Entrepreneurship Discussion: Cara Ober
Cara Ober described her role in founding BmoreArt, an online and print source for Baltimore’s community to discover and engage with local artists and arts events. Throughout her lecture, while presenting her own artistic journey as an example, Ober identified personal struggles and challenging realities that artists face as creative entrepreneurs.
Ober sees herself first and foremost as an artist, and believes the creative journey has allowed her to immerse herself in her work and therefore, connect her to the mission of growing Baltimore’s community. Ober has gained many responsibilities and has played various roles in her career since the launch of BmoreArt. Despite her busy lifestyle, she feels she is learning more each day about what it means for her to be an artist, and how creating art reflects a sacred time spent with the self and with others. She encourages her audience to seek out and work towards the collective success of their communities, and to believe the world needs the work an individual artist or group of artists can create.
One skill that defines Ober as an entrepreneur is her ability to manage her time and her priorities in the context of the work she must produce. Ober visualizes her goals in two categories, short-term and long-term, and understands that her goals are “moving targets” that may need to be readjusted as life events change or unexpected obstacles arise. She overlaps her other priorities with her art, for example, by writing about artworks in the press, or traveling and allowing herself to broaden her experience with art. Ober’s habits fulfill the entrepreneurial process of identifying a goal and “mobilizing the assets necessary to reach [the] goal.” By viewing time management and prioritizing as key aspects of her lifestyle, Ober can provide energy and focus for her artistic projects, such as Bmore Art magazine, even while caring for her family and managing her financial situations.
My takeaway from Ober’s visit is to stay true to your personal voice and commitments while still stretching your art to pursue the ideas that excite or terrify you, or the ideas that will make a change in the lives of others. While Ober described low points in her career, such as when a job after college did not fulfill her, or when another artist copied her work, she was able to ultimately let her work and her mission lead her out of the struggle and towards her goals. She did not lose sight of practical or personal matters because the art community persuaded her to look at art a certain way, and she did not lose sight of artistic or expressive goals because realities such as financial responsibilities or lack of time intruded upon her. When she was in a phase of her life where art couldn’t be supplemented with a paycheck, she accepted this, and worked her craft on her own until she struck an opportunity to write for the art magazine that preceded BmoreArt. When her role as an artist prospered, she was careful to still track her goals, push herself further, and admit to herself that sometimes, insecurities return to even an experienced artist. Her sense of self-advocacy and ability to see herself as a working part of a greater whole in her community are some of the talents I take into account while planning my own creative work thanks to this entrepreneurial and self-motivated artist.
