When I set out to be a theatre director, I had no clue that I'd end up running multiple businesses instead of putting on shows. 🎭
Am I happy that I do?
100%.
Of course, there are days when there are multiple fires to be put out but there are also weeks when I shut my laptop, fly to the tropics, and indulge in what life has to offer (the best part is that I get to decide when I do it).
➡️ However, when I diverted from my path in the arts (a couple of years after graduating from a prestigious drama school in London) and took up entrepreneurship, I received lots of criticism.
'You're a disgrace to the arts,' my mentor emailed me when he found out.
For a while, some of the actors in my network would leave mocking comments under my social media posts, or would otherwise make it known that ‘I sold my soul to the devil.’
'If you didn’t end up homeless as a director, you’ll now certainly end up homeless as a business owner,’ said my grandmother.
Was I sad that nobody saw me as an artist anymore?
Not really.
Because I knew that by taking up entrepreneurship, I was still choosing the path of the artist. ✍️
In fact, running a business isn't much different to directing a show.
It's an ensemble.
It's an improvisation.
Your P&L is your script.
Your team are your ‘actors’ that you need to empower.
And you need vision, creativity and courage to bring into life that, which doesn’t yet exist - a product, a campaign, a service or a theatre show. 💥
Are all entrepreneurs artists? No.
Are all artists creators? No.
But you get to decide if you are producing art, or just meeting demand.
As Seth Godin said, 'Art isn't only a painting. Art is anything that's creative, passionate and personal. And great art resonates with the viewer, not only with the creator.'
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