artist-entrepreneur: system and processes
the how of making art and money — broken down into a cyclical, ongoing step-by-step process flow.
alright friends, so I had literally sat down to explain this process diagram I drew while at a cafe (to organize my own systems) — and instead, I ended up writing a whole manifesto: the way of the artist entrepreneur.
this process diagram above is the how — that I’ve been working out for myself, obsessively, in my notebooks. it’s the most distilled framework for me to help me guide my energy, think about my gazillion to-dos, and move both my artistic practice + business forwards.
I always believe that process is everything. process is FAR more foundational than output, and money is just a byproduct. but even before process is the mindset and energy we bring to the work. otherwise, if you’re anything like me, you will self-sabatoge any attempts to do business.
if you haven’t already, I recommend reading the philosophy and core guiding question post before reading about the process. but, if you are impatient, like me, then I present to you a short summary, in the form of a dialogue:
Q) what do I have to do to build wealth as an artist?
A) it’s not what you do. it’s the mindset you do it with
Q) what mindset? WTF does that even mean?
A) don’t be just an artist with a side income, or even a business. instead, integrate the two. embrace the mindset of an artist-entrepreneur. commit to using your creative superpowers to give extraordinary value and service to the world.
I think I always knew this answer — it sounds obvious, doesn’t it? but only in these last few weeks did things “click” in my head — like finding the right combination for a safe I’ve been trying to crack for years. the safe is the source of my own material riches; which — is priceless.
in this post, I’ll explain the how.
process 1: creation flow
creation is about the cycles of birth and death of an idea — bringing it from seed to fruition. the initiation & completion.
creation for what purpose?
for a long time, I was trying categorize creation into different buckets, and give myself quotas around them. writing for poetics — versus writing for explaining an idea or process. drawing for pleasure and beauty and personal “decongestion,” vs. drawing a diagram to explain a concept… versus painting a still life of a fruit — versus making an animation??? trying to clearly separate and control the different forms of creation — got overwhelming, fast.
eventually, I realized: writing is writing, no matter what it’s for. drawing is drawing, no matter the purpose.
creation is as much about the process as it is about the end result. so, for me, in this certain phase of integrating art and business — what’s more important than saying “THIS IS MY DRAWING TIME” — is cultivating creative space, and allowing whatever to come out — flow.
creativity is like cooking
your creative output is like using different recipes and different ingredients. if you use soy sauce and ginger, it’ll taste Asian. if you use basil and tomatoes and cheese, it’ll taste italian.
likewise, the creative process can lead you to make a video, an illustration, a website, an essay, a poem, or a podcast. it doesn’t even really matter. in fact, if you try to allocate too stringently — “this is “creative work”” vs. this is “content marketing”" — it’ll kill your inspiration. I’ve been there.
instead of obsessing over recipes + ingredients, focus on improving your cooking skills. if you’re a master cook, you can make anything you want. so, nurture the daily flow. open the creative deluge. focus on creation.
then, one day, if you need to create something for a “purpose” — let that come as easily as creating something for play, and pleasure. let that energy be the same.
how I do this:
every morning, I do two things to open my creative deluge.
deposition flow — I write down a list of inspired urges — what I’m interested in exploring, creating, drawing, thinking about. any inklings of ideas that have notified me of its existence. I wrote it down. this takes me 10-20 minutes.
creation flow — I take one of those ideas, start drawing or writing about it — and see where it takes me. this is like riding a river. I work on it until I get tired. usually, 1-3 hours. that’s it.
this sort of very loose approach to creative practice allows me to do a few things:
extreme presence — everyday, I listen to the ideas that call out for my attnention.
playful spontaneity & experimentation — I give myself the space to explore them without pressure. it feels expansive and fun.
cross-fermentation — as a result, the boundaries between “ART” and “BUSINESS or content” feel blurred. I’m just having fun — and this is when I do my best work.
{side tangent} — if you’re feeling the urge to build a dedicated creative practice, “I want to write more,” or “I want to draw more,” ideally everyday — that’s definitely something you have to make time and space for, and it could be separate from (OR, internested within) this artist-entrepreneur creation flow.
in my days when I was just focusing on art, my daily creative practice used to be:
write every morning (20-60 minutes)
draw every morning (30-60 minutes)
I’m sure I’ll return to that, or integrate it into my flow (very soon) but for now, this multi-dimensional/cross-pollinated format feels more expansive and exciting to me.
process 2: sharing flow
I spent years creating and never sharing — maybe because I was forgetful, disorganized, lazy, or just overwhelmed and moody. maybe because, when I was feeling existential about being an artist, I was also feeling sensitive about public feedback. I didn’t want to allow my art to be affected by other people’s reception to it. I was, perhaps, also afraid of being seen — for fear that I wouldn’t be understood. so I prefered to make art, lots of it, and tell no one.
