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The story of myself and entrepreneurship
May 2021
’What you are is what you do’ Australian entrepreneur Micheal Doneman invigoratingly stated as he began his workshop on entrepreneurship and weirdness (Doneman 18/5). At a glance, it is a bold statement that far from everyone would agree with. A part-time Subway employee most likely would not equate the job position with his or her identity, the same goes for a refugee fleeing starvation or the homeless guy retreating to a firm king single bench outside the local train station. Identity is powerful. It is our unique pallet of characteristics and a reflection of our experiences. It is a close up view of ourselves as well as the window through which we view the world. Identity enables us to attach our lives to a greater context and isolate it in a story of its own, fostering an understanding of who we are and the stories we become part of.
As categorising remains part of our biological needs as humans, we are subject to others’ predictions and projections. It could be argued that humans are like walking paintbrushes, painting away on each other’s canvases to make up their own individual worldview. A rather dystopian visualisation, but one that occurs to be strikingly accurate in situations such as when a migrating family remain migrants in the eyes of their new surrounding, just for the sake of someone else’s convenience, or when a black man is assumed to be a greater threat than his white counterpart, simply because of the colour of his skin. The values we tinge each other, can stain lives in ways hard to imagine.
Where Micheal Doneman’s statement becomes true and equally relevant as the previous depiction, is in the light of aboriginal storytelling. Michael explains that without a story, you are nothing in an indigenous Australian context. Without having a fraction of the experience Michael holds from working in aboriginal communities, I can well and truly relate to the importance of storytelling. As a musician and composer, the power of storytelling has been drilled into my mind as the very core meaning of the artform. To communicate a message and deliver a story permeates the process of songwriting as well as the creation of an artist persona and the affiliated brand. In an aboriginal community, you are given a name connecting you to the tribe and its land. In the world of music, you create a name for yourself, build your brand and shape your narrative, much along the lines of Michael’s words - what you are is what you do.
Having spent nearly half of my life practicing and exploring the field of music, I have started to broaden and redefine my personal narrative. From spending three years living in Australia, I gained new perspectives on identity, culture, communication and how these connect. Additionally I learnt what it means to belong and nurture your relationship to a place. The realisations from encountering various people and cultures, while sculpting my own persona and music compositions, laid the foundation for a devotion to culture and a strong belief in the potential to promote social change through art - be it music, dance, theatre or fine art. Pursuing studies in intercultural communication and project management, I can confidently refer my subsequent decisions to the experiences I had while living abroad. You will never know if it is truthful, it does sound irrefutably clichéd. But it is a good story and accurate enough for me to fully believe in it. It is a compilation of what I have done, what I do and who I am - a musician, composer and cultural entrepreneur.
Lesson learned: We have the ability to shape and own our personal story. Through embracing the compelling strength of narratives, we can convey creativity and reflectiveness. Moreover, harvesting our unique attributes and experiences to bracket who we are and who we want to be, we are able to challenge perceived ideas and add color to the picture that others’ paint of us.
Regarding entrepreneurship. Anyone can identify a need, but finding a creative solution can be a more difficult task and one suitable for an entrepreneur. According to the Cambridge dictionary an entrepreneur is ”a person who attempts to make a profit by starting a company or by operating alone in the business world, esp. when it involves taking risks” (Cambridge 2021). ” This definition is brief and a lot is omitted. A few words need to be contextualised to fully grasp what entrepreneurship can entail.
Profit can be measured in a variety of values. Money, time, social welfare, sustainability, contacts and happiness are some of the many currencies of profit. It is entirely up to the intent of the project or business to determine what is profit and loss. Money is often assumed to be the most profitable resource, but more importantly the economic outcome usually stems from other resources succeeding or failing, for instance politics, natural resources, lives, relations etc.
Company is not limited to the type of organisation that many would equate with a conventional business. Quite the opposite, a common characteristic of the entrepreneur is to be innovative and think outside the box. No wonder I recognised a lot of the reasonings around entrepreneurship, considering its apparent correlation to working with arts and music. Most people make music as a means of expressing themselves and contributing with something new. The same can be applied to entrepreneurs. Commonly referred to as the blue ocean strategy, is the concept of creating a new market, rather than competing in an existing one. That way creating a demand rather than feeding into one. Similarly, Doneman (18/5) points out that competition is a constant and oftentimes a matter of semantics that is given too much attention. Instead, he advocates for the power of differentiation and focusing on unique strengths rather than possible competitors.
Risk taking and courage might imply the same thing. But going back to the importance of narrative, framing yourself as an independent entrepreneur rather than a risk taking maniac, will certainly affect both your decisions and people's perception of you. While Frank Knight argued that risk taking in financial decisions bordered by uncertainty is the core constituent of an entrepreneur (Phillips s. 20), Micheal Doneman calls for a less reckless definition. Doneman says that the entrepreneur should be viewed as a risk evaluator, rather than a risk taker (Doneman 18/5). Being a calculative and mindful person, the entrepreneur doesn’t jump off a cliff without knowing what he or she is tied to. It is securing her own harness before the jump that is distinctive to the entrepreneur.
