The Real Impact of ‘1,000 True Fans’ on Artists
It’s time we start to support the little guys.
This year, I started supporting my creative friends.
Not in the standard way of sharing their art on Facebook, but financially.
My contributions to them are nothing. Just $1 a month to each of them. It felt meaningless, and, yet, important at the same time.
Still, I had to reach out to them — each of them — and ensure my contribution was accepted in the right frame of mind. I didn’t want them to take offense to my offering. My point with a dollar contribution was to get the ball rolling.
We have no problem consuming created content but tend to neglect the creator. In the past, this was generally fine. Although it was harder to make a living as an artist in the past, the content that we saw was usually commissioned (or paid for in some way).
Nowadays, it’s a bit different. Anyone can create, and anyone can spend a good chunk of their time creating. For themselves and others. The problem is, now, most of the art we see isn’t commissioned. The digital age has brought about easier distribution. Today, anyone can get their art seen.
But not all can receive compensation for their art.
