I think he means to run away from the art, because once it gets ahold of you, it won't let go. Just something along those lines. Or just start out running and go from there. I don't know for sure, but I would say my first prediction would be accurate.
Why would someone who is so successful ask you to run from the very thing he loves? Maybe he wants it for himself... Or maybe he just wrote it so we'd talk about it like we are now.