5 FREE WAYS TO SUPPORT LOCAL ARTISTS
The life of an artist is pretty cool – being your own boss, travelling to gorgeous locations, playing with the most majestic animals, wearing whatever you want and painting all day – it really does fling you out of bed in the morning with enthusiasm to create!
But, being an artist is also a LOT of work. I sometimes long for a nine-to-five job where I can clock-on and clock-off my working week and receive the full remuneration for the hours I’ve worked. As an artist though, you never “clock-off” and at the end of the working week, your paycheck may be $50,000 or it may be $0, regardless of the hours you have worked.
That is why I wanted to write this post. Because despite the stress, the uncertainty and the initial dwindling back accounts, my success as an artist has flown on the back of my family, friends and supporters. Reflecting on the numerous ways each one has helped me on my path to becoming a professional artist has inspired me to share with you how you may do the same for your fellow artists and creative friends. Even if you aren’t creative yourself, you can still be a patron of the arts or the motivation behind a creative friend. It doesn’t have to cost you a cent but I can guarantee it will be worth a million bucks to the artist:
Simply showing up and adding to the vibe of the night can dramatically boost the confidence of the artist and may even help lead to sales. It’s also a great opportunity to discover works of similar artists you may like.
It’s the best feeling when someone emails just to say “hey I love your work, thanks for creating it”. Most artists, including myself, have social media pages and online portfolios. If there’s an artist you like, check out their facebook, instagram and website and add some positive feedback to their work. It’s a great way to encourage artists and help them stay motivated to create.
Unless they specifically say so, most artists like myself have no problem with people reposting their artwork as long as they credit the original artist as the source. And there’s no shame in letting the artist know you’ve done so either. I’ve even been known to give discounts and freebies to people who have been a great supporter of my work online.
My friends and family were the first ones to commission artworks and ultimately they funded my survival as an emerging artist. Sure IKEA has cheap art - but its generic, mass-produced and supports a multi-national corporation. Commissioning an artwork allows you to get something original and meaningful and there’s no reason why it can’t be tailored to your budget either.
Sometimes choosing a gift for a creative or unique person can be a seemingly impossible task. Frankly, I feel for anyone who has faced the challenge of gifting something to me! But some of the best gifts I have received were sketchbooks, drawing materials and art books. And still to this day, every time I use them I think of the giver.
by Anne Smerdon x
PS: These are my own words, my own thoughts and my own research. Give credit where it is due and link back to this as the original source if you share or repost the information - www.annesmerdon.com Thanks!