It’s 2019, late in the afternoon. On his way home from work, a man speeds down a busy New York subway station.

Once arrived at his station, he makes a quick judgement. It’s probably about a 5 minute wait until the next train arrives. With determination, he looks over his shoulders. Standing behind him are a 5 or so other men, one of whom is carrying a piano. Another one a tambourine, another a guitar.

With little hesitation, the men start unpacking their instruments and start playing. Just after the first few chords, he starts singing as well.

Flocks of people start gathering around. The atmosphere shifts. For a moment, some forget the fleeing stress that caught them during the day. Consumed by the music, the vibe, in awe of the spontaneous moment that came as a surprise, everyone temporarily forgets being in one of the busiest places of New York.

The song wraps up. Big applause. And after a bow, the man walks away. The band packs their instruments and jump onto the train, as the subway carries them away.

That man was, in fact, Hozier singing “Take Me To Church” on his way home from a concert in 2019. You’d wish you were there. At least I do.

The business of creativity

As beautiful and spontaneous as this story is, Hozier is a full-time artist. He makes a living doing creative things. But…

Did it occur to you that Hozier normally charges well over $100 for a concert ticket? Well then, what’s the point in giving part of that same concert in the subway for free?

In both cases, he brings the same version of himself. The same band. The same music and name. And yet in one case, he makes a lot of money. In the other case, he doesn’t.

Apart from it being a clear marketing stunt, and maybe a personal desire to give back to a few unknowing people, there is a lesson to be learned.

While Hozier brought his love for music to connect people through his universal language to both occasions, he also brought something else to the concert hall:

A clever nose for business.

Marketing, licensing, production, ticket sales... These are just some examples of business that enable him to be the creative artist he is today.

He, like others, managed to channel some parts of his creativity into a useful direction: one that makes people listen, drives people to his concerts and gets them to pay for it.

This principle holds true for any creative career. Videographers, designers, developers, copywriters, directors. It’s not just about being creative. It’s not just about being an artist. It’s about shaping your creativity in a useful direction that allows you to build and maintain a long-term business.

But before diving into all of that, let’s clear something up first.

You are not your business

We have to talk about a myth. A myth so big and dangerous that it is severely limiting potential for growth. It’s keeping your feet glued to the ground, unable to make the moves required to successfully navigate your career.

That myth is called being your own business.

You are not your business.

This might sound counter-intuitive. Because creative professionals must consistently bring creativity into their work. But this can wrongfully give you the impression that your business is your creativity.

You see, creativity comes from within. A place of deep understanding, courage and experimentation. Creativity is about combining different insights and skills into something new and truly unique. It’s a highly personal skill free of rules, built upon years of practical and emotional experience.

Business, on the other hand, is not free of rules.

It comes from outside. Doing business comes with a set of externally-imposed realities that cannot be ignored. Think about paying taxes, charging money, managing competition, doing marketing, tracking costs and gathering customers.

The downside of the creative career is that because creativity is an inherent part of doing business... and because creativity is so highly personal… the lines between all of these concepts start to fade real quick.

No wonder you start to believe that you are a business.

Creatives like Hozier, along with many directors, actors, designers, developers or videographers, did crack the code. How come they manage to keep their creative integrity while also making money? How come they don’t see doing business as a limitation, or even worse, something to be avoided entirely?

Because they have figured out that they are not their business.

Instead, they see business for what it is.

And use their creativity to their advantage.

A business doesn’t just exist in our minds, it also exists in the real world: the economy. You probably agree that what happens in the economy is well beyond your control. Supply & demand, political shifts, taxes, laws… just to name a few.

A business is not something we are. Rather, it is a tool we use to navigate the intersection between economy and creativity.

Just like a videographer can’t make videos without a camera. Or a singer can’t sing without vocal cords. Creatives can’t make money without a business.

So let there be no confusion.

There is you. There is the economy. And then, there is your business. Your unique tool to navigate the intersection between creativity and economy. The exciting place where two worlds collide. The relationship that holds everything together.

Confusing yourself with your business is a dangerous and unproductive perspective. It’ll lead you down a path of disappointment, forever torn between the internal and external world.

It's like trying to balance the entire world, internal and external, within yourself.

Let the economy exist outside of yourself. Let you be you. Use business as a tool. A tool that allows for creative expression within the intersection of economy and creativity. That is the secret to navigating it successfully.

You are more than a tool. You are your experience, your emotions, your grievances. Your skills, your imperfections and mistakes. And while all of this is free to exist...

Not all of them should exist within your business.

You are an entrepreneur

I’ve personally always seen myself as an entrepreneur. I’ve sold my first online business at the age of 16, hosted multiple online communities, started a video production company and ran it for 13 years without ever working for a boss. Today, my business is healthy, funds investments, pays for an office and makes money in the process.

However, next to being an entrepreneur, I’m also just a friend, a partner, a son, a fan. One might even say an artist. Being an entrepreneur is just one part of me. It is the part of me that is especially useful in business.

Calling yourself an entrepreneur can be controversial at times. Especially for creatives. Some believe it to be a stain on their personality. Others believe it’s limiting possibilities and compromising their creative integrity. Because to them, being creative means always being their true self.

To those I ask, which is more appealing?

  • Trying to bring your entire personality into your business, facing impossible compromises and losing yourself in the process?
  • Or, treating your business as a focused beam of creativity, aimed at capturing value of the outside economy?

Becoming an entrepreneur is simply about admitting that you are actively playing in the intersection between your creativity and the outside economy. It means you understand that your business is a separate entity that enables you to stay you.

This is why some don’t want to call themselves an entrepreneur. They are afraid of compromise, afraid of losing themselves in business. But the opposite is true. How can you lose yourself in business if business is just a small part of you?

Operating a successful business requires you to choose the right tools, skills and creativity, and bring them into that separate entity. Let the business hire the parts of you that enable it to grow. And leave the things that do the opposite outside of its power.

Acknowledge that you are more than your business.

Think like an entrepreneur and feed your business with skills that it can actually use. Like talking in front of a camera. Video editing. Marketing. Play with it, experiment. This is your playground.

In the end, it’s all an act of balance.

The entangled painter

At the very start of my own creative career, I visited a informational session organized by one of Belgium’s creative networks. As I sat next to 20 other creatives, a friendly lady in explained how to charge money for creative work.

Next to me sat a guy who slowly raised his hand.

“Hi”, he said. “I’m a painter. I don’t agree with you. How can I price something that is invaluable? I would never reduce the value of my creativity to something as foul as money.”

This is a typical example of the pain caused by the entanglement of your full person and business. It’s a path with no end, a question without an answer. An impossible paradox of the internal and external world.

I’m not saying not to be your true self. I’m not saying not to value your work in ways deeper than can be expressed in money. Money measures the value of your work solely in the intersection that is called business. Beyond it, your work’s value transcends any price.

What I’m saying is this. If you want to make money with creative work… compromise is inevitable. But compromise in business doesn't mean compromising yourself.

Just like Hozier, enable yourself to play in that concert hall.

And, from time to time, play in the subway too.

Beam parts of your creativity into something new.

A business.