The Business Creative: Shared Traits of Artists and Entrepreneurs ignited a conversational evening of risk-taking behavior, creative community building, and out-of-this-world Mexican fare from Dos Toros. Check out our top four takeaways:

1. Intuition

Michael “Hoodie” LaHood reflected on his need for daily, common ritual to foster his intuition. As the lead wrangler of Full Moon Fire Jam, Hoodie’s fire dancing practice serves as that ritual; training his intuition to know when to trust that creative spark.

2. Embracing failure

Experimental Station’s Matthew Searle openly shared a self-described failure with the panel and audience. In pursuit of a previous professional opportunity, Matthew and his family took a risk and moved across the county to find that the job was not the fulfilling experience he desired. Matthew embraced the opportunity to reflect on his decision-making process and understand that professional goals are extremely important, but your personal life and relationships should not be compromised to reach them.

3. Loving and getting support for your work

Rachel Bernstein noted that sometimes the best way to support your work is through business-to-business partnerships. Sage Corps has a strong relationship with 1871, a leading startup incubator and tech hub, that has ultimately allowed the company to scale their entrepreneurial internships into even more international markets. Bernstein’s secret to securing these partnerships? Actually love what you do. Passion makes cultivating relationships pretty easy.

4. Moving your product out into the world

Co-founder and COO of BallotReady Aviva Rosman recounted her experience traveling across the country, sleeping on strangers’ couches, and simply dialoguing with people about their voting needs. By surveying potential markets and making personal connections, Aviva was able to integrate feedback into development of BallotReady’s app and gain a better understanding of how she could market the app successfully to potential users.

To sum it all up, Genevieve Theirs said it best. “The most successful entrepreneurs have the same traits as the most successful artists.”

Are you inspired by the intersection between creativity and business entrepreneurs? If so, join us for our annual benefit luncheon, Arts & Business and Capital: Impact Investing in Chicago’s Creative Economy, as we bring impact investors, creative entrepreneurs, and artists together to discuss innovative ways to drive the intersection of business and the arts in Chicago.