90: What Is the "Art of Business?"

So when I think about the art of business, there are a couple of components that come to mind. The first one is strategy. How can you be strategic in the way that you build your business so that it serves you in your creativity as well? How can you plan and set clear goals and really steer the business effectively? Strategy is one of those things that I love. I love having an annual plan. I love to be strategic about when I'm doing certain things and really having that bird's eye view, but also like the ant's eye view, like down in the weeds where things are really working.

I'm Bonnie Christine and this is where all things creativity, design, business and marketing unite. I'm a mama living in a tiny town tucked right inside the Smoky Mountains, running a multi seven figure business, doing the most creative and impactful work of my life. But when I first set out to become an entrepreneur, I was struggling to make ends meet and wrestling with how to accomplish my biggest dream of becoming a fabric designer. Fast forward to today. I'm not only licensing my artwork all over the world, but also teaching others how to design their creative life and experience the same success.

Success.

I'm here to help you spend your life doing something that lights you up. I'll help you build a creative business that also creates an impact, changes people's lives, gives you all of the freedom you want, and is wildly profitable. Welcome to the Professional Creative Podcast.

Today we're talking about the art of business and just what exactly that means.

You know, we have the conference coming

up and we're calling it Immersion Live the Art of Business for the Professional Creative. And so I wanted to take a minute and just kind of explain what I think about that. What are my thoughts around a professional creative and my thoughts around what the art of business is?

You know, the art of business for

professional creatives goes way beyond just making money from your craft. It really brings together that delicate balance of merging your creativity and your business side of your brain. Professional creatives, you not only have to master your art and your craft, but you also have to really understand how to monetize it, how to market it, and how to manage the business in a sustainable way. You know, in other words, the art of business for creatives is all about bringing together your creativity with your entrepreneurship. And it really involves turning your art and your craft into a business that can sustain you financially and give you the freedom that you want. The freedom that I want, that I think you want as well, is freedom of time. Right? Like working whenever you want to work. Because I know as creatives, you might not feel most creative from 9 to 5. And so working for yourself and having a sustainable business means you get to work whenever you want. It also means freedom of location. I want you to be able to work from wherever you want to work, whether that's traveling around the world or, like me, living in a tiny town where there's not a lot happening, but you get to work from home. And finally, I want financial freedom for you. Financial freedom, and at its core is being comfortable not having to constantly stress about money or whether it's coming in. You know, it's a sustainable, even flow of money into your business.

So let's start by covering some of

the challenges that I think I see a lot of creatives struggle with. You know, I think many times creatives feel like they either have that left brain or that right brain. And so what I want to do is really merge them together. And so alongside your craft, you also have to be financially literate. You know, you have to understand finances and budgeting and taxes. You also have to realize how to market and brand your work. And so marketing and really getting your message heard, understanding how to present yourself, understanding how to present your products or your offers, it can be complicated, but it can also be really, really creative and personal and authentic and full of integrity.

And it's one of my favorite parts

is really just getting your message into the world and also branding. What do you want everything to look like, and how do you want to show up in this. In this art and business. Time management is another huge one. Really learning how to juggle between the art side of your business and the business logistics, it can feel a little bit like a struggle. So finding that perfect balance where you have time for both, and then there's also an emotional investment. You know, your art is deeply personal, which makes it going out into the world feel really vulnerable. And so there's a lot of personal development that has to go along with success and putting yourself out there and being willing to show up. So all of that are things that I often see creatives struggle with when it comes to the business side of running their business. And that's really where the art of business comes into play. So understanding this business side to your art, it's what makes creatives really form a sustainable business and a living from your art and your craft. And so by grasping concepts like budgeting and marketing and strategic planning and time management, you can really position yourself to maximize both your reach and your revenue, while also not compromising your creative life. And your creative like endeavors. And so understanding the business side will also just open up so many doors for you. It can open up things like partnerships, licensing, collaborations, and being seen on bigger and broader platforms. And that can also really enrich your career in the long term.

Mark your calendars for this October 19th through the 21st because our annual conference for Creative Immersion Live is coming up, we've gathered a spectacular lineup of industry leaders, artists and entrepreneurs like Amy Porterfield, Morgan Harper, Nichols Glow, Otonmo and Nicholas Wilton, plus many, many more for an unmatched virtual conference experience. Immersion Live this year is all about the art of business for the professional creative. Over three days you'll unlock strategies to guide your business effectively, refine your designs and establish a flourishing creative career. And the best part is that you can experience it all from the comfort of your own. Do a live virtual conference like nobody else. Sessions will allow for real time interaction, questions answered, and a sense of community

that's honestly hard to match.

