Is there a world where I can just create art and someone else handles everything else?

No, that’s a fairy tale and a fantasy. Let’s put that to bed once and for all. Even the chef in a successful restaurant doesn’t just cook whatever they want while ignoring everything else. The chef gets to cook and come up with dishes, but they still have to run the kitchen—organize the staff, procure ingredients, and keep everything on rails. Similarly, you’ll always need to be involved in your business beyond just creating. The realistic goal is to eliminate all the tasks that aren’t your superpower so you can focus exclusively on creating art and doing the personal marketing that only you can do (showing your process, being on camera, sharing your story). You’ll never be completely hands-off, but you can get to a place where you’re only doing the high-leverage activities that actually grow your business.

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Asked by an artist dreaming of only creating art · Answered by Patrick Shanahan · art-marketing-podcast · 2023-09-29