December 9, 2022  |  by Creative Armenia

Becoming an entrepreneur may seem like a “larger-than-life” endeavor. You have to wear many hats – from a marketer to a creative director to occasionally even a coder. It might especially be intimidating for artists and creators who are used to working on creative pursuits on their own. But there is a middle ground between only falling your artistic guts and becoming a high-functioning robot. A middle ground that comfortably nests two Forbes 30 Under 30 cultural entrepreneurs – Fabrice Guerrier (Founder and CEO, Syllble) and Olga Kravchenko (Founder and CEO, Musemio). With their life and career, they have proven that it is in fact possible to become an entrepreneur while still being an artist. 

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Fabrice J. Guerrier is a Haitian-American science fiction and fantasy writer, a columnist, and the founder and CEO of Syllble, which is a pioneering sci-fi and fantasy production house. In addition to being recognized in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 – Art & Style list, he was also selected as a 2022 PEN Emerging Voices Fellow finalist by PEN America and named as one of the 100 Most Influential African Americans by The Root Magazine in 2021. 

 

Olga Kravchenko is the founder and CEO of Musemio, an immersive learning platform that allows children to adventure on interactive quests featuring co-created narrative content from partner institutions worldwide. In addition to being recognized in the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 (Europe) – Art & Culture list, she has been named an emerging leader by Sky Women in Technology Scholarship and a Rising Star by ComputerWeekly.

 

On December 1, they joined the “How to Become a Cultural Entrepreneur” panel discussion, hosted in the framework of Creative Armenia’s Artbox Pre-Accelerator program, to share some of their acquired wisdom with our creative community. Moderated by our Director of Programs Anush Ter-Khachatryan, they maneuvered from what it means to be an artist-entrepreneur to what advice beginner creators should ignore, and shared insights on how to succeed as an international cultural entrepreneur. Listen to their inspiring discussion and explore our favorite highlights by reading the piece. 

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Allow Ideas to Shape You

I think there is a lot of force in the organization you are running. It demands so much out of you. Ideas demand so much out of you. Ideas are alive and they push us toward making them a reality. 

 

— Fabrice J. Guerrier

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Kill Your Ideas

The biggest thing that helps you assess whether the idea has any potential to turn into a viable business or has the potential for longevity is actually user research. A lot of people like the idea of having an idea. But they don’t like the idea of having an honest conversation with their users – with people you assume are having a problem you are trying to solve. And unless you really dig deep and prepare enough for uncomfortable feedback, you won’t be able to make a difference between an idea and a potentially viable business. 

 

— Olga Kravchenko

 

Champion Change 

The work of a cultural entrepreneur is to create social change. You cannot engage in art and cultural entrepreneurship without thinking about where the planet is and where we are going as a human species. My vision of the world is really connected with science fiction, imagined worlds, and helping others see new possibilities. 

 

— Fabrice J. Guerrier

 

Fall in Love with the Problem

The best advice I ever got was, do not fall in love with the solution. Fall in love with the problem. If you can continue being honest and truthful on your mission to solve the problem, you will find it exciting and empowering that your initial idea will be wrong – probably 90% wrong – because you do not know everything. 

 

— Olga Kravchenko

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Take Advice (with Skepticism) 

People are so happy to give advice. But have they done it? Have they done what you were hoping to do? And have they replicated or created or thought of in terms of the angle or marketing? That is something that I made a conscious effort to pay attention to. Some people’s advice might be great, but it might not be the best advice for you or your business in this state. 

 

— Fabrice J. Guerrier

 

Be Okay with Not Being 100%

You’ve spent 30 days trying to be the best version of yourself. Trying to make sure you don’t miss any of the ticks – whether it is 20 minutes of reading, meditation, or a run –  and then once you miss one it destroys all your efforts. You have to be okay that sometimes you won’t be 100% and that is the lesson that I apply in my personal life – in the way I take care of myself, I take care of my family because we’re just humans – but it’s also the advice I give to myself when I’m running Musemio. 

 

— Olga Kravchenko

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Explore: 

• Tim Ferriss, an American entrepreneur, investor, author, and podcaster well-known for his self-help book 4-Hour Work Week. 

• Maya Angelou, an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist

• Walt Whitman, an American poet, essayist, and journalist. 

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