Making the effort to track my time over the last week has told me a lot about myself. I noticed that on days when I ate at regular times, I felt much better. For example, on Thursday, I felt really unhealthy and my energy that day showed it. However, on Friday, I ate three square meals and I felt a noticeable change in my attitude and how I felt. I think it’s also interesting to note the differences between “chilling w/ friends” and “chilling alone.” I’ve known for a long time that one of the biggest causes of personal stress is that I am an introvert who enjoys leading an extroverted lifestyle. However, in order to feel well, I need to remember to take time to myself, to recharge. I didn’t do that as much this week, and I think that really showed in the way I interacted with others. By Friday night, I felt extremely burnt out. I made the effort to spend more time resting over the weekend and now I feel recharged and ready to take on the next week. Click here to view full time tracker sheet.

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More often than not, I begin a piece of art in an explosion of emotion. An idea pops into my head and suddenly, there is nothing I can do to keep from grabbing the closest writing utensil and recording my thoughts on whatever is available. Some of the work I am most proud of began scribbled on the back of my hand or a napkin, even my calculus notes. I am not in control of my creative process. I am constantly at the liberty of my impulses, wherever and whenever they chose to create. I simply do my best to oblige. While my art often begins in chaos, it quickly comes under the control of my compulsively organized mind. From primal passion to an intellectual process, my artwork begins to take form. I am most proud of my ability to transform this raw emotion into a message that is clear. I consider my process a translation from the initial chaos to a final product that shows the rest of the world what is going on inside of

The human form in motion, is among the subjects I enjoy exploring the most. I have always been mesmerized by the images of people dancing. I imagined that I could touch their form through the page, and I longed to create that movement myself. It was through my practice of acro-yoga that I began to excel at recording the human form in motion. After experiencing for myself what it felt like to truly move in beautiful ways, I found myself able to better portray that in my art. I want to further explore my skill in this subject and evoke the same feelings in others that I feel myself when I see beautiful movement.

What are the main points of each article?

Are Artists Entrepreneurs? compares artists and entrepreneurs. The two field are strikingly similar. Both artists and entrepreneurs “are driven by passion,” “find themselves having to veer towards demands of the market,” and have to learn to deal with the more difficult aspects of their respective fields. Gupta argues that artists have a harder time working independently. The solution is for artists to embrace the traits of their entrepreneurial counterparts.

What entrepreneurs can learn from artists discusses the traits of an artist that can be helpful in the world of business. Leberecht argues that entrepreneurs are required to think like artists to advance in their fields. Twelve inherently artistic and creative characteristic are listed, explained, and applied to business.

What can artists learn from their “entrepreneurial cousins”?

One of the most important pieces of information and artist can learn from business is that you will often find yourself creating to fulfill someone else’s vision. As discussed in What entrepreneurs can learn from artists, artists are, by design, very driven by emotions and passions. Thinking like an entrepreneur and promoting yourself and your art as a business will help adjust your mindset to relate to people who don’t have the privilege of being inside your wonderfully creative mind.

Do you agree that artists are entrepreneurs? why?

The trope of the “starving artist” is one that can be avoided. An artist is fully capable of supporting themselves and to do so, they do need to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurial skills aid an artist to promote their work and their vision. The ability to convey your intentions to others in a form other than your art is vital. It’s a joke in the artist community that we hate to write about our work. As lovely as it would be if our art could always speak for itself, we are required to advocate on behalf of our work. Successful artists are entrepreneurs with the skills and mindset to treat your art as a business.

Which of the 12 characteristics of artists do you agree with?

I agree with all of the characteristics of artists listed, but a few resonated heavily with me.

Artists are “neophiles.”

I relate strongly to the idea that artists are always looking for something new. In my own experience creating art, I am most driven by the prospect of discovering a new concept or idea. Art is about showing the world a new way of looking at things. It is so important to have this love for discovery.

Artists are like children. 

In my own experience, I have learned that the way I connect to my neophiliac tendencies is to view the world through the eyes of a child. I love the idea of experiencing everything like it is the first time and I have never heard of it before. I want to make art that helps the viewer remember what it’s like to see things for the first time again. Children view the world in wide eyed wonder. Nothing is ever ordinary or inconsequential. Every experience has infinite value to a child. I want to make art like it’s the most important thing in the world.

Artists are conduits and not “masters of the universe.”

My favorite way to describe art is as recording the beauty of the world around you. The world is beautiful in so many different ways. Whether it be the awe inspiring natural world or relationships between people, the world deserves to be recorded. Artists do not create, artists observe and translate. Artists have the ability to see beauty in the world and then express it to everyone else.

Artists are passionate about their work.

The thing that separates mediocrity from mastery is passion. It doesn’t matter how often you practice something, if you don’t enjoy it, you will never really own the skill. Passion is especially important in the arts. Artists express themselves through their work and the more passionate an artist is about what they are doing, the better the work. It is not easy to be an artist. We are constantly pushing back against everything that wants us to fail. Passion makes it possible o push through these roadblocks.

What others would you add to the list?

Artists are part of a community.

In every field, a sense of camaraderie between your colleagues is important. Gupta describes in his article how difficult it is for an artist who is trying to work independently, without a support system. The most accessible support system for artists is fellow artists. Making art lends itself to a special way of thinking and molds the person who takes it on into a very unique individual. It’s important to realize that while it seems like no one understands you, there is a community of artists there who at least have some semblance of an idea.

Additional notes.

It’s so interesting to think about the different way that people approach the world. An entrepreneurial mind is very practical, looking at problems and finding logical solutions. An artistic mind is free to absorb the world and live it, then try to show this life to others. An ideal businessperson has an artistic side to them and an ideal artist has a business aspect to their persona. Human beings are so complex and it’s hard to compartmentalize what makes up a person. After reading these articles and thinking about the different traits of entrepreneurs and artists, I think it is important that we all have aspects of both ways of thinking.

GRIT

“Your grit score is: 4.25

You are in the 90th-99th percentile of other users who have taken this test.”

Do you have grit, or is this something you need to work on?

I have grit. This didn’t really come as a surprise to me. In fact, sometimes it’s harder to get me to stop working. I know that this sounds like my ego is incredibly overinflated, but it’s simply how my brain works. I strive to do the absolute best I can at everything. When I commit to something, I get it done.

List a couple of things you could do to increase your level of grit.

My flaw when it comes to grit is that I have a very selective way of going about things. I have a very strong intuition and I can tell when something is not going to be successful. I pick and choose my projects with this in mind. I put myself wholeheartedly into things that I know I can do or feel like I have the capability to learn. I have a very black and white way of thinking and if I decide that there is something that I don’t think I have the capability to be successful at, I avoid it at all costs. I could stand to change this habit. I know that even if I won’t ultimately be able to do something to meet my level of expectations, there is still experience to be gained from the process of trying.