Last year, I shared a round-up of the best business books I read (or listened to) in 2019, and I decided it’s something I want to make an annual tradition here on Designing an MBA.
Truth be told, when the pandemic started, I really thought I was going to read ALL the books. But it honestly took me a few months to get back into my reading groove. Which is why this years best list is a mix of books ranging from in-depth to inspiration to pure eye candy.
The Passion Economy by Adam Davidson
I read this book at the start of the year, and his thoughts on pricing are so inline with my own that when I posted snippets of the book on my Instagram Stories, people actually asked me if I had written it! In addition to his (at his in my opinion) excellent advice on pricing, this book goes into a fascinating explanation of business models (and why some businesses succeed and others fail) that I think is a must read. The profiles of various business owners throughout the book are ok, but for me, the real meat of this book is in the beginning, so even if you only have time to read the first few chapters, it’s well worth it.
The Soul of an Entrepreneur by David Sax
David Sax’s previous book, The Revenge of Analog, made my favorites list last year, so when I saw he released a new book, specifically around entrepreneurship, I was definitely excited. In many ways, this book is similar to The Passion Economy, in that it’s really about small entrepreneurship (like the kind practiced by artists and makers) rather than the VC-funded start-ups which represent a fraction of the entrepreneurial world, but get the majority of the hype. Unlike The Passion Economy, I thought that The Soul of an Entrepreneur started a bit slow (and a bit obvious for those of us already running our own businesses) but by the end I really came to love this book. There’s nothing how-to about this one, but if you’re looking for a book that reaffirms that the path you’ve chosen is a valid one, this will do the trick.
Do Nothing by Celeste Headlee
I talked about this book earlier this year, but it ended up sticking with me enough that it made my best business books of the year list. This book examines the ways in which the Protestant work ethic really only benefits capitalism (and not us) and gives practical advice for resisting the call of overwork. If you’ve spent any part of this year feeling guilty for not working, or not working enough, this book is for you.
Sensuous Knowledge by Minna Salami
This is another book I shared earlier this year, and while it’s not strictly a business book, it fits in so well with the ideas that I share in my class Sell Without Shame that I had to include it on my list of best books of the year. If you’re frustrated by living in a world where you feel like you have to verbalize and justify your art, this book will give you permission to lean into the more visceral aspects of what you do as an artist or maker.
The Social Photo by Nathan Jurgenson
This is one more book from the roundup I shared earlier this year, but it had one of my biggest breakthroughs that I shared in 2020 that I had to include it on the list. Like I said in my previous post on this book, I don’t agree with everything, but the idea of photography balancing between the poet and the scribe is so key for thinking about the different ways you want to share your work online – something I shared more about in my class Sell Without Shame as I encouraged students to go beyond thinking about their product photography as simply needing to describe an object.
Palette Perfect by Lauren Wager
Ok, so this isn’t technically a business book, and I didn’t really read it (it’s more eye candy) but I’m still recommending this book as a valuable resource for artists and makers. This book features lots and lots of different color palettes, which is helpful on it’s own, but what makes me really love it is that the colors are grouped by emotion and concept. (Things like curiosity and mystery.) That makes this book a must if you are struggling with branding your creative business, but honestly, it’s also a really useful resource for anytime you need to use color (whether that’s in your art, your product photography, or your brand itself.)
Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa by Marilyn Chase
Alright, so this isn’t a business book either, but Ruth Asawa was such an amazing creative badass with an incredible career that I think every artist and maker should read about her. Ruth went from being interned in camp for Japanese-Americans as a teenager to studying with Josef Albers and Buckminster Fuller at Black Mountain College to creating her iconic hanging wire sculptures to creating community based public art and advocating for arts education in San Francisco. Oh, and she also raised six kids! Like I said, she’s a badass, and reading about her life should be a requirement for every creative.
Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman
I’ll admit that I was hooked when I heard Rutger Bregman described as a more politically liberal Malcolm Gladwell, and this book did not disappoint. While not strictly about business or art (it’s more around economic and political theory) I think it’s a fascinating roadmap for creating a world where the arts and creativity would truly have the potential to flourish. It’s also a great introduction to concepts like Universal Basic Income and shorter work weeks – two concepts that would make it so much easier for more artists and makers to spend time creating work they love.
The Work of Art by Alison Gerber
This is a more academic exploration of the ways that artists view the idea of value in their creative careers, but I still think it’s a valuable read, especially if you struggle with valuing your own art or craft. Truthfully, I’d much rather see people read this book than The Death of the Artist, which tries to explore some similar themes, but is really awful and elitist. (You can watch my rant about that book here.) While the work of art also explores the idea of value from the standpoint of the more traditional art world, it does so without managing to devalue all the different forms of art that are put into the world. There’s not a lot of practical advice in this one (like I said, it’s more of an academic study) but it still got some great tidbits if you want to dive into the ways that artists think about value.
The Women I Think About at Night by Mia Kankimäki
This book isn’t in the picture, because I honestly debated whether or not I should put it on the list. That’s not because I didn’t love it – in fact, it may well be one of my favorite books I read this year – but because I do think it’s a bit of a stretch as a business or art book. It’s much more of a travelogue with biographies of incredible women thrown in. But since four of those women were visual artists (Sofonisba etc. ) I decided to put this book on the list. And in the end, the way that these women are portrayed – as unapologetic badasses who aren’t afraid to promote their art or build the lives they need to support making that art – does make this valuable inspiration for any artist or maker trying to live their life and promote their art.
Of course, I read many more books this year including some that I really loved but weren’t really related to art or business enough to make this list. So if you’re curious, you can see a more complete list of the books I read this year on my other blog. (Though I honestly didn’t do a great job of cataloging my reads until the second half of the year.) But these books really represent the most interesting business and art related books I read this year.
This year’s book list doesn’t have as clear of a theme as my list from last year, but what it lacks in strategy, I think it makes up for in inspiration. If you’re feeling in a bit of a slump as the year winds down (and let’s face it, who isn’t this year?) there are plenty of books on this list that can help reinvigorate your business or your art!