Creatives today face the unique challenge of marrying the creativity of an artist with the needed business acumen of a tech entrepreneur (how else will they be able to break through the noise in their oversaturated markets?). That means balancing our creative endeavors with the need to earn a stable income, the need to invest in and grow our businesses, and the need to take on leadership roles that may sit outside of our comfort zone.

Of course, the problem is that, as artists, we probably don’t have the same background in business that traditional entrepreneurs do. Many of us were lucky to receive formal training in our chosen artistic discipline. But I’m guessing most of us stayed very far away from our khaki-wearing, academics-driven classmates at the business school across campus, hoping instead that somebody else would eventually help us deal with the practical aspects of running a business, such as marketing, sales, financial management, and undefined but terrifying “admin” responsibilities. I’m also guessing that special somebody hasn’t come along yet—and now you’re finding yourself trying to do it all! The good news is that it’s possible for artists to be entrepreneurial while still maintaining their mystique, creative energy, and artistic identity. It’s important for artists to find ways to execute basic business processes in a way that feels organic and natural, rather than f...