About 15 years ago I realized something…
I loved doing business with artists. Gary, my favorite barber, was an artist with hair.
My favorite landscaper was an artist. My lawn was flawless like Dua Lipa’s hair at the Grammys. My next several landscapers sucked.
Well, they didn’t suck. They just weren’t artists.
Entrepreneurs are the same way. I vibe with the creative ones a little differently. John Carlton is one of my favorite copywriters. I recently learned he draws. One of my favorite marketers is Ben Settle. He’s into writing and comic books.
When I say “artists” I’m not taking about people who can draw or paint. I’m talking about people like you and me who are creative draftsmen who approach what we do like an art form.
We’re not entrepreneurs. We’re artistic entrepreneurs.
My Shifu Perry Marshall (with Megan Madedo’s help) broke it down like this:
The traditional business paradigm rules:
- The thing that counts is the work you can get paid for.
- Your number one job is to serve the market and build the business.
- The guiding question is “What will generate a profit?”
But the artist paradigm says:
- The thing that counts is your real work, your art, the work you care deeply about that only you can do.
- Your number one job is to serve the work and build a body of work you can be proud of.
- The guiding question is not “What will generate a profit?” The guiding question is “What’s worth doing even if it fails?”.
That’s why so much “marketing training” out there sucks for us. Tons of traditional business paradigm people out there shrieking about marketing plans. Your USP and all that hardcore business paradigm stuff.
That information is ok. Even helpful but it doesn’t ‘feel right’ to us. It’s like that cause it’s NOT us. Especially in the beginning.
If I lost it all tomorrow and you saw me driving an Uber. I’d know everything I’ve done since I left my old job mattered! You would too!
There’s nothing wrong with traditional business paradigm advice. It has it’s place. It’s just not the first place we go because it’s not who we are.
We’re artists, baby!
Adam