I’ve been reading a lot of small-business guides lately — non-web related articles that focus on solid business processes for small, creative firms. Surprisingly, it’s wonderful and exciting reading. The more I grow into running a freelance design shop, the more I’m starting to appreciate that what I’m drawn to is far more than just making great websites. I’m in it to run a great business.

Reading through a few articles though, I’m finding the repeated assumption — that ‘creatives’ must hate doing anything business related — to be a bit frustrating.

Is this really the case? Do most self-employed creatives feel that marketing and sales are somehow beneath them, and undeserving of attention? And if they do, why?

Artsy fartsy

If anything, I think the real reason why many creatives feel they must tread lightly concerning sales, marketing, and promotion is the fear these might taint their authenticity or passion. We’re de-sighnn-heerrs who are so focused on our craft and the minutia of our design calling, that to even look at a business strategy book might cause our creative impulses to drop dead.

Of course this is an exaggerated position — but it’s still a line of thought I think we’re all too complicit in perpetuating. Why can’t we have both a passion for freely creative work, and a great business strategy? The successful among us anchor creativity with great business practice, so why isn’t that the expressed goal of all freelance designers?

Have both

In my experience so far, the choice between ‘pure design’ and a ‘successful business’ isn’t a binary one. Far from it, in fact. The more I refine and grow my business — from reading books and articles, and project experience — the more I grow my design abilities and sensibilities. I’ve found that more work is better than less, a variety of project types is better than a stream of similar ones, and charging more for my work allows me freedom to experiment and explore, both on client work and my personal projects. I wouldn’t have any of these things if I didn’t actively work on shaping my business, and going after newer and better work.

Really, it’s just bullshit to think that design is all you have to master to be a true professional. We’re all working in graphic arts, a truly applied field — we’re offering our visual expertise as tools to help businesses or organizations succeed. The more we all know about business itself, the more anchored our design abilities become, and the better respected our field becomes.