Entrepreneurship as Artistry
Tune In to Tap In
It’s Monday morning at 10:35, and I’m sitting in my sunroom in Provence writing. The streaming sun warms me as I sit in a big, comfy bamboo chair placed just right to catch it.
It’s a second-hand, medium-toned, beautifully refurbished chair I bought just for me - at a point in my entrepreneurial journey when the €300 I paid for seemed exorbitant. But I love it.
The curved arms and high back, the smell of natural cane that’s been cared for with oil; its tropical-themed cushion is soft, especially as I’ve added a sheepskin throw now that the evenings are chilly.
As I sit here in the sun, its light slightly filtered by sheer white curtains, I hear the birds playing in the olive trees and high up in the cypress. My labrador slowly breathes as he sleeps on the jute rug under my feet. And the sound bath album I’m playing fills the space with enchantment. Yet, the world is somehow still; it’s as if all of the life around me joins me in a heightened state of awareness here in this sanctuary where we’re all connected, just for a bit.
“To thrive as artists–and, one could argue, as people–we need to be available to the universal flow.” -Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p. 110)
Four years ago, my Monday mornings began at six. I was in my office on The Strand in central London by eight, having already walked my dog in Kensington Gardens and cycled or taken the tube to work.
Eight years ago, my Monday mornings began at six (or earlier), making breakfast and packing lunches and seeing children to school, somehow getting myself ready for my workday in the process and, once in a while, walking or a yoga class.
Those were privileged lives of another kind.
Back then, I didn’t know a Monday morning like this could exist or how much someone like me needed one; slow mornings were luxuries reserved for a holiday or, if lucky, a weekend.
But this particular moment, right now, as I write to you, sitting in the sun, in the chair I selected and positioned just for me, looking at the hills just beyond–is now a sacred part of my practice, a requirement.
Why?
Leading a business requires creativity daily; generating that creativity requires opening up time and space–giving it room to speak.
I must regularly cultivate–and care for–the artist within me.
There’s so much meaning in that last small sentence, for what does it mean to cultivate and care for the artist within?
And what does artistry have to do with entrepreneurship anyway?
“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.” Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p.109)
Before your business, you heard a whisper.
My husband is an artist; the first person I ever met who deliberately designed his life to support his craft, he earns the most of what he needs: time. I've learned so much from him over the past four years since I left the traditional world of work to bring my creations to life.
As I took my first steps as an entrepreneur–before I understood that everything that had made me successful in the past would not help me to be successful here–I unknowingly took cues from the world around me. I began to behave like "an entrepreneur." (I know, I know…trust me, I know better now.)
Where do our ideas of "entrepreneur" come from? From Silicon Valley. From men, mostly, and, if we're lucky, from a handful of women. Our societal construct of an entrepreneur is rooted in the experience of the male entrepreneur and his ways of being as seen from the outside.
However, data shows that most women become entrepreneurs because there's a change they want to bring to the world. In my experience, this is true for female solopreneurs and active agents in the traditional workplace.
Just like an artist whose desire to create comes from deep within, a problem (or set of problems) approaches that, at first, whispers to us and later becomes lodged in our hearts so deeply that we build businesses to explore and resolve it, not just for ourselves, but for all.
And so it follows that, just as we can stand in front of a sculpture or painting or photograph or listen to a well-composed piece of music for hours and feel moved by it, so must be the experience of those who experience our art: our business, our practice.
But, many high-achievers come up through roles, organizations, and worlds that demand what is in our heads. We see ourselves as many things–intellectuals, problem-solvers, people who get shit done–but not often as creators. We might write insightful articles, give speeches, or devise elegant solutions, yet we don't often consider ourselves creatives.
And therein lies the growth required as part of your journey on this road less traveled: To bring the whisper in your heart to life as a product or a service requires you to be something other than a great leader, marketer, or business planner; instead you must find and cultivate the creative within.
From my husband and other artists whom I'm privileged to know, I'm waking up to elements of the artist's journey:
Artists don't create to please an audience. Art is too subjective; there will always be someone who loves a piece and another who doesn't.
Artists don't create to sell (or mainly to market at scale, the initial goal of many start-ups). The right customer may or may not find their work.
Artists don't create to 'finish' a piece because it 'has to get done today.'
They don't create to achieve greatness.
Artists create to give expression to the whisper that has lodged in their hearts.
Critically, most artists create to the best of their abilities every time–excellence is paramount to them–because ultimately, they are the judge of their work, and, as you might imagine, that is more than enough.
