Can Business & Art Coexist?

Before answering this question, I think it helps to define what art , business and creativity mean. I’ll start with the first and last as I think a lot of us get these confused.

To me, art is about the honest exploration and expression of your inner world whereas creativity is a broader force. In both cases, they add texture to how we interpret things, make meaning, solve problems and bring ideas to life. Art and creativity are deeply personal and constantly evolving.

More on art & creativity

A lot of you know this, but Interlude started as a creative practice - sort of like a catch-all for the deeper excavation of my ‘why’. It was my art. At the beginning of all this, I was ultra conscious of not turning my art into a business because I didn’t want to ruin its sacredness. I still believe in this and operate in this way. I also learned a few things from building my first company at 25, and the toll it can take on your psyche when trying to converge the two. The TLDR of it was that I never wanted to do it again.

As someone who naturally gravitates towards growth, starting a creative project with the intent of making it a business would be like pressure-cooking art; whereas the creative process doesn’t really work like that. That’s the thing about commercializing anything — it requires distribution & scale. What this means is that the process evolves into repetition and systems that are counterintuitive to what art is: organic, human & volatile.

Creativity and art making is about honoring the flow state.

On creating an equitable framework

The beautiful thing about creativity though, is that it can shapeshift and take on new form. Finding that centerline between creativity & structure has been what’s defining my life’s work.

I think about the convergence of art + business a lot — not to be mistaken with creativity + business — and what an equitable operating framework could look like. This is a constant work in progress. Especially for someone who’s financially driven, the question is whether we can honor these parts of ourselves without having to feel like our work is becoming homogenized under the pressures of business. It’s the age old concept of “selling your soul”. The tension comes when the original intent is for self expression, to create intimacy, or even a 1 of 1 — not for it to ‘scale’.

As someone who’s trained to assess value by dollar impact, art is about the opposite — it’s about meaning, soul & depth. Essentially, the KPIs are different and how we measure success is different.

But (there’s always a but) — what if you care equally about the economics?

Reframing business & art

It also helps to define what business means to you. At its core, business is about making a profit. It’s about improving margins and being in the green, and to be in business means the economics need to make sense. Which means scaling is part of the equation. The question becomes: is it possible to make art and stick to its original intention while scaling?

My honest answer is no.

Unless you redefine what art is and what it means for you. I do however, believe there is a middle ground and think that’s our work as artist and creatives who want to get into business. It’s the constant strive for the centerline.

To scale your art into a business means we have to redefine what art & business looks like, and what art in the context of business would require. This is where I think most artists struggle because by nature, to “box in” their art goes against their expression. It really just requires a shift in how we think about the art we make for business, and in turn - what business in the context of artistry means for us.

This is deeply personal because everyone’s edge is different—but thinking of it as a Venn diagram, where art and business converge, can be a useful framework for finding that centerline.

All this say, I think its important to create a separate home for your art, art in order to preserve its honesty.

Creating a home for your art art.

The process of excavating our art deserves its own home and network that can help bring it to life and find sustainable ways to grow without sacrificing soul. Making sacred space for this part of ourself is necessary to sustaining. If you crave creativity in any shape or form, you’ll slowly start to realize that it’s the silent engine that powers everything else. In my experience, when this part dips, everything else falls out of line.

Interlude 2.0’s philosophy is built on this principle: that art and creativity is the pathway to soul. And when you operate from that place of inspiration (with the above frameworks in mind) - you’ll begin to trek towards your ideal state. This is what I like to call Soul Work: a deeper excavation of your ‘why’ through creative practice. When you create space for your creativity or artistry in a sacred way, you begin to peel back the layers and meet yourself deeper. It’s a beautiful practice, but one that’s hard to do in isolation.

The inspiration behind my next program, Soul Work, came from this tension. When I started dedicating time to my 'why,' everything else in my work and business shifted—not just in revenue, but in clarity, confidence, and alignment.

Whether you’re an artist seeking integrity or a professional looking to reignite creativity in your work, the process of deep creative excavation shouldn’t be ignored, and IMO deserves to be studied.

x
Tiffany

Stay in touch this month

Interlude 2.0 is in private beta! I’ll share more on this platform with you all in the next few weeks but for starters: I’m building a multidisciplinary learning and empowerment platform for personal, creative & career expansion. Join the waitlist for an invite!

Sunday 3/16 - Fluidity & Flow Workshop This workshop is about dropping into the body and tapping into connection with yourself. Getting out of hypermasculine and into flow state (for all my high achieving women this one is for you)

Saturday 3/22 - Vision Salon This workshop series is about rooting int your ‘why’ and excavating for clarity through a blend of practical and creative frameworks across my 12+ year career as a multidisciplinary entrepreneur, growth strategist & marketer.

Friday 3/28 - Power & Presence Workshop A confidence workshop to step into your power and remember your worth. The focus will be on channeling the highest version of yourself both inside + out the studio.

Soul Work - a six week, in-person creative excavation practice. This program is a dynamic blend of movement and guided workshops centered around Interlude’s core themes of creativity & sensuality. We’ll be exploring how the two are pathways into meeting yourself deeper. All in a group container for shared insight, learning and support.

What I’ve been diving into

This essay by Paul Graham on building a company - ‘Do things that don’t scale’

This version of Dylan Sinclair’s song ‘Sweet Life’ - captures the tone of where I’m at this month. Also love how it transitions into this version of ‘Lemon Trees’

This book on Art & Fear - I’m slowly realizing that there’s actually a lot of parallels with making art & entrepreneurship