Prior to establishing smART Advisory in 2016, Nina worked at private artist’s estates, nonprofit art centers, art galleries and museums, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art. Coming from a family of artists, Nina has always been curious about the art-making process, the meaning of the work and career path of artists at a very young age. During those formative years in the art world, she noticed the challenges of being a professional artist and frustrated with the myth of the “starving artists.” After taking a brief detour from the arts, she worked in the tech, design, and beauty industries, where she started to integrate entrepreneurial principles in the fine art industry.
This is a great question. I get this question a lot from artists and creative professionals. The idea or hypothesis is part of the equation that leads to innovation, which ultimately creates value. An idea without implementation is just an idea on paper, and you can’t create innovation without the idea. Innovation is a unique solution, a tangible result from a hypothesis that is tested and proven. To generate a unique solution, you need to identify the problem by brainstorming and asking good questions, testing for validity, and presenting your solutions in a way that resonates and benefits your ideal or dream clients/audience/marketplace.
You can't solve a complex problem with a complex solution. The solution doesn't need to be unique or grand. This is where many people have challenges and get stuck from moving forward. It's not the complexity that adds value. A simple solution doesn't mean you're "dumbing" it down; it demonstrates your understanding of the problem, and you're applying your expertise to address it more meaningfully. It is your expertise and how you solve the problem adds value. As Einstein said, "if you can't explain simply, you don't understand well enough."
I offer a workshop called, “How to Turn Creativity into Value.” It’s designed for artists and creative professionals. I think this topic benefits entrepreneurs as well. In the meantime, check out https://nycgallerina.com/blog/2021/1/19/from-imaginations-to-innovations-how-artists-visions-shaped-our-future-throughout-the-history
Hope this helps. Happy to chat more on this topic or if you have any specific questions.