Art/Writing

Art Is At The Core Of Entrepreneurship, Ignore It At Your Peril

The sculpture "Le Baiser" (The Kiss) by French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The sculpture “Le Baiser” (The Kiss) by French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)(AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

As technology moves the world at ever greater speeds and artificial intelligence becomes the electricity of the twenty first century, engineers are revered, and STEM subjects encouraged. At times, this comes at the cost of art and the human element. A computer science graduate is currently guaranteed to find a well-paying job, whereas a liberal arts graduate may find it harder.

Yet the most interesting people I know have diverse tastes and are Renaissance men and women. In the Renaissance, it was a mark of prestige to have an understanding of the arts, and the sciences, to speak several languages and have creative pursuits. As well as beheading his wives and periodically invading France, Henry VIII also wrote sonnets.

The arts, whether visual, theatre or music, give us an understanding of the human condition, which is universal and eternal. While the way we communicate has changed, what we want to say has not. The child of an egotistic parent will recognize King Lear’s selfishness and anyone who has ever been in love will identify with the tenderness of Rodin’s The Kiss.

The end user of every product is human, whether that product is software, a dress or a book. A narrow focus on product or financial metrics, which dismisses the human element, is unlikely to create something lasting.

Noble.AI, a California-based company which makes artificial intelligence to enable faster and cheaper research and development for the likes of Boeing, is predictably full of engineers. Less predictable is the fact that around a quarter of its staff are artists and designers. Dr Matthew Levy, CEO and founder of Noble.AI, says that his emphasis on aesthetics means that the products they make have to be beautiful and pleasing to use, as well as technologically advanced. “I don’t think our products could be successful if we didn’t think about how people would be interacting with them. The people who use our products are human and they have a wide range of interests, so it is important not to have a narrow focus.”

Dr Matthew Levy, CEO and Founder of Noble.AI

Noble.AI

Levy says that it takes a conscious effort to bring diverse viewpoints together and avoid the risk of sitting in your own bubble. As recent events have shown us, it is easy to submerge oneself into an echo-chamber of reinforcing beliefs. Levy is inspired by Steve Jobs, who revered artists and put beautiful design at the heart of Apple.

Levy suggests that if you want to be a first-rate engineer, focus on engineering, but if you want to be an entrepreneur, develop your wider interests. “Allow yourself time to dive into that interest. I guarantee there will be connections you’ve never anticipated when you started out on that journey.”

In fact, this is how Levy and I met. We were both at the beginning of our entrepreneurial journeys and were working from Second Home, a workspace known for its creative approach. Spanish architects SelgasCano designed an environment so beautiful and unique, that it inevitably drew companies to whom aesthetics were important. I run a fashion tech company, so this was a simple choice for me, but I was surprised by how much design mattered to my frontier technology innovating neighbors.

Second Home Spitalfields, London

Iwan Baan

An artistic interest also engages the brain in a way that day to day business does not. Marianne Moore, paints as a balance to running her company. Moore’s consultancy, Justice Studio, advises charities, NGOs and governments on how to bring social equality into their work. She travels the world advising on some of the world’s toughest issues, which is an inevitably stressful job. Moore sees her painting as a counterweight to this work because it is indulgence in beauty for beauty’s sake.

Moore says creating art and creating a company are extensions of the same trait: seeing an idea in your head and then making it come to life. Yet, despite painting since her teens, Moore only recently opened up about her combined life as an artist and an entrepreneur. “People want to put you in a box and if you are straddling different things, they find it hard to define you. Society now tells you to be one thing or the other thing.” Today, Moore says she is a “creatrix of art and companies”. For those unfamiliar with the term creatrix, it is the feminine of creator.

Corset, by Marianne Moore, contemporary artist and entrepreneur

Marianne Moore

Creativity is the essence of entrepreneurship, yet creative musing often falls prey to a determined focus on execution. As an entrepreneur myself, I have sometimes fallen into the trap of reading business book after business book, in the eternal quest for improvement. To snap out of it, I have started reading a biography of Picasso, which leaves my brain rested, entertained and inspired.

Sometimes, art for art’s sake is good for business.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Sophia Matveeva

I’m a startup founder, entrepreneurship mentor and Chicago Booth MBA. I run Enty, a fashion tech platform where users get on demand feedback from professional stylists. I also coach entrepreneurs on PR and growing their brand. This journey has taken me through top accelerators, exposed me to investors, taught me how to build a product, lead a team and grow revenues. On Forbes, I write about the start-up journey as it really is, rather than as I wish it would be. Find me on http://www.sophiamatveeva.com

Source: Art Is At The Core Of Entrepreneurship, Ignore It At Your Peril

Top 10 Persuasive Writing Techniques

Admit it. You write because you want to convince your readers to do something or agree with your point of view. Or maybe you want them to be inspired by your words, to apply your teachings and principles, to act on your ideas.

Don’t want to admit it? Okay. This is not an interrogation. I’ll move on then.

Persuasion is the ability to present a certain situation as being beneficial to both parties. You make someone an offer they can’t refuse. Not in a Godfather sense of the way though.

Yes, you need to work at making the other understand that a good deal is being offered.

Weird, right?

And, yes, there are techniques that can help you create a more compelling case.

Here are the ten best persuasive writing techniques.

Prepare for… WORLD DOMINATION!

1. Repetition

Because no one is listening the first time you say something. They’re just not paying attention. So you must say it a second time. And you think to yourself, now they got it. Odds are, no, they didn’t.

The third time you say it, that’s when they ask a question about what you just said, because they really didn’t hear you the first times.

The fourth time you say it, they think to themselves: “Well, this must be important, because it’s the second time he’s told me about it.”

