Thoughts and Reflexions

This is a special section of KiMi’S Blog, and that´s why it looks different. In this section you’ll be able to read some more personal thoughts and reflexions about life and career, and get to know better the character and values of KiMi and other people related to KiMi’S Music Dream activitites. Also, you will be able to get more insight about projects developed by KiMi’S Music Dream. Go back to main blog page here.

Thoughts and Reflexions

This is a special section of KiMi’S Blog, and that´s why it looks different. In this section you’ll be able to read some more personal thoughts and reflexions about life and career, and get to know better the character and values of KiMi and other people related to KiMi’S Music Dream activitites. Also, you will be able to get more insight about projects developed by KiMi’S Music Dream. Go back to main blog page.

Is it right to ask fans for help through crowdfunding?

Is it right to ask fans for help through crowdfunding? This was asked to us, students of “Modern Music Marketing” at the beginning of our semester at Berklee. As assignment we had to expose our opinion about the topic, and this is what I wrote. I thought it could be helpful for some of you, and that´s why I decided to post it in the blog.

The three components of the artistic creation

There are a lot of opinions about the definition of art. Some people say it is all about technique and mastery, some others say it is about talent, innovation and originality and others say it is all about emotions.
What is common to all types of art manifestations is that they don’t exist as a single “object” but as a rather complex process, that requires three main components to effectively exist.

One of them is the artistic creation. The second is the artist, the creator, who with his/her mind and technique makes it possible for the object of art to exist. And, finally, closing the cycle, we have the final recipient of the artistic process: the beholder.
Without a person appreciating artistic value on the creation, it stops being considered an art, and the creator stops being an artist and gets displaced, in any case, to the category of a craftsman.

About the artistic value of a creation

The artistic value is related to a particularity of the object that gives it a value beyond its direct usability.  In my opinion, this value is generally given by the creator’s interpretation of the world, that, by his/her technique, is able to portray in the creation. When this portray of the artist’s reality, for whatever reason, resonates with the beholder, the artistic process starts. This process, thus, could be considered a dialogue between the creator and the beholder, channeled through the appreciation of the artistic creation.

For a dialogue to occur, it needs to exist an understanding between both parts, that, in some cases it reaches a highly intimate level. The beholder might feel the artist is directly talking to them, and suddenly, they feel connected with the creator, because they feel both are on the same page. When you feel that someone has been through what you’ve been through, you feel much closer to that someone. They suddenly feel they, somehow, “know” each other, and, from this moment, the so called “fandom” might start. In that moment, artist and fan become part of the same, special community. A community where, by genuinely being themselves, they become irreplaceable for each other.

Fans honestly want to support artists

In that nice artistic community, fans genuinely feel the artist part of their inner circle and their identity, and there are very few people on the world that those fans feel closer to them, than the artist. Without the artist, they lose a piece of themselves. The artist is someone that brings them to that community, puts them closer to like-minded people and creates a space where they are special. The artists, through their creations, generate value to the lives of the fans, and the fans, fully aware of this, are willing to keep this connection alive. This means that fans would be happy to support the artist in the best way the can, and they would feel great by doing so.

Some artists feel uncomfortable including the money exchange in the equation of their artistic endeavors. This is reasonable, since the artistic expressions have been always something made to be shared and to create connection within a particular community. They weren´t mean to be sold or to make money. But, as with anything in life, a dose of realism is required. It does not matter what sort of things we invest our time at, or what things motivate us the most: In order to keep doing what we are the best at and what we thing we should be doing, we need to make ends meet at the end of the month. If we want to dedicate ourselves to music and we have people that love and need what we do, we need to make sure we can make our living out of it. If we can´t make it happen, we are depriving ourselves and our fans of our full potential. Asking fans for support is not asking them for something they don´t want to provide, it is offering them opportunities to participate of that art, and to feel closer to the artist. They want to help the artists, so they can keep offering them that unique and special thing that no one else can offer.

Closing remarks: allow the art to keep flowing

As previously said, art is a matter of three variables, indispensable for each other. It is not a problem for the fan to be fully aware how much the artist and their art mean to them. It is not a problem for the artists, either, to understand how much their art mean to themselves, since that art is their passion and their life. But it is not so well understood how important are those fans for the art and for the artist.

It is a common misconception the idea that the art has a value by itself, and that it does not have a need for that end link of the chain, that final beholder.  

The most beautiful aspect of the artistic process is that connection that arises from the interaction of its three components. Asking fans for support to the making of the artistic creations is a way of getting them more involved on the process, making them feel closer to the artist, and making them direct participants of the art. This, not only makes the creator more able to focus on what he/she does the best, and to offer more to the world, but it also expands the value and the meaning of their art by growing and feeding that connection between the artist and the beholder.

For this reason, artists shouldn’t be ashamed of needing (and using!) their fans’ support. They should embrace it as a way to grow and strengthen their community. They should also create different ways for those fans to help them, building up their artistic projects and taking it to a better place.

If you liked this, and want to stay tuned on new publications and activities, please consider subscribing to my newsletter. I am very excited about all the stuff that I am preparing, and I would be super happy to have you on this journey! 🙂

In the meantime, stay safe, and, if you have the chance, check this video where the amazing artist Amanda Palmer talks about her point of view about crowdfunding after being criticized on here super-successful crowdfunding campaign after she was kicked off her label.

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