You Don't Need a Paintbrush
Most people think art means paint on canvas or marble under a chisel. But I think it's time we expanded that definition.
Somewhere along the line, everything outside of "the arts" got filed under "just a job." But spend five minutes watching someone great at their craft and you'll see that's not true.
What do artists do?
- Try things that might not pan out
- Take satisfaction in the act of creating
- Lose themselves in what they're making
- Explore fresh possibilities
- Relentlessly polish and refine
- Challenge assumptions
- Let go of previous ideas to discover new ones
None of those are exclusive to painters or sculptors.
Warren Buffett describes investing as "a form of creativity" and compares running Berkshire Hathaway to painting the Sistine Chapel.
Donald Knuth, the most decorated computer scientist alive, titled his life's work The Art of Computer Programming and argued that code can be grand, noble, even magnificent.
But can't the same be said of a great nurse? A great litigator, mechanic, customer service specialist, middle-school principal, accountant, or regional sales manager?
The spreadsheet can be art. The sales call can be art. The way a manager runs a team meeting can be art. The crucial question is whether you're bringing judgment, taste, and a point of view to work that could've been done a hundred different ways — or whether you're just getting it done.
Try bringing a little artistry into whatever is in front of you this week. Let go of the sales pitch you've given a hundred times to discover a fresh version. Break an old process that technically works and see if you can put it back together better. Consider the difference between "getting it done" and "making it yours," and opt for the latter.
You don't need a paintbrush. Pick up whatever tools you have today and make something worth signing your name to.
