ArtBizVoice: In Mentorship Language is Everything

Dear Mr. Trump,

 As an artist, I speak the language of Artists. We sometimes speak little; sometimes in long flowery phrases of description, that translate into color and brush strokes. As a Journalist and Writer, I speak the language of a reporter, asking too many questions and trying to build pictures in my head of details and minutia, that I can share through the written word.  As a business person, I understand a growing vocabulary each day; however. I still have conceptual trouble trying to  think outside of my emotions and into practical successful business practices. When I translate business language into a picture its easier to understand.

This is where I think we artist’s always run into trouble. We are conditioned to solitude, with extreme explosions of creativity, that demands focus in order to do our best work. If we work totally alone we actually develop a language set that only we understand. If we are lucky, we also have an assistant who understands it too.

The small amount of time we have outside of the studio requires, at least for me, direct concise answers to our questions so that we can let the information process in our brains. Then we can come back into the conversation at a later time and correct the problem or adapt to a business process we didn’t understand before.

Convincing some business people to give us the non-idioms, strait talk version of a concept in “every day people” language is sometimes very difficult. Especially, if the person talking expects us to understand what they are saying the first time and dismisses the us if  we don’t understand.  It can be even worse if the business person is trying to impose their preferences on a very creative person who’s skills sets run to non-conformity, especially if it seems to be conformity for conformity’s sake. Artist's often understand the nuances of business but have little knowledge of the lingo.

This is one reason I think that mentorship is really important. A good mentor realizes the creativity, out  of the box thinking and exuberance of the artist .  A good mentor speaks in direct simple terms that  answers each question while still being factual and tactful at the same time. A good mentor is going to recognize the process the artist uses and help them translate good business practices into it. A good mentor will not only give practical help, they will also learn from the person they are mentoring.

Understanding that creative emotion can translate into good successful business, can have a healthy out come, without the frustration of communication breakdown, because people don’t understand one another. All that it really takes is the desire to make it happen and a mentor with the ability and willingness to view things from a new perspective he or she had not thought of before. (Artist tend to be trained that way already)

My thoughts and prayers are with all of those in the North East today who are still without power after the snow.

Blessings,

~L

ArtBizVoice: My Audience and What they Need.

Dear Mr. Trump,

I took a couple of days off writing to ponder my purpose again. It’s a luxury I have at the moment because I have a number of projects going. I did take a break because someone questioned the wisdom of my using this format as a way to reach out to people like myself and to find a possible mentor.

The people I am trying to reach are people who are creative, don’t really understand the nuances of being an entrepreneur, they have no mentors who understand the challenges they face as sometimes they are the first in their families to go into business. My target for these blog posts are people who recognize your name because you have a media presence that most in business do not have.

My writing these letters to you gives people who need the information a key into the locked door of the business world they might not find any other way. You have name recognition to those on welfare, stay at home moms, disabled, people who have lost their jobs. They understand that you are an entrepreneur and a successful business man living the dream. They see the result of your education, experience, the people who mentored you but they simply don’t know how to get from where they are to becoming successful like you.

The questions they have are not answered by The SBA, SCORE or most business associations or state funded employment councilors because many of those councilors have never lived the challenges.

The people I’m trying to share with don’t have access to mentors, educators and others who have learned how to navigate the zero dollar start up business and operate it on a shoe string.  These are creative people, many of them living in poverty, many of them reach out to people like myself who have had experiences and came before them. Their only access is what they see on TV and what books they find when they shop at a store like the Dollar Tree or a Thrift store. Fortunate is the one who finds one of your books in either of these places or in a public library.

In this day and age people need practical help, not pat answers from people who haven’t been there. I heard on my local radio station this week that the number of first time entrepreneurs is the fastest growing sector in the economy this quarter. I think people are seeking it because of so many who have lost their jobs and industries over the last 4 years. People need this help. If they cant find work, they need to create their own job. They need to know what is possible, why and how to get there even in spite of their insecurities.

So, Mr. Trump, until you tell me not to write to you like this, I am going to continue to use the format to reach out to people and share what I know, what I have learned and where I have found to get the answers.

