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How to Support the Artists you Love

Karen Espig
4 min readJun 21, 2021

(Or, click that “Like” button, we don’t just say it to annoy you)

Autumn Sessions — Original Artwork by Karen Espig

Choosing to be a professional artist has been a great joy to me. I work every day on my art, whether that means actual studio time (the best part), searching out and creating passive income streams so I can have more studio time, sussing out appropriate exhibition and competition opportunities, or doing the bookkeeping. There are many hats that need wearing.

Just like all creatives, I have days where I get discouraged and worn out. There is a whole lot of rejection involved in the creative arts and sometimes it gets heavy to carry.

That long preamble leads me to what this post is actually about: external supports.

There are many forms that they take, and I will list some at the end for you to think on. What I really wish to convey here, is that at the other end of that song, sculpture, painting, or piece of writing, there is a person who created something new and chose to share it with the world. That is an act of vulnerability, whether the work is your cup of tea or not.

There are many ways to show your encouragement if you like what we paint, make, write, or record; or if you are just happy that we create at all; I encourage you to pick one. We do art because we love to and because it’s who we are.

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Karen Espig
Karen Espig

Written by Karen Espig

I am a contemporary figure painter. I am also a Canadian Expat currently in France. I write about expat life, relationships, and online dating.

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