How to Fuel An Artist’s Love Tank
I recently took a month-long detox from Instagram. This is something I’m trying to do a few times a year for a variety of reasons, but the main one is to keep my identity in check, to remind myself I am more than a grid of squares; that I am loved for who I am and not for how many hearts appear above my posts.
During my recent break, I thought about social media a lot—the good, the bad, the ugly, what I want to use it for and what I don’t want to use it for. The general conclusion I’ve been coming to, over and over again, is this: I need to make Instagram work for me, and not the other way around.
To put it simply: I’m opting out of the algorithm hacks. I can’t post every day. (I’ve never posted every day.) I can’t respond to DMs within thirty minutes, or do whatever other specific thing it is you’re “supposed” to do for maximum reward. I am opting out of the game. I’m making it work for me, which looks like posting a handful of times each month, whenever I feel like it, and deleting the app from my phone for a full thirty days when my mental health requires a break.
Maybe you’ve been feeling this way, too? I could write a short novel about my nuanced (and evolving) feelings regarding social media, but I will save that for another time and another post. Today I want to talk about something specific—how to support the writers and artists you love.
The truth is: it’s 2020 and social media matters to those of us using the Internet to fuel our businesses, our dreams, our art. If you’re not an artist or a writer or a small business owner, you might not be aware of how much this stuff matters, which is why I’m sharing these ideas.
This is not meant to be comprehensive or an all-or-nothing list; this is simply an offering of ideas in case you’ve ever wondered how you can support the people in your life who inspire and encourage you with their creative work.
1. Leave a comment. When you leave a comment on a blog post or essay or Instagram post, that’s an easy way of saying, "I see this thing you poured your heart into and I appreciate it!" Kind comments are one of the easiest ways to acknowledge their time spent writing the piece, photographing the session, painting the canvas, recording the podcast, etc. You can leave a comment on the blog itself, the Instagram post, the Facebook post, wherever you can, whatever feels right to you. Easy rule of thumb: if you think a kind word in your head, don’t keep it to yourself! Do you ever wish people were slower to criticize and quicker to encourage? It starts with us.
2. Sharing is caring. Clicking “share” via Facebook or Instagram not only tells the artist you love their post, but it also (this is important!) helps their content be seen by others. Friends, I know you know this: there is so much crap on the Internet vying for your attention. Memes and political rants and clickbait galore, viral videos of cats going down the stairs like a slinky. And look, I’m not saying you can’t share that stuff sometimes. I’m just saying … content like this takes up a lot of space. When I scroll through my newsfeed (which I curate regularly!), I am amazed at how little "quality" content exists there. So my challenge to you, dear reader, is this: would you please think twice about hitting share on that clickbait content? And would you please NOT think so hard about sharing that 1500-word essay that validated an experience for you, made you think, or otherwise encouraged you? Sharing is caring. Go forth and care for your friends, okay? (p.s. Instagram stories has made this feature SO easy!)
3. Send them an e-mail. Reader e-mails—I could get teary-eyed attempting to explain the impact these messages have had on my life. Every single one goes into a special folder called "Don't Quit Writing" and when I feel especially insecure or overwhelmed, I use those messages as virtual vitamins. It takes less than five minutes to send someone a “Keep going!” e-mail and you might buy that person six months of confidence. I’m going to take this a step further. Your e-mail might land in the inbox of someone who is currently considering shutting down her blog, giving up on her podcast, closing her shop. Your e-mail to her matters. She could be running on empty, and you (yes, you!) could be the fuel, the breadcrumb, the ladybug she’s been waiting for.
4. Support them on Patreon. I fully recognize not everyone has the financial means to support their favorite content creators. BUT IF YOU DO—this is a simple, meaningful way to support the artists you love. You may not know this, but every single month, money gets deposited into the C+C bank account directly from our readers and listeners. As someone who has been dedicated to an ad-free site for almost six years now, I cannot even begin to explain how much this financial support means to me. Every dollar that comes through Patreon is one less dollar I have to worry about finding. That money helps me cover our expenses, pay the team, and I didn’t have to sell my soul in the process. Most of our Patrons are giving $1/month—literally the price of a pack of gum!—and IT MATTERS. It matters, it matters, it matters. This money has been the difference between paying bills on time and racking up credit card debt, the difference between paying writers and asking people to write for free. Your one dollar a month might not seem significant, but I assure you: it is.
5. Leave them a review. Does your favorite artist have a book? A podcast? Something else that accepts reviews? Leave one! This always feels like a daunting task, but I promise it only takes a few minutes. Don't feel like writing? Goodreads and iTunes will let you leave a 5-star review with no description. YOU JUST HAVE TO CLICK THE FIFTH STAR. This is a two-second task! For podcasts specifically, this is a huge deal.
6. Subscribe, subscribe, subscribe. Subscribe to their blog. Subscribe to their newsletter. Subscribe to their podcast. You may not think those things matter, but in the world of ever-changing algorithms, subscribing matters. Literary agents want to know how many people are on your e-mail list. Podcasts climb the iTunes chart faster when people subscribe to their show.
7. Tell your friends. Tell your online friends. Tell your real life friends. Tell that mom in the pediatrician’s office. Word of mouth will always be significant. Back when I used to do photography, my business was 100% worth of mouth referrals. Coffee + Crumbs launched with a marketing budget of zero dollars. We are as grassroots as they come, and every single time you tell a friend about us, it matters!
8. Buy what they make. Did your favorite writer publish a book? Did your favorite artist open an Etsy shop? Look. It takes a lot of courage to put your art out into the world. It takes even more courage to ask people to pay for it. I’m not saying you have to buy a thing from every single maker you love, but give yourself a goal—can you support one artist per quarter? Can you commit to doing some of your Christmas shopping via small businesses? Related: most people creating content on the Internet have affiliate accounts, whether they’re sharing books they recommend or life-changing slippers. FYI: clicking on their links and/or buying things via their links gives them a tiny kick-back (and I mean tiny, but it can add up over time). If your favorite artist doesn’t have a tangible good to sell, consider shopping through their links. You don’t even have to buy what they recommend. If you click through to Amazon from someone’s link to a face mask and buy a box of diapers, they get a kick-back.
9. Go on a liking spree! I saved this for last because it's easy, not because it's unimportant. The next time you have five minutes to kill, when you're sitting at a swim lesson or waiting in line at the post office, whip out your phone and go on a liking spree. Head to the pages and feeds of the artists you love and like! like! like! like! like! Double tap everything. Double tap all the things. Not only does that make the artist feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, but it also helps the algorithms. Every time you like, share, comment, or otherwise engage with a post, you're telling Facebook and Instagram: hey! I like this person! Show me their stuff more often! Seriously: treat it like a science experiment. Every time you get five minutes, go on a liking spree, and see how it affects your feed. I know for a fact this works because I have liked every single post that has ever been published to Coffee + Crumbs. And you know what? I literally never miss one because they are always at the top of my feed.
Did I miss anything? Writers + artists, feel free to pipe in! How can people support your work?
P.s. I’d be remiss not to mention alllllllllll of my shameless plugs at the bottom of this post, so here they are in case you’d like to support Coffee + Crumbs (and/or me):
Follow/like/share Coffee + Crumbs on Facebook // Follow/like/share Coffee + Crumbs on Instagram.
Leave a review of The Coffee + Crumbs podcast in iTunes (even though our show has moved to Patreon—we are working on a new narrative show which will eventually air in iTunes so your reviews still help our page!)
