Be Your Own Patron
Art patronage has been around for over 4000 years.
Patronage is the support, encouragement, or financial aid of an organization or individual. Typically this support has been from princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people to aid artists, musicians, painters, writers, and creatives.
Today, it is often necessary for an artist to be their own patron through a day job, side gig, or other means.
Never think less of yourself for doing what artists have done for thousands of years to keep making art. Support yourself and keep making your art.
Be kind to yourself on your creative journey.
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You have reached the end of the newsletter. Meet Fred, from Polaroid.
I love that Polaroid took a creative and analog approach to their educational page with the Customer Service Manager, Fred. We need more companies embracing human creativity, rather than racing to AI.
It's interesting to think about how economic factors affect what you make. When people had a single patron, they might do some artwork of their patron (affecting their choice of subject) but also the patron had the prestige of having the artist around (look at the freedom Da Vinci enjoyed!). When you are your own Patron, you have complete freedom, even more so than when you have some form of patreon.