We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Michal Szostak a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Michal, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Being an artist is more of a philosophy or an approach than a job. Artistry is one of three aspects that characterize an artist; the other two are virtuosity (craftmanship) and creativity. Only a smooth combination of all these components shapes a true artist. From this perspective, being an artist it is a regular job because at least virtuosity must be kept and maintained via regular practice; every shortage in this area will have a negative impact on artist’s artistry.

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?

I am organist, improviser, and researcher born in the end of the communistic era in central Europe, in Poland. To become a Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance (The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Warsaw) I studied in Poland, Italy (Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra in Milan) and the UK. As an international concert organist, I perform dozens of recitals annually in Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. My organological publications are issued regularly by organ magazines: British “The Organ”, Canadian “Organ Canada”, American “The Diapason”, and “The Vox Humana”. Member of The Royal College of Organists, London, The American Guild of Organists, and The Organ Historical Society, USA. I also worked as the Music Director and the Principal Organist at the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary in Licheń Stary (the largest organ in Poland, 157/6M+P). I recorded on CDs. In addition, I have completed Master’s and PhD studies in Management (Leon Koźmiński University, Warsaw). As an Associate Professor at the Polish University of Social Sciences and Collegium Civitas, I conduct interdisciplinary research at the interface between Management, Art, and Aesthetics, as well as extensive didactic activities. For many years I have been a business practitioner in an international environment.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Inspirations play a particular role in creative activities. A standard approach to creativity says that you must dive deeply into your field of interest to be able to create a novelty. The other approach underlines interdisciplinarity. For me, a great inspiration to management was and still are books and works from aesthetics and arts. Interdisciplinarity allows us to use optics from one field for observing and analyzing the other field with benefits for both areas and for the researcher itself.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Following the interdisciplinary approach to the art of management and the management of art, I think finding an own internal mission or factor determining our life filospohy is crucial. In my case, a need for making surroundings better is this type of mission. Except eco and sustainable approach to life and consumption, we can bring Good, True and Beauty (from the Plato’s triad) through arts: classical and modern arts but also the art of management because we manage our issues constantly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michalszostak.org
• Instagram: prof.m.szostak
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@MichalSzostak

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