Let me paint a picture in your mind.
An artist sits, deep in thought, searching for inspiration. A business man paces in a circle around the artist, waiting for him to act, making phone calls, unsure of what is going on with the artist.
This is often the portrait people see when the art world collides with the business world. And the results are never pretty: a toxic cloud of misunderstanding and frustration.
Without business, art would lack financial success. Without art, business would be sterile. When the two combine to create a masterpiece with perfect understanding of roles and responsibilities, life-altering masterpieces are created.
So, what can artists and business leaders do to make sure that both sides are free from confusion and misconceptions?
Education
The best thing that artists can do is to educate their business partners in the ways that they create. By allowing the business world a glimpse into the process of creation, it helps to eliminate the business person from creating their own image of what the artist is doing day in and day out.
When it comes to educating artists about the business world, it is ideal to show how important the work of the artist is. This allows artists to leave their vacuum of creation and have a broader perspective for what is truly important.
Communication
Without top-notch communication skills, there will always be misunderstanding. Whenever questions arise, there should be room to ask without condemnation. Artists should not be defensive, and business people should avoid attempting to take control of a project without first communicating their underlying frustrations.
When artists and business people educate one another, and establish a system of communication, this leads to collaboration.
Collaboration
Without collaboration, a project will always be one-sided, slanted towards the dominate personality of the project. True collaboration involves both sides working together, using their strengths to eliminate the weaknesses of each other. This requires an acceptance of weakness. Without admitting our weaknesses, this will only create strife when someone stronger then ourselves comes along attempting to make us stronger. However, this does not give a strong person the right to force their strengths on others. They must give their strengths as an offering of fulfillment. By offering our strengths in the spirit of help and growth, and then waiting for the other person to accept our offering, we enable submission and responsibility that leads to true collaboration.
Through education, communication and collaboration, successful works of art can be created, and stereotypes can be shattered.
Will you give?
Will you accept?
Will you go through the process of change in order to shape a new world built on the collaboration of art and business?