Buy the work rather than praising it
Artists, writers and makers get a great deal of encouragement and very little income. One is a great deal more useful.
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The BeingKind editorsPublished How this is written
Why it lands
Encouragement is abundant and free, which is exactly why it is worth so little to someone deciding whether they can keep doing the work. A purchase is the only feedback that is unambiguous — it says you valued it enough to give something up. For small independent makers a handful of sales is the difference between continuing and stopping, and most of their admirers have never bought anything.
How
Buy directly where you can, since platforms take a substantial cut. Buy at full price rather than waiting for a sale. Tell them what you did with it afterwards, which is the part they will remember longer than the money.
Answer if you want. It changes which ideas are shown first.
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