Being aware of- and responding to the involved risks lies in the interest of every investor. Just like any other business, that of the cultural entrepreneur entails securing investments. And just like in any other investment, the spending - whether it is in the form of time, energy, money or any other resource - is value being exchanged for goods and services, with the aspiration of generating more value. Adopting risk preventing measures, means reducing the potential costs, promoting a greater chance of profit and warding off the risks, rather than taking them. Accordingly the entrepreneur can be viewed either as risk taker or a risk breaker, whatever rimes with your narrative.
Lesson learned: An entrepreneur can be anything, including what does not yet exist. That is the thrilling beauty of it.
Interestingly the definition leaves out the word idea. It is commonly understood that the idea is central in any project, businesses and artworks alike. My role as an entrepreneur has evolved with the idea, that on a cold evening stroll in April, sparked the founding framework for the art project Kvinnan i rummet. The idea itself eventuated after a sudden realisation, an identified need and an unspoken demand. Namely that of female representation within public art. Ironically, it was the towering figure of a male statue that gave prominence to the lack of female equivalents. Not seldom does challenge and opportunity share the same domain. My example bears witness of their ability to tower in front of us, unnoticed. Michael Doneman urged us to seek out what obscures our view, referring to Michelangelo’s unfinished slave statues and his acclaimed ability to free handedly carve out his sculptures, as though they were already there (Doneman 18/5).
Doneman (18/5) talked about the entrepreneurial gaze - the aptitude to see opportunity where others don’t. We walk past various statues in our everyday lives, rarely paying attention and certainly not tribute, to these portrayed giants. Most people would assume that there are less female works and statues to be found in the City of Stockholm. I decided to look up the facts and answer to it - to seize and invest in the opportunity of channeling the fight for gender equality through a creative, social and long-term project that is set to challenge the current conditions within public art.
Lesson learned: through looking past the immediate and beyond the current, we can see things in a new light, sparking ideas and illuminating the outlines of our goals and possible future.
A solid and measured infrastructure needs to be in place for a project to succeed. As the initiator, project manager and sole member of the project group behind Kvinnan i rummet, I initially focused on establishing a strong foundation (brand), through which I could foster the communicative and promotional aspects of the project. Aiming to provide a sense of reliability and efficacy, I put a lot of thought into creating a powerful concept and compelling narrative. Bearing in mind stakeholders, financing and the inescapable lack of previous public art projects in my portfolio, I knew that first impressions would be crucial.
More specifically, I tied the project to current topics with the intent of growing the project and relating it to a contemporary and important conversation, much like Nicolas Arroyo spoke of scoping, scanning and harvesting ideas for your project (Arroyo 6/5). Among other things, this was achieved through referring to Sweden’s distinction as being rated the most gender equal country in the EU, completing a mapping of 521 sculptures to reinforce the purpose of the project, anchoring it with the global movement Statues for Equality and examining the standard procedures behind public art in Stockholm and how this project could foster a more democratic and inclusive process. Additionally, I created a project specific website and email, to add an appealing and trustworthy aura.
No one can be the best at everything. Therefore, it is vital for an entrepreneur to know his or her strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. Max Landergård (29/4) alluded this, adding that collaboration is the most effective way, through which we can make up for our own shortcomings. I have already exposed my ambition to provide a nuanced perspective, so I will continue in that fashion. Collaboration can be so much more than a business partner. Notwithstanding my personal motivation and diligence, it is an inevitable condition for the progress of my project to identify and involve stakeholders that can contribute with expertise, ideas, inspiration, funding and outreach. Additionally, being a gender equality promoting art project, Kvinnan I rummet hosts the ambition to unify a range of actors around this very topic.
Gender equality is a subject that borders the reputation of Sweden worldwide, because of the extensive work put into the shaping of a society where people enjoy equal rights and opportunities. As with environmentalism, gender equality however much it appears on everyone's agenda, is often placed in the periphery, with a minority of people pushing for change. Some people are under the impression that feminism is limited to being loud, pink and aggressive. Kvinnan i rummet seeks to redefine the role of feminism as an essential attitude and driving force for gender equality while proving that the will to act for a gender equal society can come from a guy, who’s not angry or dressed in pink. Furthermore, it will show that public art can be a citizen-driven process, outside the doors of closed off institutions. Through embracing the long lasting impact of a statue, more people can be involved and feel a stronger connection to the art that is meant for the citizens themselves.
Another thought I would like to put forward on the topic of collaboration, is that of thinking small and big and considering that small things can have a big impact. Adding a global dimension through the involvement of Statues for Equality makes the project part of a greater context and adds a stronger motif for stakeholders to contribute. However, equally important as finding opportunities for the project to grow through international recognition, is reviewing the potential in local development and community.
Through attaching those affected by the statue, Kvinnan i rummet will promote a more impactful result through the process itself, relating strongly to the intent of the project. It is part of the project plan to carry out school visits, as a way of anchoring the statue among the primary target group - youths. Statues are an embodiment of cultural heritage and communal identity, as well as an instrument for communicating current values to future generations. Hence, involving kids in the conversation is by no means a far fetched idea, but a given concern and a valuable collaboration.