Or so the legend goes.

The truth is that repetition is crucial. The trick is to deliver your point in several different ways, such as directly, using an example, by telling them a story, or utilizing a quote from someone famous.

2. Use the power of because

“Why?” you ask.

“Because I said so.”

Because is such a powerful word that people are more likely to comply with a request if you just give them a reason why… even if that reason makes no sense at all to them.

The idea is that we don’t like to be told to do things without an explanation.

We’re all rebels here, so when you need people to be receptive to your line of thinking, always give reasons why.

Why?

Because I said so.

3. Consistency

Consistency (also known as congruency) is an important trait to have. It is associated with integrity and rational behavior.

We want to be consistent, so we don’t like to have conflicting ideas or opinions.

When it comes to writing this translates to making your reader agree with something that cannot be denied, then add all sorts of evidence to support your case. Tie it all back to the opening idea that has already been accepted in order to make your readers agree with everything you wrote.

4. Social Proof

This is a concept I talk about when making my case against posting too often, especially on a young blog.

We’re constantly looking for guidance from others, but at the same time we want to make sure that the people we associate ourselves with have been “verified by others.”

Yeah, that’s the best term that I could come up with.

It’s why testimonials are so effective, or why a person who’s seen having a lot of friends makes others want to be friends with them too.

How do you use social proof in your writing?

Quote from a bunch of famous people, use studies, and so on. If others agree with what you’re writing, then odds are that your readers will too.

5. Comparisons

Metaphors, similes and analogies are the persuasive writer’s best friends. When your scenario relates to something that the reader already accepts as true, you stand a better chance at making them see things your way.

6. Fix a problem

Don’t we all have problems? Don’t we all want them fixed?

You just need to identify the problem, play a bit with your readers emotions, then offer them the solution to their problem.

This sounds like something straight out of a plan for world domination, but it’s not about being cruel, it’s more about empathy. You want your readers to understand that you feel them, you get what they’re going through because you’ve also dealt with this issue.

Your solution is only as good as your ability to show the reader that you can feel his pain and struggle.

7. Become a modern-day Nostradamus

No, I’m not kidding you. This is an actual persuasion technique. The idea is to provide your readers with a convincing glimpse of the future.

Take into account current events and then tell folks how it’s going to be.

If this sounds foolish to you, it’s not. The only issue is that if you have no idea what you’re talking about, then you will appear to be foolish to your readers.

Your prediction needs to make sense, to be convincing enough. You need to demonstrate that you know what you’re about, that you’ve given this some serious thought.

8. Unify … Selectively

Do you know when people best work together? When they have to fight against another group.

We function primarily in a mode of “us vs. them.” There has to be an outside group we are aware of to form an identity as a group.

Exclusive memberships work like that. As a matter of fact, I believe the word exclusive means that you’re apart of a special group. The best group.

You can study pretty much every successful leader in the way they chose their words as to create a group, and especially the words they used to define everyone else outside that group.

The more difficult it is to be a part of a group, the more you want to become a member.

For instance, the group made up of all the hundred something thousand people who follow this blog is the best group ever. Honestly. Every single day they make my day, make me smile and laugh, offer incredible insight into the world of art, books, blogging, writing. Great people!

9. Address Objections

There will always be someone who disagrees with a particular statement of yours. This happens every time you make a nuanced point, so it’s best to identify those moments and address potential objections, because…

Credibility, I guess.

Yeah. That one.

It also means that you know what you’re writing about.

Storytelling

Storytelling is the wonder weapon: you can and should use it in combination with any and all of the previous nine techniques. Storytelling works so well because it allows people to persuade themselves, and that’s what it’s really all about.

Truth be told, we never convince anyone of anything — we just offer to help them decide we’re right. If you’re a great storyteller, then you can pretty much make people do whatever you want.

Including WORLD DOMINATION!

Source: Top 10 Persuasive Writing Techniques

What’s Needed is Magic: Writing Advice from Haruki Murakami

If you can believe it, Japanese novelist, talking cat enthusiast, and weird ear chronicler Haruki Murakami turned 70 years old this weekend. 70! But I suppose we should believe it, despite the youthful gaiety and creative magic of his prose: the internationally bestselling writer has 14 novels and a handful of short stories under his belt, and it’s safe to say he’s one of the most famous contemporary writers in the world. To celebrate his birthday, and as a gift to those of you who hope to be the kind of writer Murakami is when you turn 70, I’ve collected some of his best writing advice……..

Source: What’s Needed is Magic: Writing Advice from Haruki Murakami

9 Bold & Powerful Women Who Shaped the Art World – Jessica Stewart

While the art world has historically seen a gender imbalance, this doesn’t mean that there have not been important women working on the scene. Artists themselves often get highlighted, but many female art patrons past and present have helped shape the way we view art. In fact, history is littered with trailblazing women who have influenced art history thanks to their work as collectors, gallerists, patrons, and museum founders……

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Frida Kahlo Writes a Personal Letter to Georgia O’Keeffe After O’Keeffe’s Nervous Breakdown (1933) – Colin Marshall

Important twentieth-century painters, as every student of art history learns, didn’t tend to sail smoothly through existence. Those even a little interested in famed Mexican self-portraitist Frida Kahlo have heard much about the travails both romantic and physical she endured in her short life. But in this lesser-known instance, another artist suffered, and Kahlo offered the solace.Available to view from Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, we have here a letter Kahlo sent to Georgia O’Keeffe, painter of blossoms and southwest American landscapes…….

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Category: Art/Writing

Art Is At The Core Of Entrepreneurship, Ignore It At Your Peril

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