ArtistCEO

Shannon DeJong is a CEO. She’s also an artist. These two things are not mutually exclusive - however, they are extremely difficult to pull off. At the helm of her quickly growing San Francisco naming and branding agency, but equally passionate about performance art and acting, Shannon has been feeling like a woman divided. Host Kerri Lowe, (an aspiring ArtistCEO herself) documents Shannon's journey as she attempts to integrate her two selves (her "artist" self and her "professional" self) in order to become one self - an ArtistCEO. Listen in to enter the mind of a newly-minted CEO doing business sans MBA...but with a background in performance art and Zen Buddhist philosophy. Part narrative documentary, part performance art, part live-your-values kick-in-the-pants - ArtistCEO is the real story behind what it takes to make business and art play nice.

An ArtistCEO is someone who is multi-passionate, trying to balance both business and artistic pursuits. When host Kerri Lowe met Shannon DeJong, she was keeping her artistic life and her business life totally separate, even going by two different names. But the two women thought there might be another way...a way to live a more integrated life - to not have to hide art from business, or the businessperson from the artist. In Episode 1, we meet Shannon and start to get a glimpse of her wacky, poetic, sometimes brutally honest audio diaries as she tries to live an integrated ArtistCEO life. You’ll also dive into the back story of how someone becomes an ArtistCEO in the first place. From choosing a college major, to getting the first internship, leaving jobs, making art, traveling internationally and finally, almost by accident, starting a brand agency. Learn more from Shannon & Kerri: http://www.helloartistceo.com Produced by House of Who, Inc (http://www.houseofwho.com). Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

As Shannon’s business, House of Who, starts to grow, she encounters a series of disasters, money challenges and straight up failures that go along with bootstrapping. Firing up a generator for huge client calls, getting tax structure advice, giving yourself a raise and getting thwarted by building codes, in this episode, Shannon gets real about the behind-the-scenes of making it work when you’re in the first year of scaling up. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Visit houseofwho.com to learn more. Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

As Shannon goes all in on her business, her artist life starts to take a hit, throwing her off balance. From burnout to excitement as the business keeps growing, Shannon starts to get serious about learning how to be a leader (even if that means delegating beyond her comfort zone), managing her energy and stepping up to be a true CEO. The client jobs and the team are bigger and better than ever, but can she sustain a life that neglects her art? What’s the opportunity cost of committing to grow House of Who in this way? Is an ArtistCEO doomed to live a life of regret? Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at www.houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

When Shannon takes a break from her exploding business, she realizes she has a problem. Her artist side is starving. Though she’s become better fed financially, and even fulfilled creatively, (building a business is a creative act after all) in the making art department, she’s feeling broke. As Shannon reflects back on the craziness of the last six months and admits she’s artistically dissatisfied, Kerri wonders if her art has simply taken on a different form….off-the-cuff, autobiographical audio monologues. And yet Kerri is also wondering if getting paid to make this podcast is enough to satisfy her artist. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

It’s time to turn the tables as we focus on Kerri (the narrator’s) story of being an artist who starts a freelance business. Held back in her art by a health crisis in her early 20s and discouraged by the lack of financial stability, she begins helping entrepreneurs with their content. It pays the bills, sure, but what happens when her creative side wants more? Shannon experiences a breakthrough in her artistic life, embarking on the beginnings of a two-person play that will force her to walk the talk of an ArtistCEO. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

As Shannon commits to actively performing again and taking acting classes while running her brand agency, House of Who, she starts to remember why doing it all is challenging (to say the least!) Kerri and Shannon meet for the first time at the House of Who retreat and she realizes that this person she’s been hearing audio diaries from for months is really...real. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at www.houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

Shannon is facing her first BIG test as an ArtistCEO – being an actress in a two-person play while simultaneously running her business. Listen in to find out what her team thought about seeing their CEO on stage and what happened when Kerri made a surprise visit to see the final performance of Laughing Wild. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at www.houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