of course, not sharing = hermit artist, not artist-entrepreneur.
you cannot create flow if you don’t share. you can’t build relationships, provide value, or make money.
separate your creation and sharing flows
your creation process must come before sharing. not just “I made this, check, okay now I can share.” not creation in order to share — which is the mindset that social media platforms put us into; that life or art is not worthy — if it’s not shared. I vehemently disagree.
if you’re overwhelmed by sharing, I’d recommend taking a step back and nurture your creative process, first, your relationship to your own art — as the most relationship there is, before your relationship to your audience, or to public platforms.
focus on your creation flow — before moving on to your sharing flow.
sharing is just a container
the act of sharing is both a process — AND — a container for that creation (in the form of a digital platform/vessel). what are your containers? what will you share?
my suggestion: share everything. the process for sharing art and sharing business is the exact same. the channels are overlapping, if not the exact same.
share your gifts. share your art. share your offerings.
which platforms containers?
here’s my way of thinking about sharing:
your website = your home / your garden
email newsletter = birds that carry your gifts
public platforms (social media, podcast, = pop-up booths & tents, your energy going camping elsewhere
all in all, what I notice is this:
people get way too obsessed with camping (social platforms) — because it puts them in community with others. then they get overwhelmed by the noise!! I’d say that often times, public platforms give you connection, but not spaciousness to delve deep into yourself, or expand your possibility.
abandon or forget about their own homes — the website, which feels kinda lonely to them (because nobody is occupying it!!)
forget to feed the birds, let alone pack them with gifts — don’t send newsletters, because it’s hard to keep up. (of course it is! and the most intimate form of digital communication with strangers).
things to think about:
instead of getting obsessed with the right platform, start by learn the process of how to share — in a way that feels easy and effortless. what if sharing could feel like play?
my preferred order of inhabitation is: (1) website (2) newsletter (3) public platforms, but many people start with (3) public platforms, and then decide to build a website. to me, having a website first is like having a home before you go traveling. but I’m not saying that other ways won’t work — they have, for many people. it’s dependent on what YOU need in this phase of your process.
each public platform is different. the energy of podcasting is vastly different than instagram.
you don’t need to be on all platforms at once. where do you want to put your energy? where does it feel most nourishing? be deliberate and focused.
process 3: offering
my process for making money through offerings — is the same as my overall process for being an artist-entrepreneur. it still consists of the same 3 process flows, just in a (sometimes) different order:
creation
sharing
offering
let me lay it out in detail:
creating offerings = creating art
one is a valuable, ongoing solution to a clear problem or need. the other is an offering from your soul — an ongoing solution to the existential problem of life!sharing offerings = sharing art
you can use the overlapping platforms for this, if not the same. the process for sharing will feel very similar, if not almost identical. pay attention to how YOU feel sharing; how aligned and in integrity with yourself.after you give with generosity — you recieve the byproducts these processes
money
meaningful relationships
high-frequency feelings (gratitude/truth/beauty/love) into, and from — the world.
so, how does the sales & marketing part actually work?
here’s the process flow I created, which is basically 3 rounds of an inter-nested, process flow. the same flow of creation, sharing, offering, in a circular cycle — because you can always keep working on and evolving an offering.
Flow 1 — OFFER
offering — outline the vision of your offering.
creation — make a landing page for it
share — share it on all your platforms
FLOW 2 — GIFTS
offering — brainstorm ideas for gifts relating to the offering
creation — make those gifts
share — share it on your platforms
FLOW 3 — CREATION/EVOLUTION
offering — plan or evolve the offering
creation — create it
share — deliver it to your customers!
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why this cyclical structure
I designed this structure to be (a) as boredom-proof as possible, and (b) to get me the most immediate feedback through sharing.
it’s iterative, which means you can evolve each part, again and again. there is no standard of be “PERFECT” enough to launch. it’s about moving through the flows, and getting more feedback to improve it — each time.
the order is crucial — don’t work for months on an offering, then struggle with marketing it. if you’re launching a new offering, start with Flow 1 (the offer) or Flow 2 (gifts), rather than with Flow 3 (creation).
ongoing notes & reflections
this system is something I created — through endless journaling and obsessive notes/organizing — and working on, practicing, experimenting with — everyday.
I’m sure I’ll have more to tweak, and insights to add as I go along. I’ll definitely keep you posted. (you can keep me posted, too!)
thank you for reading. I write a Thursday email called guide.notes where I’ll share my recent posts, and nerd out on this like this. sign up here.