How to Support the Artists you Love

(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.

It’s not only about building great statistics or monetizing one’s work; a lovely comment on a work we’ve been struggling with can be just what we need to hear; knowing that you liked something enough to share it, is fabulous. Wondering what that particular red is in a painting or why we chose that subject? Ask us.

The more engagement creators receive on social media (Medium, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook), the more likely their posts will get recommended to other viewers who take in similar content. It’s a slow building process. Because I now understand this, I hit the “like” button every time I view a video or read an article.

You should also be aware that while it may be free for you to view the content, it often isn’t free for the creator…