The Art vs. Business Dilemma: Why Creatives Get Stuck
Masego
913K subscribers
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6,604 views Feb 28, 2025
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Art and business were never meant to get along. One thrives on structure, contracts, and numbers. The other is pure emotion, fluidity, and feeling. But if you’re an artist, you don’t get to ignore the business side—you have to learn how to navigate it, or it will eat you alive.
From charging for your work to understanding your worth, to figuring out who gets what when the first check clears—this is where most creatives fall apart. It’s not about talent. It’s about knowing how to balance the world you want to create with the reality of the world you live in.
Let’s talk about it.
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business by its very nature is
structured
it is cold systematic
governed by numbers and contracts
it
thrives on logic efficiency and
predictability
art however is fluid
it
is deeply personal emotional and often
unpredictable
when these two forces
Collide chaos ensues
I see it all the
time
the first time I engaged with this
principle was when I had to start start
charging for my art
many of us
experiened this first in church where we
give our time and talent freely
believing that our gift is meant to
serve a higher purpose
then one day we
are faced with a conundrum how do we
negotiate a price for praising God
it
feels unnatural awkward even now
the
second time it happened was with the
guest list principle when you're an
artist selling tickets to a show
suddenly people you've known for years
feel entitled to free entry
simply
because they know your name
why should I
P we're friends and in that moment
business and benevolence at odds again
then comes the real test the first big
check how do you divide it among your band, your management, or your uncle who
was answering emails for you
before you
had a manager you have to construct a
system that determines who gets what and
that's when things start to feel strange
the simple principle this Collision of structur and fluidity has taken down
countless artists if we were to revive
where are they now and really examine
why an artist's career fizzled out
we would likely find that business not Talent was the culprit
now another
element of business is the reach out you
know the message yo we should collab
let's work the Casual DM Slide the vague
let's collab with no context no
Direction but business t
rue business is about the merger of Worlds
it is a Meeting of Minds with a Clear Vision for
expansion and yet in the creative world
this language often lacks depth and
structure I'd like to propose a different way of doing business not
because I have all the answers but because I am invested in finding better
ones
a very intelligent woman once introduced me to the concept of the
black tax in her business
she charged an
additional cost for access to an
authentic black audience one that could
not be reached to AI algorithms or
standard marketing tactics
she
recognized that her influence her
community her world had intrinsic value
no amount of data scraping could replace
the endorsement of the right person
saying this is okay
and I thought that
is innovation that belongs in the music
business because if art and business are
to hold hands and dance and Harmony then
we must build framework that honors both
structure and fluidity
so I'm
implementing a new approach will it
change everything no but it will change
how I do business and perhaps for those
who engage with me will set a new
standard for most people in this
industry patterns are deeply ingrained
they operate based on experiences that
predate you and like any relation ship
you must articulate your Manifesto early
what are your boundaries what are your
non-negotiables what is your Bill of
Rights you set the Rules of Engagement
so that others can choose whether to
participate let's talk about features I
believe there's too much shoot your shot
culture and not enough reality and as a
dreamer I love a little bit of delusion
I live in it but for any creative
partnership to work there must be a
middle ground between fantasy and
realism when you are asking for a
collaboration what you are really asking
is what world am I join joining I often
pose this question to new friends or bir
dates if you could build a city what
would it look like no stop lights a
parade every Friday blue buildings that
can never exceed 18 stories paint the
picture for me because collaboration is
world buing and when two artists come
together they must decide are we merging
two kingdoms or are you simply asking to
contribute to a kingdom that already
exists for me a collaboration is like
deciding to have a child
it is a creation that will take on a
life of its own it will grow move faster
than we ever could and reach places we
could never see and like a child it
requires
nurturing now if a woman ask to
collaborate with me I view it as
creating something that will live beyond
us both now if a man ask I liking it to
getting brotherly tattoos are we bonded
like that is this something we will
carry with us forever because let's be
real there are tattoos that I regret
some were done at cheap shops in a rush
of excitement some collaborations
happened in bad headp spaces for the
wrong reasons or with people I didn't
truly know and yet as an artist I must
take responsibility for everything I
create often there are two languages
spoken in this industry the language of
suits and the language of artists and at
times it feels like the Tower of Babble
chaos misunderstanding and a struggle to
communicate but at the core both parties
want the same thing to reach people to
move them to connect the problem is that
structure of the business is often
Antiquated misunderstood and in
desperation for
renovation many artists don't even know
how they get paid and if I as the artist
can't explain it how can I expect my
team to be aligned so my takeaway for
you is this one Define your Manifesto
know what you stand for know your world
know your why two recognize the value
exchange what do you bring to the table
what does the other party bring is this
a merger of equals or a contribution to
something larger three improve
communication business is like diplomacy
if two countries want to trade they must
understand each other's resources be
clear what are you offering what do you
need four tame the ego Fame is relative
in one place you are revered in another
you are unknown humility is key now I
don't like to be spun I don't like what
someone assumes I won't understand I
appreciate directness here's what I see
in your world here's what I offer here's
how I think we can benefit each other
that's it business at its best is a
mutual value exchange and but never in
business perhaps it exists not as
Charity but as clarity as honor as the
willingness to do business in a way that
leaves both parties enriched so before
you make your next move ask yourself
what world am I building and who am I
inviting to it
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