“Greatness is an idea, a status conferred by others. It is not something you can seek. If you fit inside the shape of your art and work with a committed heart, that is enough.” -Kent Nerburn, The Artist’s Journey (p. 21)
My takeaway from this is that, as entrepreneurs, we must create products and services that express–in our authentic voice and the most excellent way we know how–the whisper lodged in our hearts and create delight for those who experience them.
Once we can do that well, repeatedly, we need to share those gifts widely so we can find our base, the people who can hear the whisper and see our magic and who will join us on our journey.
And, join us, they will, although perhaps not as quickly as we might like. But, if we build as artists and embrace our unique artist's way, we're more likely to succeed in our craft than we ever imagined. (Note: I'm not saying build it, and they will come; that is not the artist's way either.)
To get there, you must learn to create the conditions under which you thrive, how you can find flow and develop and bring to life the unique talents within you to simultaneously receive from the universe and give to it. You must cultivate what artists often refer to as a form of divine intervention (Nerburn).
Now, how each person does that is entirely different. One of my ways is sitting in the sun in my favorite chair, pen, notebook in hand, a cup of tea and glass of water by my side, and the dog under my feet.
If you accept that entrepreneurship is artistry, you might appreciate briefly meeting some creativity killers and how to keep them at bay. What follows is a longer-form essay on how I tap into my inner artist, along with a few prompts for you to consider your way.
Creativity Killers
Over the past four years, as I started to build my creations outside the traditional workplace, I’ve run into demons from my past lives more than I might like to admit.
Let me introduce them to you; perhaps you might even know some of them: overworking, perfectionism, not prioritizing well, practicing too much, spending time being ‘busy,’ not taking the time to fully experience the joy in a win, not investing enough in certain relationships and overinvesting in others, and chasing shiny objects, to name a few.
And then, there’s money, the ‘Dark Companion’ all artists and early-stage entrepreneurs are well acquainted with: I’ve put money into my businesses and worried whether I’d make it back. I worried about pricing. I worried whether someone would buy my products or services. I worried whether I’d ever make any money at all.
Other creativity killers include stress, lack of sleep, general lack of self-care, FOMO, self-doubt, rejection and recognition, and our noisy world.
Before I began my entrepreneurial journey, I spent a year studying mindfulness and meditation and bringing critical habits into my life to sustain my well-being, all of which I still do now.
But, in those first six months of building a business, I struggled to hang on to those rituals. Because I know how important they are, I wonder whether, deep down back then, I didn’t think I deserved so much self-care while I was ‘building a start-up.’ Whether it didn’t align with everything in the ethos telling me ‘how to be a founder.’
Back then, when I would tell people that I lived in Provence while I was building a business, I felt some shame, like somehow making my life better aligned with my needs and having fun while I was building a business was cutting corners or something. Aagh! The lies we tell ourselves! (She says, putting her hand over her face!)
Creativity killers like these can make it difficult to regularly tap into and hear the whisper that speaks to your heart–the reason you created the business in the first place. Artists refer to this as the blocking of creativity–you know, like writer’s block.
“This is never an authentic block. The actual block is our feeling of constriction, our sense of powerlessness. Art requires us to empower ourselves with choice. At the most basic level, this means choosing to do self-care.”
-Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p.109)
Tune in to Tap In
Cultivating my creativity–and staying away from creativity killers, of course–has become its own pursuit. I like to think of it as beckoning the universe: I seek the whisper—the wonder, the awe—that has lodged in my heart. I want to tune in to tap in, so I can create. Because I have found it before, I crave it.
Tapping into it involves patience, self-care, kindness, me-time, play-time, and constant practice. And, on a day or a moment when I can no longer hear the whisper, I know it’s time to pause and begin again because I know it is there in me.
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” - Martha Graham
You probably have practices that help you tap in; a few of mine include
Creating Space for Flow
Indulging in Small luxuries to Channel Creativity
Embracing All of You
Creating Space for Flow
“Making art begins with making hay while the sun shines. It begins with getting into the now and enjoying your day. It begins with giving yourself some small treats and breaks.” Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p.108)
Every day, I show up for myself, beginning with the page. Writing is a daily ritual, beginning with my morning pages practice, and it might extend to writing a little poem, diving into an essay or client project, outlining some ideas for one of my businesses, or just scribbling. Showing up on the page is a way to confront myself deliberately and check in to see what’s going on inside at the moment.
Showing up to myself is one of the ways I create the context in which my superpowers will want to come out and play.
If I’m stuck, I seek out inspiration. I open a treasured book to a random page I choose with my eyes closed. Head to my meditation platform to go within. Try visualisation exercises. Open the Substack app to read an article by a fellow traveller.
