I was in Berlin for 5 days, attending How To Get In The Game, a seminar organized by Salto about Creative Entrepreneurship, Art and Youth Work. In the city of opportunities, together with 20 people from 14 countries, we discussed and dreamed out loud about ‘how to get in the game’.
The game is out there, in a world where everything is possible, as long as you have good ideas and a working spirit. Some ideas might need funding (from the government, sponsoring, private funding,…), some might require a good team around you.
The first day i came up with the term CIY to introduce my own business. When preparing this small presentation I realized that the DIY (do-it-yourself) theory I started with, evolved to a construction where I don’t do it all by myself. And although I work together with other people for production, layout, digital distribution, etc. I keep control at all time. Control-it-yourself while building a network and a reliable team around you, is hereby my advice for others. Note: Google just told me CIY is not a new term. Some people also speak of OIY (outsource-it-yourself) or MIY (manage-it-yourself). Anyway, you got the point, right?
I must agree the past years learned me that being an artist and an entrepreneur often caused troubles. The chaos I strongly defend as an artist wasn’t always handy in an entrepreneurial setting. On the other hand, too much office attitude held me back on creation new music. I intend to call music my core business, but maybe it is just the core itself, not to be confused with the business I built around it.
This core called music is an irrefutable thing. It’s a passion. A beautiful language I learned to speak. It helps me translate what I feel. I will not (and I can not) un-learn this language.No businesses, no failures, no lack of success, no possible success, nothing will hold me back using this passion. Question is: is there a business to built around it?
Few years ago, I decided there was a business possible. A core business, surrounding my passion with a structure that could quite literally ‘buy me time’. The more money I could make by making music, the more time i could spend on writing, recording, rehearsing, etc. Actually, the overall business model sounds quite simple.
But let’s be honest, the business side of this whole entrepreneurship takes (a lot of) time too.
The past week was good to realize that true business men are jealous of artists that joggle around with creativity as if it was saying dada. So why should I force myself to play a different role while doing business? Ok, maybe I’ll have to curb the chaos once in a while and maybe I should add some extra skills. But basically, an artist is not that much different from a creative entrepreneur.
So which skills to add? In a non-narowing way: discipline. If you really want to built a business around your passion / your core, you’ll have to realize what it takes to be successful. You’ll have clients, people who work for you, people who do business with you. They all depend on you handling the products or services you provide. In the same way of thinking, you should have a enough discipline to let the chaos have it’s place. Otherwise, the well runs dry and you’re left with nothing to sell.
Also to add: a bigger network (other new entrepreneurs and the experienced ones, giving advice, other points of view, feedback, etc.), a business plan (goals and stuff) and some new time-management.
Note to myself: if you want to buy time to make music and be creative, you should make it fun to be an entrepreneur. There’s no two hats to wear. It’s one person, wearing one hat, just playing different games. And the rules of those games are not fixed. You can change them, apply your rules, steal rules from others, find coaches to prepare you for playing, etc.
To do list: experiment with time, balance and the rules of the game. Cause after Berlin, I feel like I’m really in it. And who’s in the game knows it very well: we’re here to win!
Thanks to all who were there in Berlin. You inspired me. Hope you all get in the game too. Maybe we can play together soon…
Filed under: English, General
