Trying to make a living in this day and age is already hard enough as it is, but it’s especially difficult on the people who try to make money doing artistic things such as hairdressers, makeup artists, illustrators, musicians, photographers, and much more. All of these are jobs that require artistic and creative abilities.
The main way to support your artist friends would be to help them make money. Don’t just ask your hairdresser friend to cut your hair for free. Don’t ask your photographer friends to take pictures of you without payment. Don’t ask your makeup artist friends to do your makeup for free. Pay them for their services, and if you can, help them advertise. If your artist friend draws a commission piece for you, post it on your Instagram and give them the credit they deserve!
Be their cheerleader! Support them in everything they do. Help them if they have to take pictures at a wedding, actually show up to their art shows, poetry readings, or concerts. Stand by them and give them positive feedback when they do something new. If you can’t be a cheerleader, be an audience member. Being in the audience is basically the same as a cheerleader, just from a distance. You can’t provide nearly as much support as the cheerleader, but you still do as much as you can.
If those two aren’t for you, try being the creative connoisseur. Being the creative connoisseur may just mean that you’re a scholar, art enthusiast, or someone who;s dabbled creatively for some time. Even if you’re not familiar the artistic process, you can still give helpful feedback! Even just giving your friends feedback will be enough to help and support them, sometimes all they need if helpful tips!
Even if you’re broke there are other ways you can support your artistic friends without buying their work. I understand not everyone can go out and pay for one of your art friends commission pieces, or pay to have their makeup done. We’ve all been there, so instead of paying them for their work you can, like and share their posts on social media! If your makeup artist friend posts a picture of a look they’ve recently done on themselves, share it! Maybe next time someone needs their makeup done for a special occasion they’ll go to your friend!
Just promote their business in any way you can! Promoting someone is super easy. You can even do it by word of mouth. People make decisions based on what they’ve heard their friends, family, and even strangers say about a product or a service. If someone has heard you or your friends talk about how good your hairdresser friend is at cutting hair, they’re more likely to go to them!
Not everyone could do these creative and artistic jobs, so we need to be supportive and appreciative to those who can, and do, especially if they’re our friends!
