Entrepreneurship is Messy

I was feeling the “need” to express my creativity the other day and took to Pinterest for inspiration.

With my daughter, niece, and granddaughter gathered around the kitchen table, we began. We blew up balloons, filled a metal bowl full of white glue and water, and wrapped yarn soaked in the mixture around and around the balloon.

Our first attempts ended up with a tangled mess of yarn, but as we worked through it, we learned what worked and didn’t.

The second go-round was a little easier because of the lessons learned doing the first.

Feeling good, we put them outside to dry. Only to learn that the hot sun and balloons aren’t a good combo. (Note to self, let those on Pinterest know this fact.)

It hit me today that this art project adventure is much like my experience being an entrepreneur. I started out with a vision, I studied what others did, jumped in, got messy, made some mistakes, asked for help, learned some lessons, and had some fun.

While my yarn project isn’t as “pretty” as the inspiration pieces on Pinterest, it surely isn’t a failure either. It will be proudly displayed on my bookshelf in my office, perhaps after a sprinkle of glitter, where it will serve as a reminder that like art, entrepreneurship is messy and not always what we envisioned when we start. Like artists, entrepreneurs are creative, passionate, and committed to bringing their vision to life.