Thoughts & Things

Supporting Local Talent

Here at WDC, I think many of us feel the typical artists' struggle. We write away at our poems, short stories, articles, novels, and even our blogs, and all we can do is hope that people are reading it, that people are enjoying it, and that maybe we could make a living off of it (although I am certain some of the lovely folks here are already profiting from some of their work, but I also think they still have those hopes too).

Knowing how hard I work on my own projects, I think it's incredibly important to support the little guy when it comes to artistic endeavors. Whether it be written word, music, visual art, clothes, craft work, movies, TV shows, video games, and so on, it's important to support those who might have a harder time getting that support. I think finding and supporting local businesses and artists is one of the best ways to ensure that we're giving our hard earned money to folks who would appreciate it as much as we ourselves would.

While it's always a wonderful thing to be able to reap the benefits of the world being at our fingertips, sometimes it's good to just take a step out your door, and enjoy whatever might come across your path. I think a lot of people are simply not thinking about where their products come from, and where their money might be going, but thinking about those things can promote feelings of community, promote the community itself, and help you find hidden gems you might not have found otherwise.

I recently stopped in at a local store that sells lots of nerdy odds and ends in my city, and there happened to be a local artist doing anime style caricatures in there. My boyfriend and I had a couples caricature done. It was a lot of fun, I have a really cute hand drawn image of me and my partner, and I got to support local talent while I was at it.

My city also has comic-cons that feature a lot of local artists and writers, selling all kinds of products. Local comics get sold by the artists and writers themselves, and get sold by a couple of our local stores there. People sell handmade clothing, gorgeous art prints, and cute little ceramic items. Local stores often showcase their products at the comic-cons as well.

Local stores tend to be a goldmine for supporting locals. Not only are you giving your money to a small local business, but many small independent shops will sell products made by local creators. Shops will feature artists doing caricatures, or will display locally made products in an easily accessible way. One of our local comic shops is the main place to get locally made comics from an independent press that happens to be run by one of the shop's employees. Even the local library will feature film screenings for locally made films, and full shelf displays of authors based within the city.

Every summer, my city's downtown park actually hosts a free festival quite literally every other weekend for most of the summer. These include a lot of music and arts festivals that feature many local businesses, anything from food to crafts to music to art to clothes. Some of the talents come from a little further away, but most are still based in Ontario or Canada. I've never gone there without collecting up business cards and trying a few new local things. I've gotten some of my favourite loose leaf tea and naturally made shampoos at the summer festivals, both of which were made by businesses based locally.

Sometimes it can be hard to come up with the money to shop locally and support local talent. I certainly don't always have the cash to support the businesses I want to support, or to own the arts I would like to own. A big part of it is just looking. Looking is usually free, and it never hurts to see what you can find without even leaving town. Sometimes it can be nice to just come across other local writers, artists, and so on. It feels good to know you're not going through it all alone.

(I have committed to blogging daily with Give It 100. This is Day Forty-Seven. Six days of leave taken total.)