Hello and welcome to my blog. I joined the Pino Center as its director last June. Since that time, my life has been a whirlwind of meetings and endless travel. In my “downtime” (like when I drive to work), I have often wondered: How can I share my thoughts on entrepreneurship, and the exciting work we do at the Pino Center to foster and teach entrepreneurship? I often thought I needed to wait until my muse, my inspiration, would hit me.
Similarly, I thought, how does a busy entrepreneur make time for creativity?
People struggle with it all the time. I struggle with it now.
When I was a faculty member at Florida International University (FIU), I had the freedom to set aside time for research and writing, my personal creative outlets. But now, I’m on a wall-to-wall schedule of meetings and commitments. I love the work and the challenge, but I struggle to make time for the creative projects that keep my outlook fresh.
When I’m stuck, I often look for inspiration in the work of others. Last month, I got it from a great source: the artist Romero Britto, one of the most entrepreneurial creative forces in South Florida. Britto’s joyous work seems to show up everywhere, from galleries and collectors’ homes, to retail stores, commercials and murals.
During his enlightening talk at the College of Business Administration, Britto shared a slide of a drawing he shows to every new employee in his 60-person shop. The top of the drawing was a mass of wavy, scribbled lines. The bottom was neat, organized, logical.
His message: You need to constantly balance and manage these two equally important sides to be successful.
Later, in a private conversation, he shared the details of how he manages his packed days: He gets up, exercises, goes to a breakfast meeting. Then he paints for an hour or two. Then, a lunch meeting.
“Sometimes I have two lunches—that’s why I have to exercise,” he said.
Then, more painting. In the evening, he’ll attend as many as three cocktail events, squeezing in painting whenever he can.
Painting may demand creativity, but it too must be scheduled, no matter how pressing his business becomes.
Which led me to an answer:
Wait for inspiration, and it may never show up.
Britto gave me the impetus to structure my life so I could begin work on this blog.
I hope my blog posts, and the Pino Center, can help inspire your work as an entrepreneur. And I hope to learn from your thoughts and experiences on this demanding, creative journey.
Hope you also take the time to jot down here your own reflections and reactions to my blog, and with that, together we can inspire others.
View all articles by Irma Becerra-Fernandez.
