John Anderson, AHA
March 25, 2022
Series 2—Blog post #5
Aha Moments of Managing an Art Business – and getting personal
In our last Art Chat (March 22, 2022), we discussed the number of unlimited ideas that we may think of to organize a business. We focus on creativity and the widening scope of the Arts, where creativity is unlimited. AHA’s core values include clearing the way for opportunities to do good and helping creatives everywhere. Yes, it’s an ambitious aspiration, but we expect to reach the goals set out within that purpose. Remember that being creative is not limiting. Positive thoughts will produce questions, lead to answers, and provide options until each goal is reached. In fact, every business idea conceived (within the Arts, or not) will challenge our every step with questions.
Why isn’t everyone in business for themselves? Do your own research, but I have concluded that over 31 million small businesses in the United States and over 25 million have no employees. Wow! Statistics further reveal that “small businesses” comprise more than 99% of all firms. You can read more here.* And finally, 673,656 businesses are involved in creating or distributing the arts. Exhausting? Maybe, but very important to your business enterprise in art or any other business venture. Contact me if you have questions about this or other matters involving your ideation—two people can brainstorm. You can warm up to the process by asking yourself:
What is your purpose? How passionate are you about it? Why do you dream or desire to do it? Are you solidly part of the entrepreneurial spirit? How do you decide when, where, and how do I do it? And woven into the idea’s viability is the need to know if it is workable and sustainable? How will your potential business align with your personal and positive work-life balance expectations?
Here’s a simple way to address your business ideas using critical thinking. It comprises five basic steps: evaluating “self” (a systematic assessment), collecting information (research), evaluating information (analysis), drawing conclusions (choices and priorities), and evaluating those conclusions (risk assessment and decision making). Think about these questions:
Do your core values and beliefs align well with a personal and positive work-life balance?
How do I assess my true self?
How well do I react to challenges, letdowns, successes, and change?
Am I a motivated and persistent person?
There are more. Are you up to the challenge of asking and answering questions? If your answer is yes, critical thinking will lead to proper analysis and evaluation of determining the potential success of your business. The expectation is to accumulate the information, knowledge, and experience to assess a go or no/go decision.
The chances are good that the direction for a chosen idea or business is good and secure. In Linda Reisenberg Fisler’s Art Chat, we discussed the steps of what creatives would do first to answer all the questions that relate to turning an idea into an ongoing prospect for business. We discovered there are basic steps to begin the process: conducting research that can verify potential competition, the resources needed to operate, the business and marketing mix plan, and the overall feasibility of the idea. Critical thinking will then lead to proper analysis, evaluation, and determination of the business objectives and goals. Finally, the collection of the information, knowledge learned, and the collective experience will produce a “go or no/go” decision.
Here’s a simple way to address your business ideas using critical thinking. It comprises four steps: collecting information (research), evaluating information (analysis), drawing conclusions (choices and priorities), and evaluating those conclusions (risk assessment and decision making).
We hope you will join us for our next Art Chat with Linda Riesenberg Fisler on April 5th, when we will talk about Knowing Your Value (and the Value of your art).
Until then, continue to explore the website ( https//www.artisticharmoniesassoc.com), read the blogs, and join us in our mission by becoming a member of the Artistic Harmonies Association. If you haven’t already, sign-up for our newsletter too!
Respectfully,
John Anderson
* https://cdn.advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/05122043/Small-Business-FAQ-2020.pdf