“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”
-Michelangelo
Dear startup CEO… do something crazy!
Being a CEO is an expression of the person, of self, of self image, of an individuals unique thought processes, ego. taste and style. CEOs also evolve over the years as they learn, have successes and grow more confident.
That’s why at times some CEOs look a bit ridiculous – they unknowingly show the world their bad taste or biased opinions or unreasonable thoughts. But that’s O.K., it makes the CEO more human, and they’re trying to channel their creativity. It is also the necessary process, and the vulnerability you need to venture into in order to find the good stuff – the truly creative breakthroughs. They’re on the way to good things.
When thinking like an artist, a CEO can experiment, let go of some of the many arbitrary rules we create for ourselves in the business world. The best ideas come from the willingness to experiment and throw away the bad ideas. Many artists find amazing breakthroughs when they make mistakes, put things out of order or look at something upside down.
First time CEOs often don’t even try to experiment; they’re busy enough handling the basics. They assume they should wait until after they have had some success, but they should try some crazy ideas as early as possible. When people try to “make art” unpredictable things can happen.
I relate this to my own artistic outlets – painting, digital design, photography, where I often create by discovering a mistake that produces something I had no idea I could do.
Then I try to incorporate those thought processes back into my business world, i.e “What if we tried…” “Let’s forget the rules for a minute, look at this differently.” By having the confidence to try crazy things my confidence increases. Often the crazy idea is not usable, but once in a while I’m rewarded with a pleasant surprise. All innovative CEOs do this.
painting
Software developers are very familiar with creative experimentation but the rest of us don’t see it, we just enjoy the results. Abstraction, encapsulation, namespaces – these are all ways of experimenting with code, tweaking it util something cool or unexpected happens. Imagine all the experimentation that happens when software like Photoshop or iOS is improved.
Another thing artists learn to do is to change their point of view – step back, turn it sideways, set something aside, wait a day or so and look at their project with a little more perspective. By doing this they see new things, and time can often make everything a little more understandable, less stressful.
In my paintings I constantly see things I could change. My mind wanders. I make mistakes that are great discoveries. Once they’re complete and up on a wall I’m still experimenting in my mind.
There are times a CEO has to make very difficult decisions regarding money or employees or products. These are serious, non-artistic moments. Try approaching these events and decision with creative thought, using different perspectives, like an artist would. Open your mind bit more. It will take some practice but the results will make you smile.
Some art sites for your inspiration:
http://www.michaelkenna.net/imagearchive.php
https://www.keithcarterphotographs.com/bones?lightbox=image5fr