Thanks for being there.
~L

ArtBizVoice: Accessibility

Dear Mr. Trump,

This morning I found a site for artists in business. It suggested that I enlarge my business by becoming involved with an interior designer or a corporate art consultant.  I would love to do that. I’m just wondering how that might be possible.  I really am not going to be able to pack up my massive portfolio and hop on public transportation and travel to where they are. First while I am independent, I am limited in my independence due to mobility.

Seriously, if the store is too big or the parking is too far away I have to do without. Walking is a problem for me.  I have to juggle a cane and carry things. Accessibility is not just a level doorway. It is also the distance the disabled must walk from where their ride is parked.

I have heard business owners say. “ Oh we are so lucky we don’t have to have handicapped accessible entrances to our building because its grandfathered.”  They lost my business because I couldn’t navigate the stairs.

 I was thinking about this the other day. If more building designers and business managers knew the practical limitations of their elderly and disabled clients perhaps they could adapt their buildings to be more accessible. And they might not lose that business. 

I know that some businesses are trying to cut startup costs and renovations the best they can. I wonder what the figures are, the numbers of people that cant access the building and the amount of money that the business looses, because of it.  I am guessing its somewhere between 10% and 15%.  That percent could make or break a small business. And for a larger business it could means millions in business that they are not realizing. Its not about what the law allows, its about what allows those who are potential clients to participate in your business.

With an aging population and even more people becoming disabled at an earlier age due to injuries on the job and just wear and tear on their bodies,  I can see how this is a big drain on the economy if they cannot contribute to the economy.

When a business does not address accessibility, it disengages a portion of its potential client base.
New and creative solutions need to be found to not only allow the disabled to participate as clients but also to participate as employees.

I’ve lots of new projects coming up this month. It’s becoming very exciting.
Blessings of the Day to you.
~L

ArtBizVoice: Preventing Dancing Mediocrity in Your Business

Dear Mr. Trump,
I love your philosophy of excellence. The goal of being the best possible while making yourself and what you do better and better.

I have been keenly aware over the last few months that there is actually a dancing mediocrity in most of our culture today. I have actually been trying to figure out why.

This mediocrity can be as simple as an employee sweeping the floor but instead of actually using a dustpan they pile all the dirt in the middle of the floor, then pick up what they can see to place in the trash can. They actually use their hands to pick up the dirt. The last activity in this scenario is to simply swish the broom through the small bits and spread it out all over the room. When you ask them if they swept up the floor they say “yes”. But the floor never gets clean. This is kids stuff. I mean really this is the sort of thing a little child does during chores... until they are trained.

So why on earth would anyone go through an activity that is small but incredibly important for most businesses  but only do enough to say "Yes, I did it."

My theory :

a)these people have never been trained to take pride in their work?  (Maybe)
b) these people have been trained that this is the way its done? ( They probably do it this way at home)
c) these people understand the concept of sweeping and accomplish it as the goal but they do not understand that the goal is actually to clean the floor from the corners to the center and make it shine?
d) they are distracted by cell phones and ipods and are not focused on their work so they don’t even realize what they have done or not done? (easy fix: turn them off during work hours)
e)Every aspect of their life is so filled with drama that it spills over into what they are doing at work. The distraction is so bad that they hinder everyone else from their work and productivity drops?( this is deserves its own blog post)

Everyone of these things combined makes for a dirty floor even if it is swept. And this is the major hurdle that employers have to overcome. Even employees have a good work ethic and are dedicated to the job, the language becomes the issue, even when everyone in the workplace speaks English.

Let me illustrate what I think is the most prevalent issue in the current rise in mediocrity. When I say to someone sweep the floor they I expect it to be spotless when they are finished. And I want to be able to walk barefoot over the floor and have my feet be clean and have the floor be smooth. That means not only do I need to communicate how I want it done and why,  they need to not only understand what I expect and how I want it done. And they need to understand that their job performance is rated on results not busy work that never gets done.

One thing we don’t want is a shinny tile floor and the most important client  of the decade to be walking into  the building just as the sunlight shines through the window and hits that pile of dirt someone left because they didn’t know the difference between sweeping and making it spotless. 

We survived the winds and the rains last night. It always amazes me as to how the sun shines brightest just after a really active storm. Have a blessed day.
~L