The Importance of Positivity in the Artist Community
We are so blessed to be part of such an amazing artist community. We appreciate each and every one of you. Your contributions to our group and your support of one another is why we love this community so much. Sharing positivity with each other is so important to everyone’s success and wellbeing and our artist are the best at it!
The online world offers many benefits. It allows us to find information quickly and to connect with loved ones and friends. In our case, it allows us to connect with artists from all over the world which would not be possible without the internet. These relationships are so important for artists and the opportunity to support and inspire each other is priceless. The ability to connect with each other instantly is a great privilege. And, as with any great privilege, it comes with great responsibility. Words are powerful things and, once said or posted online, they cannot be taken back. It is the responsibility of all artists (and all humans really) to use the power of their words for good.
The Importance of Positivity in the Artist Community
When artists share their work on social media they are putting a piece of their heart and soul out there for everyone to see. You probably know exactly how this feels. You work hard to perfect a technique or you experiment with something for the first time and, either way, you’ve put your whole self into the piece. Then you post that piece to ask for advice, share a win, or inspire other artists. Then you wait for the replies.
In our group the responses are usually positive, encouraging, and loving. Those comments lift the posting artist up and help them to grow. Negative comments, however, can be very hurtful and discouraging to an artist. After all, the work they have posted is a part of themselves. It isn’t possible to take negative comments lightly. That’s what we mean when we say we have a responsibility to use our words for the power of good. Our words have the ability to either lift an artist up or knock them down. We always want to lift our artists up!
Is it Kind? Is it True? Is it Necessary? Is it Helpful?
You’ve probably all seen these words somewhere. The words we should consider before speaking (or posting). If the answer to any of these questions is no then the words probably should not be shared. While researching the origin of these words (attributed to American radio host Bernard Meltzer), we found several similar mantras from many other sources. From the Buddhist tradition, to classrooms, to the Rotary Club, and beyond, many of us recognize how important it is to be gentle and purposeful with our words. This is especially true in the artist community where we all tend to wear our hearts on our sleeves.
Would Your Grandmother Approve?
Another good way to gauge if something should be left unsaid is whether or not we would say it in front of your mother or grandmother. If either of them would chastise us or pop us in the back of the head for the words, that probably means they shouldn’t be shared. The internet gives us a certain amount of anonymity and distance from the people we interact with. It can be easy to forget that these are real people sitting in a real room with real feelings. If we wouldn’t say something to a person’s face or in front of Grandma, we shouldn’t say it all.
Spread Love, Spread Joy, Spread Kindness
Many of us artists create as a way to express ourselves. We also create in order to share our unique version of beauty and joy with the world. Artists have the unique opportunity to do this with their creations. We also have the opportunity to spread love, joy, and kindness with our words. When we spend time on social media scrolling through pics that other artists have shared we have the chance to positively impact their lives. A kind word, a supportive statement, or even just a like will brighten their day and help them to grow.
These things also have the potential to impact an artist’s business. Many of our artists are small business owners. That means that the comments we make not only affect them personally but also professionally. A negative comment can hurt a person’s business while a positive one can help them build it. The comments we make may feel like a small thing but the effects they can have are big and very real. Our challenge for ourselves and our artists is to be mindful of how our words affect others. May we always strive to spread positivity and to lift each other up. There is already so much negativity in the world and we can start to change that, one comment at a time.
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If you want more inspiration and information we have a Facebook group for that. Join us in Counter Culture DIY Artist Support where we, and other artists, offer ideas, answer questions, and support each other!
Do you have an art project using any of our products that you want to share? Send it to us at [email protected], and we can feature them here!