If you want more art and creative thinking in the world, the best thing you can do is give artists your support–artists in any and all fields. We’re all pretty shy and needy.
A simple “I like that. Keep going…” comment is a wonderful thing. So is a “Share” on your socials (that’s huge actually, especially if you give a sentence or two why you’ve shared your appreciation to others). And making Sharing a “thing” you do regularly is a superb, even profound, way to squeeze new Karma into the world.
Also, obviously, a monetary investment in whatever you bump into that tweaks your fancy can go so far. The charge for the paperback version of my novel Sound Effect Infinity is $18.00. After the cost of printing and set up, small, indie Flat Branch Press makes a little under $5.00 per book. If I’d published with a more traditional publisher, I would make less than $2.00. And when you buy the e-book from us, we actually have a better margin even though the charge is nearly half that of a paperback.
My favorite suggestion to anyone and everyone is to give music and books and paintings and craft work to friends and family as presents just as a matter of course. Gifting what you like or what you think those you care about will like has to be one of the highest types of honor and expressions of friendship and love. I just sent a close friend who gifts me music every now and then a copy of the somewhat hard-to-source Centennial Trilogy by Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. It’s the most defining album I know of by young musicians moving the needle forward in the American jazz world.
As I plugged in all the info to send that album off through Bandcamp, I realized that this digital system of gifting is actually a very big but unappreciated plus side of the social media world that we’ve all acceded to. Bandcamp, in particular, is a whole system set up allowing all of us to support and appreciate independent musicians. Most of the money you spend there goes back to the artist after production costs. You can pay the minimum that the artist asks, or you can pay over that, whatever you like. In the check-out box there’s often an option to leave a note for the artist.
I have to say here in closing that I worry some about our digital commerce space because while many sites are extremely robust and efficient, they don’t really emphasize the gifting option (even during the holiday season). They’re hoping you will remember to track that option down on your own. That’s ridiculous. All they need is to create a prominent GIFTING button a little below (or above) the BUY button.
You can write to howdy@flatbranchpress.com and give us your thoughts. We promise to respond.
Thanks for reading.