After performing in a play and running her business at the same time, Shannon is having some trouble getting back into the hustle. So much so, that she’s thinking about throwing in the towel on the whole thing. Listen in to hear Shannon reckon with whether or not this whole crazy path she’s taken – marching to the beat of her own drummer – was worth it. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at www.houseofwho.com Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

In the final episode of ArtistCEO, a newly freed up Shannon travels to Brooklyn to meet Kerri on her way to SXSW. The two attend a podcast conference and get excited about the future of ArtistCEO until Kerri has an existential crisis about how she’s going to make business and art live in harmony. Produced by House of Who, Inc. Learn more at www.houseofwho.com. Music by C.F. Watkins (http://www.cfwatkins.com)

TLDR Outline: I’m sending you an unbranded, non-promotional email because I want to connect. And it’s my birthday. Creative freedom vs making money: I’ve been exploring this all my life. I really don’t think we have to choose. How can we feed our stomachs/families and feed our souls? We find ways to craft our jobs or businesses as vehicles for creativity and self-actualization. Don’t worry, I’ll explain. I’ll be writing to you once per month in the hopes it helps, inspires or entertains. I hope you’ll stick around. Read the transcript for this audio here and find more writings and audio from Shannon on her website.

Shannon and Kerri decided to do a little catch up on what's been going on in their lives, art and businesses over the last 3 years. We discuss: - The trajectory of House of Who, Inc - Shannon's Brand Agency - growing to a 7 figure business and paying people to make art! - Shannon's art transforming from acting to making art out of business. - The time Shannon and Kerri tried to collaborate in Italy and it totally tanked! (And how that led Kerri to discover Human Design) - Kerri's imperative to become a full-time ArtistCEO in her own right and perform on stage again. And much more! Enjoy :) The Passion of Bill Murray: https://www.houseofwho.com/blog-posts/brand-agency-company-art-film

TL;DR Outline: 1. Improvisational jazzzzzzzzz 2. The Positivity playlist: an essential tool for ‘times like these' 3. If you're tired, sad, or feel like giving up… maybe it's a good thing 4. The value of quitting 5. Introducing Art Frame vs Game Frame 6. Why I decided to scrap my business plan and start over Read the transcript for this audio here and find more writings and audio from Shannon on her website. Episode links: Positivity playlist on Spotify NYT article "There's a Name for the Blah You're Feeling: It's Called Languishing" Brain-Picking article: "Rilke on Sadness" Background on Zen monk Chiyono Seth Godin's The Dip

TL;DR The Original Vision Timing I Quit Sneaky Old American Story The Explosion Doing my Duty Starting over Pioneering some new shit: a business manifesto Read the transcript for this audio here and find more writings and audio from Shannon on her website. For your listening pleasure, I share with you a soundtrack for this newsletter, Ambient Lofi Beats, by james.young on Spotify. Episode links: Ambient Lofi Beats, by james.young Labor for participation rates NYT: American are among the most stressed people in the world Forbes: How to use workplace stress to triple productivity House of Who funded Art Projects Bhagavad Gita translation

TL;DR AKA Show Themes: Embracing the mess of the creative process, esp in business Importance of having a self-care container Fem-forward leadership Unconventional ways of leading, growing a business. Permission to start over What a ‘seasonal-centric biz model' is and why you want one Reclaiming time Read the transcript for this audio [coming soon] and find more writings and audio from Shannon on her website. Episode links*: Ashley's next group program: Unleash Your Impact Ashley's free workshop #1 (Tues Sept 13): Unleash Your Time Freedom Ashley's free workshop #2 (Tues Sept 20): Unleash Your Signature Group Program Ashley's free workshop #3 (Tues Sept 27): Unleash Your 100k+ Business without a Huge List *full disclosure: these are affiliate links, meaning it lets Ashley know if you were sent by me. If you sign up for the Unleash program, I receive a commission. But I just really believe in Ashley's work. Listen to this episode if you don't believe me. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/artistceo/message