eyes glaze over at the mention of "business" but I'm sure there is useful info in it for you. Perhaps once you start it it won't be so bad (as with many things we have To Do in life!).
'My eyes glaze over at the mention of business' perfect description for what I experience, thank you Rochelle.Hopefully you will be right, once I get going things very rarely seem as bad as I've expected them to be
After reading your post and the comments made here I am definately in sync with you and your readers…I have figured out there are lots of different departments in a business…my department is "PRODUCTION" (hoping no one takes offence at this description) and I am a whiz at production, I think mainly because producing art is a part of my soul therefore it is easy for me. There is another department to business that I have a real problem with and that is "DISTRIBUTION"…I think of other artist like (just for instance) Thomas Kinkade, who seem to sell everything they produce (in one form or another)…Thomas Kinkade is not the distribution person in his business…if he were he wouldn't have time to produce…do you see my point? What I need is a distributor, not a gallery, or an art show…but a real distributor…one with the business smarts (the smarts that I don't have, no matter how many classes I take) so the question becomes Who? What? Where? and How much? Obviously Thomas Kinkade's distributor is a full partner in his business…I want to find a partner, not an advisor or someone to critique my work… distribution is a full time job and production/creator is a full time job. So until I find my "dream distributor" I will keep creating and whine about not sell as much as I want…:)
Sounds like heaven! I would like a distributor, and How Much immediately springs to mind… Though I do know artists that do both very successfull, check out -www.swarez.co.ukwww.hazeldooney.com