I Went to Art School for 8 Years And All I Got Was This Lousy Systems Business

Jul 14

Written By Devin Lee

🎨 Fun fact: I went to art school for 8 years straight.

The first 4 years of art school took place at a charter high school I auditioned for.

The next 4? Art college, where—plot twist—I graduated with a business degree. (But that’s a story for another day.)

Back then, painting was my medium of choice. These days, it’s systems.

And weirdly? The process is almost exactly the same.

🖼️ STEP 1: PROCESS MAPPING

When I painted, I’d start by waiting for a spark—some kind of vision, a feeling, or even a picture torn from a magazine.

I’d then sketch and plan out the layout of what I wanted to create.

That’s exactly what process mapping is in systems: The vision, laid out visually so we can make a plan to bring everything to life.

🧰 STEP 2: GATHERING MATERIALS

Next, I’d carefully set up my space:

Paints? Check. Canvas? Check. Plastic chair as an easel? Check. Clean brushes, paint rag, reference photos, My Chemical Romance cued up on the iPod? Check, check, check.

That’s what gathering materials looks like in my work now - getting everything (forms, schedulers, email copy, etc) in place to start building.

🛠️ STEP 3: BUILD

Finally, I’d settle into the zone and PAINT.

Now? I settle into the zone and BUILD. I love it because it still uses creative problem-solving to invent something new.

And I hate to admit it, but…. The creativity I put into System Builds results in a lot more utility than all of the space eggs I used to paint (although I still enjoy painting them now and again!)

Some folks in the Systems & Ops world stick to strategy and then hand things off. And hey, I get it. Stick with the pieces of your business you love the most.

But me? I love both.

I’m a builder. A creator. A maker. And I’m damn good at it. (So good, I had to start a club)

These days, instead of canvases, I work inside Airtable, ClickUp, Zapier, and more. That’s where I find flow.

And the results are businesses that run like well-oiled machines.

Want to see some examples of systems I’ve built? Stick around! We’re just getting started 😍