Why Artists Are Always Right

Crista Cloutier, an obsessive list-maker and founder of The Working Artist, discovered that artists develop unique planning approaches by breaking rules, bending materials to suit their needs, creating something personal and unexpected, and moving left-brain material to their right brain. This realization came after she initially struggled with launching her online business school for artists. Despite her meticulous list-making, the overwhelming task of preparing for the next session of The Working Artist led her to seek help from her brother, a Program Planner for Mission Planning Systems. He introduced her to the 'Military Planning Approach.' Crista adapted this approach, creating a system focused on motivation, reflective questions, pretty pictures, and holistic structure emphasizing insight and feelings. While her brother later clarified her system wasn't the formal Military Planning Approach, Crista recognized that this adaptation is precisely what artists do: they transform existing frameworks into something new and different, leveraging their unique 'Artist Brain' to make decisions that, though unconventional, are inherently 'right' for them. This journey highlights how artists embrace their distinct cognitive processes to achieve their goals. Written by Crista Cloutier, artist mentor + founder of The Working Artist. (learn more about Crista here)