Episode 91: Why Making Room For Art Can Be Good For You and Your Small Business

In this quick tip episode, Fiona shares how her trip to the National Gallery of Victoria inspired her to explore art in different ways - whether it involves going to a museum, reading a book or looking at somebody’s art. Listen now as she encourages everyone to make room for art in one’s life.

Topics discussed in this episode: 

• Introduction

• Fiona’s day out at the National Gallery of Victoria

• Making room for art

• Conclusion

Episode transcript: 

Hello and welcome to episode 91 of the My Daily Business Coach podcast. Thank you so much for listening. I know I say that a bit, but I genuinely mean it. This podcast has hit over a hundred thousand downloads and when I started out, I literally, I honest to God with like, okay, if I could get to 150 downloads per episode, that would be incredible. Um, because someone I admire in the podcasting space had said something about, you know, if you can get to 150 episodes, you're doing well, I mean, 150 downloads you're doing well. And so I was like, okay, let's put it out. See if I can get to 150, if no one's listening after 20 or 30 episodes, I'll just sort of park it, call it a series a season and yeah, just go from there. But I absolutely love recording these.

I love talking to the small business owners that I interview. And most of all, I absolutely love hearing from people who are listening to this and who are taking action as a result, or who are letting me know just how much this podcast is helping them. Um, so thank you, thank you, thank you so much for listening. And if you have small business friends that you think this would benefit, please share it with them. All right.

So today it is a quick tip episode, please. Excuse my voice. I'm on the tail end of getting through some illnesses in our house, but yeah, today it is a quick tip episode and it's something that I just wanted to come on here and record this because I just went through this myself and I think it's a really important tool or tactic for you to consider when you're running a small business. All right. Let's jump in and see what talking about. All right.

We're recording this at the end of March, 2021 and yesterday I went for the whole day, pretty much to the National Gallery of Victoria, which is the main, not the main, there are lots of different galleries in Victoria where I live, but it is the big hub of arts activity in Melbourne. And if we get, you know, huge collections from overseas, that's where they'll usually end up.

But it's somewhere that it's one of those things where you think, “Oh, I mean to go, ah, I should go.” and it just keeps getting pushed to the back burner. And yesterday I was meeting my beautiful friend Laurinda from Collective Closets and she's also a mum and our children are very close in age. And so for ages, we've been talking about getting together with the kids and, um, you know, we talked about business anyway on the side and we talk about life and everything else, just like you do with any friend. And we had been organizing this catch-up for ages and because of COVID and lockdowns and other things, it just hadn't been able to happen anyway, got to the catch-up. And I just sort of thought, Oh yeah, we'll meet at her house or my house. Or we will go to a park or we'll go to a, you know, a child-friendly cafe or something.

And she made the really great recommendation of like, why don't we just go to the NGV because it was raining. And she was like, let's go and do NGV. And I was like, yes, let's go to the NGV. And we went, and it was just the most incredible day of seeing this beautiful art, but also really putting these things first that I don't often get to do, but I also don't make that much time for it if I'm really, really, really honest. And I came away from it, one just feeling, you know, really uplifted and lighter and just like, Oh my gosh, I've, you know, gone and done something. That's really interesting for me. As well as, you know, seeing my amazing friend and hung out with my beautiful child and her child, but it was just a really inspiring and visit because like I was talking about it with Laurinda yesterday, you look at these pieces of artwork and you think, yeah, Oh my God, like, how did you come up with that?

Like, how did that, you know, out of this world sort of idea, come to you and then kind of almost more importantly, how did you have the inner belief to take that forward? And we were talking about, you know, imagine these people's parents and would they have been totally yup. Or would they have been like, Oh, okay, let's see what you're doing. Um, you know, I'm going to create a giant sort of octopus and it's going to take up any huge room and it's going to be filled with this. And it's really about this concept and bringing it to life. And it was just a real reminder that there are so many people out there who are willing to believe in their own creativity and believe that their art has a place in the world. And I think sometimes in small business, we can get caught up in the day-to-day kind of schedules, analytics, tracking things, doing things, getting back to emails.

And I think it's so important to take time out where you can and go and really, you know, just immerse yourself in art, whether it's theater, whether it's music, whether it's poetry, whether it is, you know, doing a creative writing class or going to see sculptures or photographic exhibition, all of these things can just be so uplifting for the soul and can really give you ideas about your own business, but also just remind you that, you know, you might be chipping away at something and maybe you've got to a point where you just don't feel motivated or inspired as much as you maybe did at the start. And I think seeing other people's finished product and some of them, you know, it's always an endless iteration, but seeing things like the most beautiful art at the NGV yesterday and realizing there are people and teams behind this and all of that just started with a single person's idea or vision or concept or sketch or a word that they'd written down.

And it was just a beautiful moment to remind myself of that and to remind myself that I need to honest, I haven't been putting, I'm going to see art as a priority. And of course, things have been shut down schedule more of that stuff in and to go and see it and make it a part of my life, but also part of my work. And I think I get to do this a lot. I interview a lot of people. I talk to a lot of creative people. I read a lot of books, listened to a lot of music, but to be for a long time in Melbourne where I am, but I also, I came home and to send to my husband who, who studied fine arts painting and is, has such a great talent in that space. But yeah, I said to him, we need to prioritize this because it's so good.

You feel amazing. It's the same way that, you know, we prioritize exercise, we prioritize going for a walk and, you know, both of us find that really inspiring. He surfs every week, he skateboards all the time. He  goes for his walks and we know that that has a great impact on us mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually. And I think we've almost not forgotten, but have to prioritize that art also has that effect.

So that is the tip today. And it might be a little bit different, but even if you're somebody who never really thinks of themselves as interested in art, try and check out, you know, the local gallery in your space, or, you know, find a book of poetry or immerse yourself in music that you haven't listened to for a while and just watch and see if the impact is, you know, if it fills you up energetically, because I definitely felt like that yesterday coming off from spending the day at the NGV.

Uh, and yeah, it's definitely something that I'm going to be putting into my plan and, you know, not being like, okay on Sunday, I'm going to be creative, but looking out for, you know, exhibitions that I think I'd be interested in and making the time to go and see them. So that is it. That is the quick tip. Definitely not a standard business tip but making room for art in your life.

What can you do? And even if you're an artist, maybe you're so close to your art and you're creating and everything else that maybe you're not getting the time to go and really look at other people's art and, and just feel the kind of inspiration and energy that you get from being in those spaces. So that is it. If you would like it to read the full transcript of this, of course you can find it over at mydailybusinesscoach.com/podcast/91.

And I'd love to know from you, which art have you gone to see recently, or which artists you love that really, really lights you up and makes you feel inspired. Whether they're an author, musician and a sculptor, painter illustrator, maybe somebody who makes animation that you just think is fabulous. Hit me up on the DM in Instagram. I'm at @mydailybusinesscoach. I can't wait to hear from you. Thanks for listening. Bye.

Thanks for listening to My Daily Business Coach podcast. If you want to get in touch, you can do that at mydailybusinesscoach.com or hit me up on Instagram at @mydailybusinesscoach.