The Artist in Entrepreneurs

Happy 2010!  Twenty Ten … sounds like the future, in that sci-fi, flying-car sense of the word, doesn't it? But another thing about 2010 is that it's the fifth anniversary of NOTCOT. (NOTCOT.com launched in spring 2005!) Every morning I wake up giddy happy and awesomely inspired by my work on NOTCOT and the NOTEmpire (my fun name for my not-an-empire of websites that includes NOTCOT.org, NOTCOT.com, NotCouture and Liqurious). I run a group of sites that distills ideas and inspiration into visual experiences. It feels like an art project to me, an ever-evolving experiment that ignites a passion within me. Creativity, playfulness, art, design and inspiration are my life… and my business. My lines between personal and business are blurry, often non-existent. So I have to admit, I've been in denial about using the words businesswoman, small business and entrepreneur about myself and what I do. I've been making the strategic decisions (and doing the crazy paperwork) it takes to be a small business, but I had a stereotype about what those words meant.

The funny thing is that talking to other entrepreneurs, I see that they have no trouble calling themselves an entrepreneur but often don't recognize the creativity in what they do. Entrepreneurs are passionate believers, working obsessively every waking moment on this thing they've created and love so dearly. The world likes to divide everything into right brain or left brain, analytical or creative. But entrepreneurs don't respect that divide and don't fit into that stereotype. On the same day I'm taking pictures of a colorful army of puma penguins in my living room, jumping on a sales call, unboxing new surprises, dealing with server upgrades and arranging a trip to Salt Lake City to speak at a design conference.