Why hire an artist?

Having been a painter for almost 20 of my peak earning years (oops), I know a thing or two about being an artist. And having just put a pause on a subsequent 24-year run in corporate life, I know even more about what it’s like to be an artist transplanted into the corporate world. I’ve got some people to thank for that, specifically Tara Veysey , Sherry Dondo , and Katherine Magee who remain friends a quarter century removed from that transition. I know there was a bit of concern from all three about how someone who’d spent all his days alone in a studio was going to survive, never mind thrive, as a company man. But they gave me a shot and I’m forever grateful they did.

As it turned out, I DID thrive. The reason for that was something no one expected, though in retrospect, I probably should have: it was the people. It sounds trite, but it’s true. I think those outside corporate life have this misplaced idea that corporate types are all just that – a singular type. I know I did. Once I got on the inside though, my perspective changed. As you might expect, people viewed me with curiosity because of my backstory, but I looked at them the same way. They all had unusual backstories, too, if you cared to look beyond the surface – the degrees and experience – to listen to what they had to say about the world and especially about themselves. For someone who was clearly starved for company and socialization, everyone was fascinating. That fascination has never wavered throughout my working life.

That was only part of the reason why I was able thrive in corporate life. The other was that the skills I had, skills developed through my experience as an artist, were highly useful in the corporate setting. I’m not talking about my painting skills. That part was just the output. The real value an artist – any artist – can bring to a company is the one highly developed skill all artists possess, because it’s all we do: solving problems. For all its aesthetic qualities, at its core a good painting represents a problem solved. Same goes for a short story. Or a piece of music. All require different skills to generate their respective outputs, but the making of any piece of art is always an exercise in complex problem solving.

So how exactly does the problem-solving process applied in the making of a piece of art find relevancy in the corporate workplace? Well, if you think about what you’re asked to do in the corporate world, you quickly realize the way artists approach their work is extraordinarily well suited to this ask. Consider these three traits of art and artists that are entirely transferable to corporate needs:

All art has to ‘work’. The big misconception non-artists have about artists is that they are ‘free spirits’ who would feel smothered by the constraints of corporate life. This is nonsense. First off, you don’t need to be an artist to feel smothered by corporate life. Second, art is not some wild exercise in anything goes. It is a process of creating something engaging and compelling. To be effective, it has to work. There is a strong and firm foundation of pragmatism and adherence to parameters and principles in all art – even the most avant garde art. Furthermore, most artists appreciate parameters. A blank canvas sounds fun in theory, but the most creative, innovative solutions often come from having to work within guidelines. Artists have no problem with that.

Art is rooted in process. There is this thing in corporate life that many think so-called ‘creative types’ should excel at: brainstorming. I always found the concept precisely the wrong way to develop innovative solutions. Having a group of people gather in a room to throw s#@$ at the wall almost never works. And it is no way to either engage or make the most of the artistic talent on your team. Making art is typically a solo endeavour that thrives on lack of stimulation – in other words, the opposite of brainstorming. Making art is also highly process driven. It’s never a free-for-all, but rather rooted in a consistent, repeatable approach that accommodates mistakes. That’s where the innovation comes from: the little mistakes that lead you, steadily, often incrementally, down new paths. Artists are also very comfortable in the test and adjust kind of environment that defines how a lot of companies approach innovation, because they understand how to spot and nurture change within a prescribed and pre-determined framework.

Vision drives expression. This last principle is critical. Every artist has a vision about what they want the end product to be. And they re-visit that vision constantly to ensure the work is still moving working towards that goal. You can be assured the artist in your ranks will not be inclined to go off in a direction that has nothing to do with your initial vision. That’s not how we work. But there’s a flip side to this principle that is unfortunately more typical of the corporate world, and that is assigning work driven by neither vision nor strategy. Work with no apparent purpose – or connection to a purpose – is rampant. That’s an approach not only disengaging for artists, but for everyone. Meaningful expression and meaningful work for all of us must be rooted in a broad, compelling, and clearly articulated vision.

As I was thinking through this piece, I came across this post from Cesar Solis about the 16 signs of highly intelligent employees. I was struck by his first point: “They cheat on their job with a side hustle.” This would seem to be addressed specifically to the artists among us. But I never had that side hustle for one very good reason that was completely rooted in my artistic past: total commitment. When recounting my life as an artist, I tell people that I used to fall asleep in front of my paintings and then wake up and immediately start painting again. I brought that same mindset to corporate life, rendering the idea of a side hustle moot. But I get some artists in the corporate workplace are doing their thing after hours. And frankly the whole idea of unwavering commitment to the enterprise feels a bit dated. (Tell me you’re a Boomer without telling me you’re a Boomer.)

If you read the 15 other signs though, more than a couple apply to someone who has plied their trade as an artist: “They create stuff people want” “They focus on outcomes, not KPIs” “They try entrepreneurship at least once” “They’re wildly open to new ideas”. Does this mean all artists will make highly intelligent employees? Not necessarily. But it does mean an artist in your midst will bring a certain type of intelligence to the workplace you can both use and are likely lacking in your enterprise. ?

One final point on that note. While those in your company who have been trained exclusively to excel in your industry fight it out on the corporate ladder, the artists on your team can be consistently counted on to deliver the goods, and the good ideas, without all that competitive drama. Valuing our ideas and our work, and actually paying us for it, is all we’ve ever wanted. ?

Hiring managers, next time you see a resume with a big chunk of time dedicated to making art, don’t gloss over it. And certainly don’t discount it. Dig in. You might find just what you need.