This Thanksgiving, Thank an Artist for All the Free Work We Do

Showing appreciation is always welcome.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

I’ll admit: Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays. I was born around Christmas so I favor my own birthday like the spoiled millennial I am. Hold on, I gotta Instagram my latte art.

Got it.

Ok, I’m back.

I’m no fan of Thanksgiving, but I am a fan of giving thanks. And while most jobs are thankless, that’s especially true for the artist.

Artists don’t save lives, govern, keep order, or feed people. Artists may teach, but only the lucky ones. It’s an honor and a privilege to teach your craft to others, but most artists don’t teach. They do, often in isolation. And to a non-artist, art is just one of those selfish careers they don’t think about until it’s time to pick a tattoo or hire a photographer.

But artists provide the world with essentially free entertainment. Think about the creative friend that posts their paintings on social media. That friend is giving life to your Facebook feed. It may be a nice break from your uncle’s Alex Jones reposts and your high school friend’s posts claiming the essential oils she selling cure cancer.

So you toss your friend a like and keep scrolling. But your creative friend is making art for you. And you are consuming it. Clearly, your friend deserves a little more acknowledgment than just a virtual high-five. You don’t even post a “good job.”

So thank them. Thank them for sharing their craft with the world. Thank them for sharing their incomplete work. Thank them for being vulnerable enough to pour out their souls publicly. It’s hard to be an artist. Many artists lack the emotional support they need to thrive, because so many non-artists believe art isn’t essential, or that it’s so unattainable a career that it should only stay a hobby. They may shut out the artist in their own life while consuming the art of others. They may subconsciously supplant their own insecurities onto the artist, fertilizing a toxic relationship. They fail to see how much art they consume, even from their own friends.

So this Thanksgiving, reach out to an artist and thank them for their service.