Supporting Independent Art

by Dedra L. Stevenson

Dear fans of reading, I’m an author, and although you may think that we all have the riches of J.K. Rowling, I can tell you with certainty that most of us haven’t achieved this level yet.

We have sacrificed the chance to have a good paying job to have the time and mental clarity to write for you, and the money that we make on our current book sales, in many cases, amounts to a few meager peanuts. In spite of this, we keep doing it because we love it.

We love writing new and exciting stories for you, and sadly, we don’t have thousands of dollars to invest in advertising to tell you about the great stories that we have to offer.

How can you help? You can share our posts, tell us when there are free promotional opportunities that we missed, and of course review and rate our books.

Reviews are the best way for other readers to have some idea of what they are thinking of buying on Amazon.

Also, don’t be surprised when we post a lot about our work and bring books to sell everywhere we go. Remember, that in many cases, there’s no paycheck coming at the end of the month for us, so by allowing us to sell our books, you are supporting the arts.

And let’s face it, without writing, painting, dance, music and all other forms of expressive art, life becomes dark and tasteless. So, get out there and support! Writers, in particular, should be supporting other writers.

At Blue Jinni Media, we are committed to doing just that. We want independent authors and other types of artists to flourish and prosper. If we don’t support independent expression, we may lose the right to express ourselves to the Corporate Giant that demands to have everything follow a “formula”.

To give you an idea of what I mean, think of the latest Hollywood movie you’ve seen, particularly the tired and tedious sequel that follows the same formula that the original film put forth. It may have been a great success in the first film, but as you watch the sequel, you realize that it’s just a repeat of what you saw the first time. “Transformers, anyone?”

Independent artists, including independent filmmakers, care about delivering something that’s never been seen before, because they often are not doing it for money, but for the love of the craft. They are following a passion. Without them, we may be subjected to endless Transformers and bad Sitcoms.

So, the next time you see an event that features an independent artist of any variety, why not show up to support them? Try spending more for independent entertainment. Show the “suits” that we want something better, something original, and we will no longer pay for rubbish just because it’s there. We shall seek out those that follow the beat of their own drummer, those that challenge the status quo.