Yousuf Rafi
Although it is a myth, but sometimes myths teach us lifelong lessons too. The legendary story goes like this:
Pablo Picasso was sketching in the park when a bold woman approached him.
“It’s you — Picasso, the great artist! Oh, you must sketch my portrait! I insist.”
So Picasso agreed to sketch her. After studying her for a moment, he used a single pencil stroke to create her portrait. He handed the women his work of art.
“It’s perfect!” she gushed. “You managed to capture my essence with one stroke, in one moment. Thank you! How much do I owe you?”
“Five thousand dollars,” the artist replied.
“B-b-but, what?” the woman sputtered. “How could you want so much money for this picture? It only took you a second to draw it!”
To which Picasso responded, “Madame, it took me my entire life.”
It’s like Picasso was born an artist: his first word was “piz,” short of lápizthe Spanish word for ‘pencil.’ His father Ruiz, an artist and art professor, gave him a formal education in art starting from the age of 7. By 13, Ruiz vowed to give up painting as he felt that Pablo had surpassed him.
Pablo Picasso was one of the most creative, generative, and influential artists ever lived. A man who created his own destiny – who constantly outperformed himself every time he did the brush stroke. Regardless of what critics think said, he was creating marvelous masterpieces and had fun doing it.
So, how does that relate to Entrepreneurship, well, of course, you will have to find out by reading this blog till the end?
I believe that the personal philosophies of Pablo Picasso can teach the young Entrepreneurs bundle of lessons. Here is how:
1) Work like a Child
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” ~Picasso
Do you remember when you were a child and you had no limits to creativity?
You were given a paper and you scribbled some random things on the paper. You had no concept of good or bad so you drew whatever you thought was right.
But as we grow old, we tend to lose that inner-child. We lose that creative juice when people decide what we need to think & what we don’t need to think.
As an Entrepreneur, you will be faced with decisions every day. Decisions, that can either make or break your venture. If you do some brainstorming, you will realize that the best solutions will come to you when you thought like a child. Drifting away in the Himalayas away from earth, into a new dimension, that will unleash the child within.
“It took me four years to paint like Rafael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” ~Pablo Picasso
For most of the Entrepreneurs, we learn the rules and follow them. But what about unlearning the rules and creating some new ones.
2) Steal Like an Artist
As the master himself say “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Basically, it is not stealing, it is merely exploring the ideas and adding your flavor to it. It is often said that nothing is original, everything is a remix.
For an Entrepreneur, there are thousands of ideas on the internet and in our daily lives. There are hundreds of ways to solve a problem, but what new do we bring to the table is the question we all need to be asking. Finding a solution to complex problems is what Entrepreneur do and then they learn how to earn with that solution.
3) Use what to have to get wherever you want to go
“If I don’t have red, I use blue.” – Picasso
Picasso was well known for going through certain phases— when he would only paint with a certain color or hue. For example, during Picasso’s “Blue Period” (Período Azul) he only made monochromatic paintings with cold blue/blue-green colors. These paintings tended to be on the moody and melancholy side.
Same goes for Entrepreneurs. For them, it is like starting something they don’t know and finding the solutions as they walk on this earth. Many times you will be faced with problems that require certain expertise but at times you do not possess those special traits, so what you do? You focus on your strengthens and outsmart the competition with your strength.
4) Eliminate the unnecessary
“Art is the elimination of the unnecessary.” – Picasso
One good example of Picasso’s working method was to see his studies on “deconstruction of a bull.” You see how he started off with a realistic form of a bull and kept subtracting until he was left with what he considered the “essence” of the bull.
Just like Picasso did, you as an Entrepreneur need to focus on what is most important for your business. Not your parents, not your neighbors, not your annoying high school friend, it is you who need to do what is good for your business. And how to do that. Simple, write the pros and cons before taking any decisions and then follow your gut to eliminate what you think is not right for your business.
5) Giving your gift away
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” ~Picasso
We all have a gift that we can help others with. We have a gift to give others— a gift that can empower others to become the best version of themselves.
As an Entrepreneur, it is wise to share your learning with the world. Great a tribe and the young chaps on their way up. Of courses do not charge them for the lessons you gave because these lessons are your gift to them. As per the words of Tony Robbins “The gift of giving is the greatest gift one can give to others.”
Picasso was an exceptional man who lived according to his own standards and was creative until he died. He left nothing undone. He stretched and pushed his artistic boundaries, and was prolific as hell. He played like a child, experimented, and always questioned authority and the “rules.”
We can all live a creative life like Picasso. It just means re-connecting with our inner-child and seeing our creative work like play. It means not compromising with our artistic standards, and making the best art regardless of our situation in life.
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Ashad Rehman
