Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in fine arts but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ted Meyer, Owner of ArtandMed, located in Los Angeles, CA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Art and Med is a collaborative catalyst for change in healthcare that seeks to improve the experiences of patients, medical students, and healthcare providers. Our aim is to bring patient voices, oftentimes marginalized and unheard, into every aspect of medical care and education.
I believe the personal experiences of both patients and medical providers play a critical role in the creation of twenty-first-century healthcare. Art and Med facilitates a series of patient/artist exhibits and lectures pairing artists and other creatives with medical professionals. We produce video and live interviews between doctors and patients for various websites. And lastly, we provide a patient SWAT team consisting of experienced patients to represent patient voices at cutting-edge medical conventions.
Tell us about yourself
I was pretty sick as a child. I spent a lot of time in the hospital and was always put off by how I was treated by doctors and the med students who came into my room. They would poke and prod, but they never treated me as a person, just a pile of symptoms. As an adult, I devised a way to combine patient art with medical narrative to inform medical students about the real lives of their patients. That, in turn, led to working at medical conventions to add a patient voice to workshops. I also do patient interviews for several different websites.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I have developed a program at the Keck School of Medicine at USC that allows me to stage five art shows a year by patient artists whose illnesses correspond to the medical school’s core curriculum. What started as a simple idea to invite patients to show art and discuss how illness can inspire creativity has turned into a full-fledged gallery and lecture series where I pair an artist with medical professionals for a wide-ranging conversation about art and medical care.
I am also very proud of my “Patient SWAT Team.” After attending several medical convention workshops and repeatedly seeing groups invent standardized patients who seemingly had little in common with actual patient experiences, I put together a group of patients to attend conventions, sit in on workshops and hold the medical professionals accountable with regard to realistic patient profiles and experiences.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Because I am inventing as I go, it was hard to convince people that there was validity to my work. After almost a decade and a TEDTalk, people are now convinced.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find a niche that fits you. I was very lucky that my medical history and love of art could be combined.
- Get a whiteboard. Make sure your goals are staring you in the face every time you go into your workspace.
- Tell everyone your goals so they let you know when they hear of opportunities or projects that might be good for you.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Bringing art into the medical narrative can help both patients and medical workers with better communication. I am here to help.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://www.artandmed.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artandmed_curated/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artyourworld/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.
