Entrepreneurship is Art
Until today, I had never compared entrepreneurship with art. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of hearing from Michel Brotman, founder of Simply Seattle and the Chocolate Box at a University of Washington event. Meeting and hearing from different Seattle entrepreneurship is my favorite part of college. Throughout my past two years here, I have learned more from attending extracurricular events than I have from any class .
I listened attentively as Michel shared his story. He told us about starting a business in hard times, his many past ventures, and his plans for the future. It was inspiring. Not just to hear of his successes, but the fact that you could hear passion in every word he spoke. He loved what he was doing, and because of this, said it did not feel like work. He had some great advice and stories, but the part of his talk that struck me was the way he refered to entrepreneurship. To him, entrepreneurship is an art form. It is an outlet for creativity. His business is his blank canvas. Upon seeing a piece of art you may think, “Wow! That’s incredible!” – giving the artist a sense of pride for have created the piece. Michel said that he felt this same sort of satisfaction whenever someone makes a positve remark about the business he has created. Michel told us that that the money was nice, but what was more rewarding was the praise he got from his customers. In his view, the monetary exchange for a product is the way that a customer tells you that they like your “art” ( in the form of a business) .I had never thought this prior, but entrepreneurship is art and a medium of expression to put your ideas into reality. Walking around Seattle, I constantly think to myself when I see a business : “This was someone’s dream and creative idea”. Whether the business is prosperous or not – every business is or was someone’s creative idea.
In one of my recent posts, I wrote about how I believe a genuine entrepreneur is one looking to better the world through the business. Michel Brotman is definitely one of these. While I have never had a passion for drawing, playing instruments, or performing, I have always had a passion for business and marketing. Owning a business allows you to tap into you creative abilities. I have been hesitant to start many of the ideas I have had in the last couple of months – wanting to find something I am passionate about. Entrepreneurship allows me to be creative and express myself. Not being involved in a business the past few months has been extremely painful. I feel useless and not creative - I NEED to start something soon.
