I’m unique in my family for a number of reasons. For one, I am the only one in three generations not to have an advanced degree.

Parents, stepparents, grandparents, siblings, all have MAs, PhDs, and sheepskin by the yard.

Another is that I am one of the few to have spent most of my life working in a company owned by someone else. I’ve worked for small shops and big conglomerates, and I’ve always had a Yertle the Turtle pile of bosses above and below me.

When I decided to walk away from my corporate job soon after my thirtieth year in business, I assumed I would continue working for other companies as some sort of freelancer or consultant.

It never occurred to me that I might become an entrepreneur. The word itself seems bro-y and MBAish and not at all me.

I also never really thought I would think of myself as an artist. That was another Ill-fitting word, this time filled with peril and penury.

Now, I’m sort of both. I’m a CEO (gulp), and people tell me I’m an artist too.

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How does that work? And what does it mean?

I guess I thought being an artist meant being true to oneself above all.

To making stuff that I want to make. Being true to my vision. Refusing to compromise. Making sacrifices to be authentic. Starving for one’s art.

Being a businessman, on the other hand, was all about the money. Being willing to compromise everything to get ahead. Being narrowly focussed on success, on commerce, on the operations of Industry.

Wearing a 3-piece uniform. Punching clocks. Taking the 6:23 from Darien.

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After eight years of becoming both, I see how wrong I was about these job descriptions.

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Being an artist is about being authentic to one’s vision, yes, but a successful artist is one who has a vision that others can share. A great artist is also thinking of others and how we are connected by their insights.

Art is communication, shining a light on what is going on deep inside the artist and hopefully inside you too.

An artist who forgets that there is an audience out there soon ends up alone in a room full of paintings no one else cares about and a pile of unpaid bills.

This doesn’t mean compromising values for the market, becoming a hack and a sellout.

It means being authentic while being an entrepreneur who makes work others want too. It means presenting and selling your ideas in the marketplace, just like any other commodity.

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Being successful in business means being focused on the bottom line, sure.

But it also means being a creative problem solver.

Business is waged on a shifting battlefield, changes come from all sides, and the entrepreneur needs to be nimble and responsive. Business is not just about structure, efficiency and compartmentalization, it’s about thinking outside of the pigeonhole, adapting and stealing like an artist.

A great businessperson expresses who they are deep down in the decisions they make. They count on their understanding of people, their broad and long views, and their authentic understanding of the world.

A successful businessman is always growing, learning, and experimenting — just like the painter in her studio.

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I now find myself with a buttock on each stool.

I express myself in essays like this, sharing my authentic feelings and insights.

But this essay is also the product of a business, and I have to think about how to get you to subscribe and stay subscribed. You are my reader and my patron.

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But here’s an even more interesting insight.

At the core of what all great artists and businesspeople are doing is helping the world. We need to understand people’s needs and offer solutions that will help them.

That might be a need for meaning or beauty. It might be a need for reliable tires or a tasty burger.

If you aren’t interested in what others think and want, no one will be interested in thinking about or wanting your work either.

And if you are a business person who just cares about profit, the customer’s needs be damned, you will soon have no customers, and no profit either.

Being of service both to yourself and others. It’s a great way to make a living.

Your pal,

Danny

P.S. My mum (PhD) has had a very interesting life. And she just published her memoir. Learn more about it here.