Lesson learned: Be professional, passionate and precise in every aspect of building and managing the project.
Seek out collaborations that allow you to focus on your strengths, bring new perspectives, open up new doors and dimensions that furthers the depth of the project and connects it with its intent and target.
During the past few decades, the world has seen a dramatic shift in habits, platforms and lifestyles, all impacting the economy and people's opportunities. In his presentation on future planning and design, Nicolas Arroyo pointed to the widespread tendency of looking into the future through a linear lens, with the current data as the foundational framework. That way, Arroyo argued, we unintentionally fail to take into account the fathomless scope- and constant quality of unpredictability, that characterises our possible future-s. Emphasising that the future will always be one, out of many possible outcomes (Arroyo 6/5).
Nowadays, entrepreneurs distribute their ideas, their art or their businesses through channels enabling them to reach audiences across the world. It has fundamentally changed industries, music distribution being a prime example, and the way we; individuals, paint our surroundings. The world as we perceive it has shrunken dramatically, while we who inhabit it, has become part of a larger than life experience, rationalising the term world citizen. Consequently, we internalise more and paint away on thousands of canvases far away from our own. Competition is harder, but opportunities are more. Applying for jobs can be disheartening, while seeking out your own opportunities becomes increasingly relevant and more common - speeding up innovation in a time when we are already way ahead of our paintbrush-brains.
Overpopulation, terrorism, natural disasters, humanitarian crises, pandemics and polarisation. Threats from left, right and centre have pointed out our dependency on economising our resources and enterprising and innovating with people and nature in constant consideration. It has highlighted that we are little to the world without our communities and that collaboration and inclusion are essential for a socially sustainable future. Michael Doneman referred to it as ”the end of neoclassicism” (Doneman 18/5). My interpretation of this is that social responsibility will increasingly influence what we consider profit, where we seek out motivation and the future role of entrepreneurship. Our comprehension - as much as the reality - of what generates value, has already shifted. It is exemplified not only in how we look at sustainability in production, but also through the birth of terms like cultural and creative industries. As we consider cultural capital a means for social development and social development as the basis for economic growth, we have revalued cultural services, remodeled its place in society and rephrased the correlation between culture and welfare. Again, money is simply the outcome of a successful affair.
Martin Luther King famously claimed that life’s most urgent question is ’what are you doing for others?’ It is hard to argue with. Especially on the basis of the evident world-wide fragility and human reliance that I mentioned previously. In a social entrepreneurial context the most relevant questions are not what your turnover is or where you are going for your next holiday. Instead, I suggest that - much like that of Martin Luther King - the key questions to a successful entrepreneurial mindset are: what will your project or business contribute? What impact do you seek to achieve? And how many will benefit? It relates to what your goal is, and goals do vary. But if it is the case that neoclassicism is coming to a close or simply its next chapter, I believe that impact will be the new sexy and social value will be the greatest yield.
My personal objective behind pursuing an entrepreneurial venture is characterised by a combined will to contribute to the community, nurture my interests and through new experiences, grow as a person and further develop my business. The motivation is partly reinforced by countless unsuccessful work applications, but more prominently fueled by a curiosity to explore what can be created to engender positive impact and to seek out ways of improving my life, while helping and inspiring others. I know, it sounds rather lavish and existential. Nevertheless, I believe that the more meaning you can infuse in your ideas, the greater your motivation will become.
Lessons learned: Altruism can go a long way, but egoism might go even further. If profit is to be attained through what we do for others, the most urgent question will still remain ’what are you doing for others?’, since this constitutes the marrow of value itself.
This text is coming to an end and being loyal to the performer I am, I want to thank you for coming all this way, reading my thoughts on entrepreneurship and project management, mixed with dystopian depictions and motivational quotes. My final lesson to be included is about coming to terms with the goal of your project, your career or even your life. As I mentioned earlier, the intent dictates what is considered profit and loss, corresponding to the motivation behind our undertakings. The goal spells out our desired outcome. Taking this into account, we can get our heads out of the existential blur, get to work and, paying close attention to our goals, prepare for whatever spectacle the future may hold.
At the end of the day, we are made up of our own choices, which in turn were made because of what we have done and who we were at the time. Based on that, I gladly chime into Michael’s bold statement ’You are what you do’, because what better way of living is there, and how can we ever talk about self-realisation, without living out who we are through what we do, as entrepreneurs or simply as painters and humans.
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References
Arroyo, N., 2021, Zoom seminar, 06.05.2021, Stockholm University of the Arts, Stockholm
Cambridge University Press 2021, ’Entrepreneur’, Dictionary, retrieved on 19.05.2021
Doneman, M., 2021, Zoom seminar, 18.05.2021, Stockholm University of the Arts, Stockholm
Landergård, M., 2021, Zoom seminar, 29.04.2021, Stockholm University of the Arts, Stockholm
Phillips, R. J., 2010, Arts Entrepreneurship and Economic Development: Can Every City be “Austintatious”?,
Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship, vol 6, no 4., retrieved on 19.05.2021