I have received a lot of questions lately from friends, family, and strangers, about how they can support me and other artists they know. Some folks don’t have the funds or the space to buy art from us, or they just plain don’t know where to start. So, I thought I’d share a guide to help those who want to support artists like me. Some of these things will be specific to me as an artist, but it will still help you determine how you might support your own favorite or local artists, and can also apply to musicians, dancers, and entrepreneurs.
Keep in mind that artists don’t necessarily have the luxury to make art all day, every day. Instead we’re working on our accounting, maintaining households, bugging people on social media to like and follow them, and trying to find additional streams of income. Many even work full or part-time jobs in addition to working as an artist.
So, how can you support your favorite artist?
LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, AND SUBSCRIBE!
Money and exposure go hand-in-hand and are the best ways you can help an artist. If you don’t have money (Welcome to the club!) or room in your budget to spend, you can still help your favorite artist! Sharing the artist’s social media posts and telling your friends and family about the artist, what kind of art they make, and how they can purchase that art. Exposure leads to the possibility of future sales. If you know an organization or an art gallery that might like to show a new artist, give them a referral!
REFER, REFER, REFER!
For Certified Zentangle Teachers™, like me, we also appreciate folks who take our classes and refer their friends to take our classes. We’re also interested in new venues to teach at, so if you know a venue that would benefit from a Zentangle® class, let them know about your favorite CZT!
Buying an artist’s designs is also a great way to support them. You’re not only contributing to their piggy bank, you’re also showing the rest of the world their art by displaying it. It’s also a great confidence boost for the artist to actually make a sale. Many towns and cities hold art nights and art walks, take the time to attend these events and talk to artists. Many times you can even buy small prints of their art as a way to support them. Every little bit helps.
And, here are some ways you can support me specifically (Many artists have the same streams of income, so check out their websites and social media to see how you can help them):
- Connect with me on social media and share my posts! When you interact with your favorite artists on social media, you increase their exposure! This means we have more opportunity to sell our art and products to more people! So, please do not hesitate to like, comment, share, and subscribe! Every social media platform gives you the opportunity to “Turn On Notifications” so you can be notified when we post!
- Subscribe to my newsletter! This allows me to communicate with you directly and know that you’re receiving the message 🙂 Plus, it means you’ll further stay connected and know when I have new products, classes, or artwork available!
- Buy my art. This one seems pretty straightforward, but if you buy art you’re not only financially supporting your artist, but hopefully your friends, co-workers, or family members will see the art and want to buy some, too!
- Great reasons to buy art – birthdays, holidays, graduations, anniversaries, baby showers, bridal/wedding showers, retirements, good grades, promotions, new homes. Basically, any time you might give a gift, give art!
- Etsy – buy art, supply kits, and coloring books! Favorite my shop and share it with your friends!
- Design By Humans – buy prints or wear clothes with my designs on them, I gain a commission, you look g
reat, and your friends mights be interested in wearing cool art, too! (Are you starting to sense a pattern here???)
Coloring Books – buy my coloring books!- YouTube – YouTube allows artists to monetize their videos, so please subscribe, watch, like, comment and share to help us earn a few extra bucks. Plus, who doesn’t like watching fun videos?
- Skillshare – I’ll be teaching on Skillshare this year, so you get a chance to
learn Zentangle on your own time! Skillshare teachers earn a commission, so make sure to recommend lessons you liked!
(Skillshare IS a paid subscription-based program, but it is
cost-effective and you can learn more than just Zentangle!)
- Order a commission! If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind, custom art the best option is to order a commission! Contact me directly to let me know what you have in mind and I can provide you a quote.
- Give me money…. ok, not really…. maybe…. but if you’re feelin’ it, go right ahead 😉 (But, I’d rather make you art and trade it for money!)
- Book a class – Contact me directly to book a Zentangle class for you and your friends! If you know a local business like a wine bar or cafe that wants to hold art classes, refer refer refer!
- Tell your friends! Direct referrals are always the best way to gain new followers and potential customers.
If you’ve made it this far through the post, thank you for taking the time to consider how you can support me and other artists! As a token of my appreciation, here’s a coloring page that you can print out and color!
Support Artists Free Coloring Page
When you’re done coloring, take a picture and share with me on social media or email me to show me your creation (info@zenandzin.com)!
Cheers!!
Sarah, CZT, Zen & Zin
*THE ZENTANGLE® METHOD IS AN EASY-TO-LEARN, RELAXING, AND FUN WAY TO CREATE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES BY DRAWING STRUCTURED PATTERNS. IT WAS CREATED BY RICK ROBERTS AND MARIA THOMAS. “ZENTANGLE” IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ZENTANGLE, INC. LEARN MORE AT ZENTANGLE.COM.
