How To Support Your Artist Friends

If you're friends with an artist, you probably know that it's not an easy lifestyle. They need your support, and you want to give it to them, but it isn't practical for you to continually purchase their artwork, even though you should buy items when you can. There are other ways to support them that don't cost you anything, though. Here are some ways you can do that.

1. Talk About Them

Many artists rely on social media as a major part of their sales strategies, because it's a great way to get the word out about their artwork as well as to share previews of it. You can support them by liking, commenting and sharing their posts. This will boost their engagement rates, which in turn will tell the social media platform's algorithms to make their pages and posts more visible. Don't just hit the share button and leave it at that, though. Add your own note about why you appreciate their work, as this will be much more convincing to the rest of your friends than being spammed by another shared post with no explanation. You should also talk about your artist friends in person. If you purchase a piece, show it off to your coworkers, family and other friends. Talk about what makes them and their work unique, and have some contact information ready to share. Your friends will be even more convinced to check them out if you care enough about it to talk about their work in person.

2. Show Up

When your artist friends have art shows, show up. Better yet, show up with a guest. This will not only help fill out the crowd, but it will also show the venue that is hosting the event that audiences want to see more of this artist. Even more important than that, though, is that you're providing moral support for your friends. Being an artist is challenging, so showing that you care about them and their work can go a long way. In addition to events, though, you should also show up in the day-to-day. Help them set up their new studios, throw a party when they have breakthroughs, and sit and talk with them when they're frustrated. Simply being a friend to your artist friends is vitally important to their success.

3. Give Them Feedback

If your artist friends ask what you think about individual pieces, tell them what you think. Be encouraging and positive, but give as much detail as possible about what you think, both good and bad, if you know they will truly appreciate the feedback. This will help them know what to do differently or continue doing the next time. If you know they aren't necessarily looking for you to critique their work, enthusiastically tell them all the parts that you do love. Show your friends what you think of their work through your actions, too. If you purchased a piece, display it proudly in your home and go on and write a review. Reviews are the lifeblood for many entrepreneurs, so it's important that you provide them when you can.

4. Find Ways To Help Them Collaborate

If you have several artist friends, connect them. If you have other friends who work in fields or companies that could give them an opportunity to share or grow in their work, connect them too. These relationships could open doors that change the trajectories of your artist friends' careers. If you have a skillset that could help your artist friends, find ways to put that to work as well. You might even offer a trade of services for some of their work. Just make sure both parties are getting something comparable in value.

Your artist friends need your support, and there are a variety of ways you can and should give it to them. Purchase their work when you can, but these other methods of being a good friend are just as powerful.