‘Cons,’ creatives and ‘the art of the deal’

 

By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
IBJ Managing Editor
[email protected]

Artists of any genre or medium continue to come to terms with being recognized as being in business as well. These creative entrepreneurs represent not only an important business and industry sector, a vocation and career path, and a defining community culture, but also are also an imperative economic development factor and a vital component of any thriving and sustainable local and regional economy.

If you don’t believe that, just ask Chicago. Los Angeles. San Francisco. New York. Miami. Heck, even Nashville. The arts have not only defined these cities as cultural destinations, but their economies would be decimated without them.

And in 2021, MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art in New York, an authority in the visual arts), defined comics as an artform – something that might make some local art professors’ heads spin.

In their published piece, MoMA notes, “It’s no secret that we at MoMA love comics…For one, comics and graphic novels are an art form in their own right, presenting beautiful illustrations alongside stories that resonate with us all. But comics can offer so much more than entertainment—they’re also an amazing tool for learning.

“Comics and graphic novels can help young people develop language skills and critical thinking, while nourishing their creativity and self-expression. It also allows students who may not be comfortable writing to express themselves in a different way…” the article further notes.

You might be wondering at this point what exactly it is that I am planning to share here.

First, I should share the motivation behind penning this story:

As I walked around Lewis & Clark Community College’s first-ever “Blazer Con” on April 12, held in the George C. Terry River Bend Arena on the Godfrey campus, it just kind of struck me that all the vendors and all the “cosplay” characters also represented something more than merely an enthusiasm or passion for this artform. They also represented a form of business and commerce that is often overlooked and underappreciated.

Artists define themselves through their chosen vocation, just as the rest of us do. While not all artists have college degrees or formal training, they are all striving toward self-sustenance. They combine their creative talents with an often-self-accumulated business acumen so that they can manage and promote their careers, their livelihoods, as well as their “product line” or “service.”

They are creatives, but as entrepreneurs they are developing a strong brand, marketing themselves and their work, and discovering diverse income streams beyond what are more “traditional” sales streams.

These creative entrepreneurs have taken a passion and are turning into what they hope will become a viable business in most cases. This requires them to access skills we business-and-industry “traditionalists” take for granted, such as networking, social media engagement and understanding the market. Obviously, they are highly invested in their business, driven by results and directly immersed in decision-making.

So, as I make my way around the River Bend Arena gymnasium this recent Saturday afternoon, I suddenly become quite awestruck by the number of people who have taken on a great level of risk so that they might be seen, heard, appreciated AND be profitable.

I started speculating who might be the next Melanie Perkins. Or the next Jim Davis. Was I even within arms’ length of the next Charles M. Schulz or Walt Disney? Perhaps.

(For those of you who don’t know who Perkins and Davis are – Perkins is the CEO of Canva, and Davis is the creative behind Garfield. I’ll assume we all know who Schulz and Disney are.)

Perkins, whose “mission to democratize design through Canva has helped over 135 million users turn ideas into action,” as reported by the London Daily Times, has used her creative leadership prowess to build Canva into one of the most user-focused SaaS products on the planet.

And when asked by the London publication “why creative entrepreneurs matter more than ever,” Perkins said: “In an age flooded with AI clones and productivity hacks, the most creative entrepreneurs are cutting through noise with bold ideas and beautiful execution. They’re showing the world that success isn’t just about scale or speed—it’s about original thinking. Creativity isn’t fluff. It’s future-proofing.”

 

“Cutting through the noise” isn’t always easy for this group of entrepreneurs. Those who have entered the realm of artistic entrepreneurism often experience a strong sense of tension between the artistic imperatives of their work, maintaining their authenticity and sense of self-expression, and the demand to cater to the market from which they desire support.

As the former director of a regional arts center myself, I can tell you first-hand that artists typically do not think of their work, or of their self-expression, in terms of dollars and the bottom line. It is a true struggle for many.

Creative entrepreneurs, such as those manning the tables at L&C’s inaugural Blazer Con or at the first Archon St. Louis I attended with my oldest kiddo last year who is making a career as one of these unique commerce voyagers, are important vertebral pieces to the backbones of any local, regional, or national economy. Any in-tune economic developer will tell you that.

According to the Americans for the Arts, our nation’s arts and culture sector—nonprofit, commercial, education—was a $1.1 trillion industry supporting 5.2 million jobs in 2022. That represented 4.3% of the nation’s economy—a larger share of GDP than “powerhouse” sectors such as Transportation, Construction, Education, and Agriculture.

The Americans for the Arts organization further noted that similar results could be found at the state level, and that the arts further accelerate economic recovery.

So maybe it’s time we start seriously and visibly including the creative entrepreneurs more in our leadership gatherings, in our brainstorming sessions, and in our regional planning.

And maybe creative entrepreneurship should be taught much more – as a potential and viable business form like any other.

I’m not saying that anyone reading this should necessarily pull out a Newfoundland dog costume and play the part of a favorite character in the next cosplay. (Besides, no one around here can do that better than Blazer the Newfie.) Nor do you need to become a fanatic fan art collector or any kind of gamer for life.

But perhaps you’ll take some time on a Saturday afternoon and stop in at the next comic convention, support your local economy’s makers-and-shakers, and discover something new and unique for yourself or a loved one, like a knitted rice ball. And if it’s at the next Blazer Con, the local food truck vendors as entrepreneurs will thank you as well.

 

 

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Other scenes from the inaugural Blazer Con, held on April 12, 2025, from 1 to 8 p.m. in the George C. Terry River Bend Arena at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey. The larger-than-expected crowd of attendees enjoyed vendor booths, a cosplay contest, panel presentations by the pros, and live gaming as well as an assortment of food truck options. (Photos by Melissa Crockett Meske/Illinois Business Journal):