Latest in the series on Smashing Paradigms. For my story-telling explanation of the definition of a Paradigm, see “What is a Paradigm“. One way of defining a paradigm is “we’ve always done it this way”
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Last week’s Smashing Paradigms column was titled: “your Comfort Zone is no longer safe..wait, what?“. In it I wrote:
“What if, however, taking the comfortable option of a regular job is riskier than starting your own business? What if comfortable is no longer safe….”
I then quoted Seth Godin:
“Be an Artist, and Make Art!”
“It’s simple. There’s still a safety zone, but it’s not in a place that feels comfortable to you.
The new safety zone is the place where art and innovation and destruction and rebirth happen.”
“Oscar Wilde wrote that art is “new, complex, and vital.” Art isn’t something that’s made by artists. Artists are people who make art. Art is not a gene or a specific talent. Art is an attitude, culturally driven and available to anyone who chooses to adopt it. Art isn’t something sold in a gallery or performed on a stage. Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another.”
Seizing new ground, making connections between people or ideas, working without a map. These are works of art, and if you do them, you are an artist, regardless of whether you wear a smock, use a computer, or work with others all day long.”
Now, what happens, you may ask, if nobody recognises the commercial value of your Art? How do you eat as an artist working without a map?
What if an idea from the Renaissance could be reworked for our crowdfunding times to fill that gap innovatively? Well, it has happened.
When Seth wrote “Be an Artist and Make Art !“, he also referenced in that piece an artist called “Amanda F****g Palmer”.
Now, recently I met another amazing artist, Rosie von Lila (follow Rosie here, this woman is going to change the world!), and she told me about Amanda Palmer and how she uses Patreon.
The concept of patronage of artists dates back to the earliest civilisations but grew in prominence with the Italian Renaissance. Michelangelo, for example, was supported by the de Medici family.
Patronage can be designed as financial support of an artist.
Patreon, then, is crowdfunded support. Amanda Palmer has over 11,000 patreons (including me, I just signed up in researching this article).
I love the idea, and it gives her so much more than financial support, it connects her deeply with her tribe, to people with skin in the game (even if that is only $1 per “thing” she produces for her patreons, money is always energy, so those people have that connection to her.
My definition of Innovation is “doing different things and doing things differently”
Someone thought “hey, I could use a crowdfunding platform to provide ongoing support to artists (and that uses “artist” in the Seth Godin definition…a wide one!).
Kudos to Patreon and for Amanda Palmer for rocking the new platform!
I leave you with her words. She is an artist in the traditional sense of the word.. and remember.. so are you… if you choose to be: “Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another.”
