What's funny about community support for artists and activists is this is how it was always done, up until around the 80s.

Only we didn't have to ask, hat in hand, individually.

Read autobiographies of an artist for every decade of the last century at random.

Any culture you like.

And you'll hear how they had benefactors or sponsors or patrons.

Or their society was set up so that you could be a painter like a person could be a teacher.

If you weren't great you'd be broke but not insolvent or unable to feed yourself or have health care.

It's amazing to me that we are that far into our bubbles that we don't know

Or in my case forget

That this isn't normal.

Make sure you include people from the Harlem Renaissance like Langston Hughes.

He was ill his whole life with something that sounded a lot like fibro.

You know it wasn't transactional and capitalist either. It wasn't "ok if you support me me I promise to do... A art?"

We just knew they had to eat.

Some of them only gave us a few masterpieces their whole lives. And that was enough.

If you wanted more than that you could get another job. They had those.

Sometimes, if there weren't enough?

The government would MAKE MORE.

Imagine that.

You pay taxes & the government helps everyone be in good enough shape to pay even more taxes.

And everyone is fucking Fine.