What pitching in an ice hole & living from your art have in common
I dedicated the past 3 years of my life to helping out independent artists through different means. I started Book a Street Artist & PANTA Magazine with the mission to empower indie artists and make them more visible. Many times I have had my doubts whether this is gonna work or not. I guess it is normal as an entrepreneur to occasionally have doubts. However, it was only until I jumped into an ice hole in Finland that I fully understood the importance of what we do as a company. Finland & the ice hole were a refreshing moment for my career and my startup. Literally!
The experience in Oulu made me realize that people recognize the fact that I went an extra mile, and that the passion I have for what I am doing makes me get out of my comfort zone. But there is one thought that keeps spinning in my head: it is the artists I work with that are actually jumping into dark and cold ice holes whenever they work on a new song, series of paintings, or conceptualizing a new show. They do not know how the result will be, but they do it anyway. They take the risk because they are passionate about it and they believe in it. They get out of their comfort zone and experience something new. They teach us, business people, that many times it is worth more to try out new stuff and defy the status quo.
When we look at a painting, many times we give it a simple thumbs up or thumbs down based on our first impression whether we like it or not. Same with a new song we hear or a show we see - where is the appreciation for the hard work behind the artistic creation? The many jumps into ice holes that have led to the ultimate result that we can see, hear, touch or feel? In my opinion, this appreciation has yet to be stronger.
More appreciation for artists
I love the fact that the ice hole experience has not only pushed me on a personal level, it has also inspired me once again for our mission and our daily activities at Book a Street Artist.
Today, I am more confident than ever that what really gets us going at Book a Street Artist is not the pure short-term transactional goal of closing bookings, but the long-term vision of empowering artistic talent and making it universally accessible.
More photos of brave entrepreneurs that decided to jump into the ice hole here
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