Willem Vedovi is an art-lover who has dedicated his whole education and career to art. He succeeded in co-creating with his brother Paolo Vedovi the Brussels-based, internationally celebrated gallery Vedovi. By making a professional success out of his passion, Willem Vedovi achieved something many people dream of. There is much to learn from Willem Vedovi’s inspiring example on how one can effectively combine passion and work.
Willem Vedovi found a business outcome for his passion
Willem Vedovi is far from being the only person to ever decide to make a living out of his passion. It is the dream of many. Yet, among them only a handful achieve real success, and many end up frustrated by both their work and passion. So why are success stories like Willem Vedovi’s that exceptional?
What sets Willem Vedovi apart is that he fully acknowledged the challenges he had to face. He knew that loving doing something is one thing, and loving working hard for the same thing is another, especially when that implies making a living out of it, having responsibilities, taking orders, getting stressed out etc. Because he was aware of that, he realized that only an ambitous business goal like becoming independent could keep his passion real.
Only those who, like Willem Vedovi, are passionate enough to hold on to a concrete business project and are ready to do all it takes to make it happen can succeed. The people who choose a job just because “it’s in a field” that they are passionate about, are bound to be unhappy with the job and likely to be frustrated with their passion.
Willem Vedovi did not go down for the easy path
It is no coincidence Willem Vedovi succeeded. From the start of his studies, he has always remained focused on his ultimate goal – creating a successful gallery – and has chosen to progressively develop the skills and abilities it required. And in order to make strides, he has consistently chosen to challenge his capacities.
Belgian-born, Willem Vedovi has lived in many countries and developed advanced language skills in English, French, Italian and Spanish. He used this asset to make his early career in London, a city that offers more opportunities to grow a network than Brussels. A genuine art-lover, Willem Vedovi was also well aware that his project required him to become a real businessman whilst keeping his passion alive. In order to do so, he decided to go learn business at… Sotheby’s, the world famous 1744-established London art auction company.
What Willem Vedovi’s early career demonstrates is how crucial learning as much as possible is. Because competition is harsh in fields where people are passionate, relying on your assets is not enough. Willem Vedovi was an art-lover from an emergent art city : he quickly grew a passionate businessman with an international network. Going down the easy path is not the right solution.
He took the risk
Willem Vedovi only worked one year at Sotheby’s. That was long enough for him to get noticed and become director of the Paris-based Odermatt-Cazeau gallery. He led the gallery during five years, a longer period that enabled him to nurture an extensive expertise of the market and to forge relationships with many artists and art collectors.
At what was then the very highlight of his carreer, Willem Vedovi decided to become independent and fund with his brother Paolo the gallery Vedovi. That period when he began to be recognized as a specialist was actually a complicated one, because this is when he had to dare take the leap. He had worked hard to prove his worth and finally got to be in a more stable, comfortable position that ensured him authority and recognition. But he could not stay there. Because what got him there was his dedication to his dream project. Had not he taken the leap, he would have risked ending up bitter and filled with regrets. Once he did, he could count on both his original passion and his newly acquired skillset to get him where he wanted.
Success is never guaranteed but once a dream project has driven you far, trying to finally make it come true is a deeply fulfilling professional experience. And it should not be thought as a conclusion: there are always new challenges to tackle once the leap is taken. Just consider what an art gallery like Willem Vedovi’s has to face now: growing demand and offer, internationalization of the market, new art capitals, new types of customers… There is no challenge shortage for entrepreneurs.