If I’m inspired, I’ll write longer or shift naturally from one area of thinking to another while in flow. Or dive deeply into a project in flow.
As if it is a critical appointment, I show up there, with and to myself, each day. To check in. To be available. To beckon the universe. “I’m here, ready.”
It sounds basic, but it is incredible how much there is in our lives to distract us from simply checking in with ourselves in a concentrated manner each day.
Reflection prompt: How can you show up for yourself each day and draw out your whispers and superpowers and your creativity?
Use Small Luxuries to Help Channel Creativity.
I used to think of luxuries as high-end meals or expensive fashion treats. Today, I am more than satisfied with less fussy luxuries, the kind that represent daily self-care, food for the soul, and love; they help me to channel my creativity.
Other people think they must ‘hunker down and get to work.’ I get that and have been there before. But, now, to do that in a way that taps in, I need to set the scene–throughout the day and week.
A long walk in my favorite park, a picnic lunch by the beach, quiet moments in my sunroom, a lovingly prepared new recipe that I’ve cooked, the placement of a bloom, a piece of fresh fruit or a jar of honey from the market, candles lit on the dinner table…these are all small luxuries which, for me, create moments of joy, and inspire the whisper.
“What we are talking about when we discuss luxury is very often a shift in consciousness more than flow–although as we acknowledge and invite what feels luxurious to us, we may indeed trigger an increased flow.” Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p.107)
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, creating spaces that feel incredibly comfortable, and welcoming others into my home to feel special and enjoy both. Until recently, I never thought of these acts as small luxuries or self-care; they were just things I did. But, because I am like this even when I am alone, and not because I was raised as such, I know that these ways of being represent deeply rooted notions and acts of care for myself and others.
Small luxuries are another way I create the context in which my superpowers will want to come out and play.
Prompt: What small luxuries can you bring into your day to draw out your whispers and superpowers and fuel your creativity?
Embrace all of you.
“Art is born in expansion, in a belief in sufficient supply…” - Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way (p.109)
For the most part, I try to embrace an abundance mindset, but it can be challenging because creativity killers can strike at any time! Perhaps that’s why I am increasingly open to different forms of inspiration. I draw on wisdom from artists, leadership gurus, monks, perfume makers, oenologists, gardeners, and chefs. (Checking out who I follow on Substack might be a confusing exercise!)
But, like you, I am a multifaceted person, so my soul is fed from different sources. Part of my challenge in this journey is to embrace all of me and to learn how to bring all of me to my mission of helping people–especially women–live on their terms.
So, I seek inspiration from many sources, and the more I do that, the more I can feel my creativity unleashed because I’m having fun with it. Work becomes more like play, which is precisely what’s needed to explore what’s possible, embrace abundance, connect to my core self, and encourage a flow state.
Just this weekend, as we had torrential downpours, I sat in my studio seeking inspiration on Substack. Moving from one author that I like to another, I stumbled upon the article, World-Crafting for Business, by
and to find her wonderfully powerful question, ‘If your Substack were a room, what would it look like?’They then encourage you to apply the same question to your business: ‘If your business were a room, what would it look like? Who would spend time there? And so forth.
I spent time with that article and had fun the visualisation exercise by
as well. An hour later, that fabulously unexpected journey through Substack resulted in a powerful visualisation session that yielded fresh insights about who I write for here and why.
Entrepreneurship is artistry. Sheesh! Life is artistry! You can create your life/business any way you want, with any design flavours from across your many selves. You can make shit up - there is no need to follow so-called rules. Have fun with it!
My inspirations come while sitting here in Provence in my sunroom–where it’s now pretty warm–hearing birds singing and the sound bath softening any other noises. Then, as though I’ve stopped time, the only sound I can hear are the words flowing in my head, through my heart, down my arm to my hand and bent fingers, which clutch a special flowered Liberty pen I picked up last week on a sale rack in duty-free and from which I share my thoughts with you.
I hope that you feel as though we’ve sat down and had a chat over coffee or a cup of tea and that you, too, are ready to tune in to tap in and figure out the habits or practices that can help you to draw out your whispers, your superpowers, and fuel your creativity.
Then, create products and services that express–in your true voice and in the most high-quality way you can–that whisper lodged in your heart. Create delight for those who experience your products and services, and be joyful as you do; the joy we experience as we create is extended to those whose lives we touch.
Oh I loved this full exploration of creativity! So powerful and thorough!
What website did you use to AI generate your room. So clever