“Be a producer, not a consumer.”
I gave a version of this advice I in this post on how to cope with social media burnout in your business.
Yet when someone in Artists & Profit Makers shared it back to me during a recent call, it felt hollow.
You see, there’s a problem with giving the advice that we need to be producers but not consumers. Actually, there are two problems.
The first is that it positions all production as better than consumption. Which isn’t necessarily true. Both have their merits, albeit in very different ways. Because when I talk about consumption, I’m not just talking about spending money. I’m talking about any time we take in the results of production. (For instance, going to a museum is a form of consumption.)
But the second problem with that sentiment is that, if we want to make our living as a producer, someone has to consume what we produce.
We need consumers in order to support our art and our businesses.
So rather than telling artists and makers they need to focus on being producers but not consumers, I think a better strategy is to find balanced ways to do both.
In fact, as artists and makers, we should be the ones championing consumption. (Ok, not blatant consumption and consumerism, but a healthier consumption of art and products.)
As producers, we should model what it looks like to be a good consumer.
There are two reasons for this. First, good consumption actually makes us better producers. And second, good consumption makes it possible for producers to make a living from their work.
So what does it mean to be a good consumer?
And how does that actually make us into better producers?
In this post on finding inspiration as a creative, I talk about how the things we take in as inspiration come out as our art, craft, or products.
When I look at art, I find it easier to make art.
When I read more, I find it easier to write more.
Try It & See was actually born because I started spending less time on Instagram and more time reading books. And as soon as I did that, words just started pouring out of me.
But it’s not just enough to take in information or inspiration. It’s also important to think about the quality of what you’re taking in.
Yes, looking at images on your phone can help in a pinch. But staring at a work of art on your phone will never have the same impact as looking at one in real life. (Even looking at artwork in books has advantages over your phone, because there are tactile and sensory qualities to turning pages and feeling paper that you lose when scrolling a screen.)
And touching something made by humans (whether at a store or in the comfort of your home because you own it) will always be more satisfactory to staring at a picture of it on a device.
I like to think of this as taking in a high-quality visual (and tactile) diet.
Just like you can get all your calories from pizza and ice cream, you can take in visual inspiration from social media and the Internet. But at some point, it will probably make you feel sluggish and gross.
So being a good consumer starts with seeking out higher-quality things to consume. It means mixing in real-life consumption in addition to taking things in on a screen. For me, real life consumption often means books and museums. For you, it might be spending time in nature. The point is, you’re experiencing inspiration in the real-world from time to time, rather than always through a screen mediated by algorithms.
Being a good consumer also means asking yourself who is getting paid for what you are consuming – the producer themselves or someone else?
There are many reasons why I cut back the amount of time I was spending on Instagram, and replaced much of that time with reading books, but one of the reasons is that, when I buy a book, the author gets paid. When I scroll Instagram, it’s not the artists and makers who are working hard to create content who profit, it’s Zuckerberg.
Of course, there’s much more nuance than that last paragraph implies. I understand that plenty of other people beyond the author profit when I buy a book. And I know that some artists and makers do make money from their presence on Instagram. (Though I know many more who don’t.)
But I do think that it’s essential that if we want to be good consumers, we need to consider who profits (and benefits) from what we are consuming.
Of course, that leads me to the final way to be a good consumer, the one that makes it possible for artists and makers to actually make a living from their work.
Consume (in other words, purchase) the kind of work you want to see in the world.
I firmly believe that, as artists and makers, we can’t expect other people to buy art or handmade goods if we ourselves aren’t purchasing them as well.
I believe that my role as an artist and maker isn’t simply to produce, but to consume the products of my peers.
If the word consume still feels uncomfortable to you, you can start to call yourself by another word: patron.
Start thinking of yourself as a patron of the arts and craft in addition to being a producer of art or products.
Being a patron doesn’t mean that you have to spend tons of money on art or craft. You can start small. But the idea is that you think of yourself as a supporter of the arts in addition to being a creator.
Now I understand that it may not make sense to buy art or products in the category that you make. I rarely buy other people’s jewelry, even if I love it, because I’m always wearing my own. (It’s a key marketing strategy.) So instead, I collect handmade ceramics. (Yes, I think of myself as a collector.)
I’m constantly on the lookout for handmade mugs (my favorite way to drink my morning tea), cups, and now that I’m a crazy plant lady, planters.
This is something I started in the early days of my business, back when I did retail craft shows. I would take whatever cash I’d been paid in at the show and turn around and spend it with ceramic artists whose work I love.
Of course, this is a win-win strategy. I help support fellow artists and makers AND I get to surround myself with beautiful art and objects.
But that’s the beauty of being both a producer AND a good consumer.
Being a good consumer elevates your life. It forces you to think abut the kind of inspiration and information you’re taking in, and leads you to make choices that are better for your emotional well-being and the output of what you produce.
And when you invest even small amounts of money into the kind of work you want to see in the world, you’re rewarded again and again when you see or use that art or product.
So while focusing more on production rather than consumption may be a key strategy for cutting back your time on social media, it’s not an ideal long-term strategy for the health of your creative business in particular or the arts in general.
As artists and makers, we need to take in a wide range of high-quality visual sources in order to remain inspired. And more importantly, as artists and makers, we NEED consumers in order to make a living from our work. We need people to see the value in art and handmade products so much so that they exchange their money to own a piece of that value. And if we truly expect others to do that, we should do the same.
Because when we focus on being good consumers, in addition to producers, we all benefit. (Ok, maybe not Zuckerberg. But that guy has more than enough money and attention anyway. It’s our turn.)
{The mug in the above picture is by Elizabeth Benotti Ceramics, and it’s part of my personal collection. But you can find similar mugs on her website. The rings are mine and available in my online shop.}