Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Austin Morris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Austin, thanks for joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?
When I was in 4th grade, I started my creative entrepreneurship in my mom’s closet, where she kept our family desktop computer. I googled a bunch of cartoon characters (which took forever on our dial-up internet) and used the light from the screen to trace the characters onto computer paper. I took the tracings to school and sold them as coloring book pages. I didn’t make much money because I gave most of them away to girls that I thought were cute, but it definitely was the origin to me pursuing art.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
The art really found me. It was always something I was interested in, but I didn’t fully accept the label of “artist” or “creative” until college. Even then, I often ran away from my art more than I pursued it. When I finally did embrace it, I wanted to get my hands into everything I could.
Creativity is one of the few aspects of life where I feel a deep connection with others. We can be completely different, but if you have an idea, I want to hear it and imagine how it might be brought into the world. Better yet, we can envision the kind of world where it’s possible—and then try to make that real.
In my art, I like to explore possibilities. I take advantage of the fact that we live in a time where the past, present, and future are all at our fingertips simultaneously. That gives you so much to work with. There’s so many opportunities to compare, contrast, and then mash ideas together.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
The Starfish and the Spider made me think differently about how I want to lead and build things as a creative. It showed me that real strength comes from letting go of control and creating spaces where people can take ownership and contribute in their own way. For me, that means not trying to be the single voice directing everything, but instead setting up a culture where artists, collaborators, and community members can shape the direction together. In my own projects, I want to lean into that starfish model so what I build isn’t just mine, but something people feel is truly theirs too.It feels more natural to think of myself as a facilitator rather than a traditional “boss.”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Buy original art from living artists and support the creativity of every young person that you know. Walk into the gallery that you drive past every other day. Go look at some art and tell somebody what you think about it. Next time, bring a friend.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.austindmorris.world
- Instagram: austindmorris
Image Credits
JARRETT HENDRIX, VICTORIA MORRIS, JOHN BURRIS