Our event kicks off with Open studio

night on October 19th, where you'll get

to peek behind the curtain of some incredibly successful artists and designers. The next two days you'll immerse yourself in keynote sessions and workshops where you'll learn, interact and have all your questions answered, come engaged with like minded creatives, make meaningful connections and open the doors to collaboration. We're also recording every session so you can revisit and absorb this wealth of knowledge at your own pace. Head ON over to bonniecristine.com 2023interersion live to join us.

So when I think about the art of business, there are a couple of components that come to mind. The first one is strategy. How can you be strategic in the way that you build your business so that it serves you in your creativity as well? How can you plan and clear goals and really steer the business effectively? Strategy is one of those things that I love. I love having an annual plan. I love to be strategic about when I'm doing certain things and really having that bird's eye view, but also like the ant's eye view like down in the weeds where things are really working. Also integrity for your art, like really being able to balance and maintain the quality of the time that you get to spend doing the creative thing while also building the business. And this is something we struggle with a lot like can you build a business and maintain your craft? You absolutely have to, but it is something that is difficult so really learning how to balance that out. Networking is another component like really building meaningful connections with other people who are in your industry with other people who are doing things that you want to do. You know, as big as the world is, it actually becomes really small when you have an online presence and an online business and you can meet all kinds of incredible people and that opens up doors for opportunities and collaborations. And it's one of the best parts of doing this business and, and the creative entrepreneurship part online. And then the fourth component is continuous learning, keeping up to date with technology and different platforms and trends and methods and marketing. It's really so very fun to be a constant student. And so I'm always looking to learn something new and then implement it. And based on how that goes, if it's a success, turning around and teaching how I did what I did and then learn something new again. And so by doing this, you become a lifelong learner, constantly learning new things, constantly teaching new things. By the way, teaching is one of the best ways to really, really submit the things that you've learned. And so it's a beautiful way to just constantly progress. So these are the types of things that we're talking about at our upcoming conference. Immersion live is October 19th through the 21st. And it's the art of business for the professional creative. It's very much where we bring together that left and right side. It's where we talk about art and it's deeply inspiring, creative. And then we also talk about business and strategy and marketing and growing your email list and really making sure that you're financially stable as well. And so we have an incredible lineup of keynote speakers and workshops coming. Ms. Amy Porterfield, who is the queen of online marketing, is one of our keynote speakers. I'm so excited to have Amy present at the conference. We also have Morgan Harper Nichols. Morgan is an incredible artist. She's so deeply inspiring. She's going to be a highlight of the event as well. Nicholas Wilton is just a brilliant creative entrepreneur. He brings together fine art and business like no one I've ever seen. And then Glo atonmo, who is the queen of content creation, she has learned how to travel the world, all fueled by her creativity and her entrepreneurship. So those are our keynote speakers. Of course, I'll be teaching and we've got a host of other artists and entrepreneurs. I would love for you to go check it out so you can visit bonniecristine.com forward/2023 immersion live to see the entire lineup. We would absolutely love to have you join us. We also have two more seats currently available for our in person VIP experience. If that's something that you're interested in. You can find out more about that on the website as well. What I really want you to know is that attending this conference is an investment in your future. It's an investment in your creativity and your business, which for me is always hard. I'm always investing in either my creativity or my business. And so this experience is really one and the same. It's your creativity and your business all wrapped up into one. You know, while we're talking about this, I think that entrepreneurship is creative, and I actually think it's much like creating art. Like, you have to be willing to take risks and willing to pivot when something isn't going the way that you wanted it to. Entrepreneurs who are also creatives, I think are running the most impactful and fun businesses in the entire world because as you get into the business side of running it, you really get to flex your creative skills there as well. You get to try new things and be really innovative. And that is just one of the best things that we can do on earth. So if this resonated with you, if you feel like you're combining art and business and you want to learn more how to do it, I would love for you to join us again. It's coming up October 19th through the 21st, and we'll put the link in today's show notes as well as in the description of this podcast. If you want to head on over, it's bonniecristine.com forward/2023 immersion live. We'd love to see you there, my friends. Create the beauty that you want to see come alive in the world. And remember, there's room for you. I'll see you next time. Bye for now.