Business Artist Digest July 7, 2023

One of my favorite things to do is help people understand what it means to be an artist. Even the word “artist” itself makes some people feel anxious because they perceive you need to have some kind of extraordinary gifts in music, painting, or writing to label yourself an artist.

That’s not true at all. Anyone can be an artist. But no matter what kind of art you create, we all begin at the same place–by learning to think like an artist. Art is just a function of your mind as it is a function of your hands.

If you want to learn to think like an artist, these three simple questions can help:

1. What is my style?

Your style is about the WHAT. What will you be known for? What will be the words people use to describe you and your work?

2. Why is this my style?

This speaks to your intention, your WHY. Why did you choose this style for this audience or purpose?

3. How will I execute?

Your Execution is about the HOW. What artistic choices will you make? What options do you have access to?

I believe all forms of art can be broken down into these three questions, whether it is writing a book, painting a landscape, designing a building, or everyday business tasks like writing emails or presenting slides to a customer.

The next time you set out to complete a task, ask yourself these three questions. Don’t forget to experiment with different forms of execution to see how it impacts the result.

Here are a few examples to spur your thinking:

-Adam

From the Blog

On this past Fourth of July holiday, I reflected on the courage and bravery it took for English citizens in America to challenge foreign rule, fight back against a monarchy, and start to build the foundation for something new.

As humans, we are wired to crave the new. A new flavor of ice cream, a new season of our favorite TV show, a new shirt, and a new album by our favorite band. We’re constantly on the search for something new, different, and exciting.

The irony is that while we crave novelty in what we consume, we stick to what we know when it comes to what?we?create.

In our work, most of us follow current systems and processes because it’s frustrating to try something new. It requires time and experimentation, not to mention the willingness to get a little lost. You may even have to show proof of concept to your company in order to get permission to move forward.

But if you work at a company that rewards, or at least tolerates creativity and innovation, it can be incredibly fulfilling to change and improve your processes.

READ MORE

Adam Recommends

As you probably know, so many business books–especially academic ones–are just an aggregation of other books and research into a familiar point of view. I wanted?The Business Artist?to be mostly about my own primary research with sellers, leaders, and neuroscientists, as well as my personal observations and analysis of the world.

While I do cite several books, I’ve held off on reading any new books on creativity, artistry, and the like. When I interviewed people for the book, they all had recommendations for other books to read in this space. Perhaps I wanted to protect my own original thought, and so I’ve abstained.

Now that the book draft is complete and we’re going through revisions, my buddy Brian Michaels, a nurse, guitarist, and writer recommended to me Rick Rubin’s new book?The Creative Act: A Way of Being. I love it! Rick started Def Jam Records and has worked with many of the top recording artists of the last few decades. His book is easy to digest given the complex subject material. You’ll learn what art is, why you should create, how to think about the creative process, and what it means to be an artist.

I really resonated with these thoughts from Rick in his book:

Living life as an artist is a practice.

You are either engaging in the practice

Or you’re not.

It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it.

It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.”

You are either living as a monk or you’re not.

We tend to think of the artist’s work as output.

The real work of the artist

Is the way of being in the world.?

Business Artist Spotlight

I normally pick a living business artist for this section. But since we are talking about perception and what it means to be an artist, I wanted to showcase Andy Warhol.

He said, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art.” He recognized there is artistry involved in doing business well. It’s not just about numbers and profit, but also about creativity, connection, and individual expression.

One of my first bosses and mentors, Peter Benassi, comes to mind. He just had a feeling in sales meetings, made deliberate creative choices, and made sure every voice was heard, never following the same formula or approach.

I’m grateful for all the Business Artists I’ve known personally in my life, in addition to luminaries and leaders like Andy Warhol.

This Week's Thought

The Beatles are known as one of the greatest bands of all time. But not only did they make great music–they were also great philosophers.

John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.” I resonate with this so much because I have high aspirations in life. I want to run a great business, make an impact with my upcoming book, serve others with this newsletter and my blog, and so much more.

When you’re wired to be an artist, it’s easy to get so consumed by your plans that you forget about the life happening around you every day. Life doesn’t just consist of the big accomplishments that happen “out there” somewhere … it’s also the minutes and hours that make up each day.

After all … our lives are ultimately made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, decades, etc. Your life is but a series of moments strung together over a long period of time.

So today as you’re making big plans and working toward major goals, stop and appreciate each moment. Today is a gift, and each moment is in itself a creative act.