Friday September 13th - Entrepreneurial Outsiders

Another day of funky topics at uni! We got to watch a movie in class called Shackleton, and then had a presentation on the commonalities among great artists.

I'll start by telling you about the artists. There's this trend among great artists to be regarded as outsiders. They aren't usually accepted by the mainstream players in their industry and were quite often picked on during their school days.

The upside to being an outsider means that their thinking hasn't been constrained by conventional thought patterns and therefore they're able to take unique approaches to their work.

I guess it could be compared to when an entrepreneur designs a product. When you design a product from within the perspective of the business, you get so involved that it's hard to think from the customer's perspective. When customers are then shown the product, they give unexpected negative feedback.

Similarly when artists get into their discipline and go to mainstream art schools, they're taught to think in conventional ways. In contrast outsiders don't become constrained by the mainstream. The outsider making art is as if the customer were to design the product, which would essentially yield an ideal product designed from the customer's perspective.

I'm totally free-writing this and I hope it makes sense.

So what's all this business about the Shackleton movie?

It's a two part movie about a dude who organizes a trip to the North Poll (or maybe the South). Either way, of course, it's really about entrepreneurship! And Leadership! And both of those words have the word 'ship' in them... You see the boat connection!?

The word entrepreneurship actually has quite a few different definitions. Yes it refers to someone who starts a business and whatever. But did you know that back in the day it meant "someone who organizes a theatrical production."

Well, in this movie, this dude, Shackleton, totally organizes a theatrical production. It makes sense too... Most of the time the businesses we start are something of theatrical productions. I think organizing a trip to North Pole perfectly marks the midpoint between a business venture and a real theatrical production.

What's great about the movie is that Shackleton displays many of the variations of leadership and entrepreneurship, as well as art. There's an interplay between classical and transformational leadership where he moves between giving orders and being the front man, to being a part of the crew and empowering others to take lead.

And as far as art is concerned it can definitely be noted that Shackleton portrays an outsider. In a time where the first world war is starting, he and his crew are the only insane bunch who are excited about going on a voyage to unexplored territory.

Anyway. Quite an interesting day I might say!