Adopt A Starving Artist Today!
By misskatonic
@misskatonic (3723)
United States
February 9, 2007 6:16pm CST
After my frustrating bout of attempting to verify my paypal account - apparently you can't accept donated funds with an unverified amount - I started chatting with a friend about the whole donations-for-writing/art/music subject.
We got off a rather entertaining tangent, which we have begun calling the Adopt A Starving Artist Project. With all those 'Adopt A' programs out there - animal, tree, highway, mountain, etc - we mocked up an add for our own dear cause, the starving artist!
Just think! For a small montly payment, *you* could adopt a starving artist! Your small donation will go towards food, supplies, and the creative drug of choice for your starving artist! One dollar alone will pay for an entire pack of ramen! Think of the difference you can make!
Starving artists are all over America. Struggling vainly against all manner of hardships for the sake of their art. These men and women are fighting for dreams, but dreams aren't cheap. They need your support!
And of course, your starving artist will send you updates, photos and letters. You'll be able to see the difference you've made in a starving artist's life! So open your hearts and let in a starving artist today!
:D
(And to those of you who wanted to know if and when someone did donate to my blog, someone did! I will not disclose the name of the generous individual or how much, but I will say that I am honored and amazed and more thankful than I can put into words.)
12 people like this
24 responses
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
10 Feb 07
Hehe. This is a lovely idea!! I'd be all for adopting a starving artist!
I think everyone deserves to get a little help along the way, especially when they're actually working on something worthwhile that they just happen not to get paid for directly at the time. What happened to good old-fashioned patronage anyways?
3 people like this
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Want to adopt me? ;) (Don't worry, I'm just joking.)
It seems that people actually think we could have something here. I may brooch the idea to my fellow struggling writer and artists friends, and see if maybe we could get something off the ground. Personal beneficiaries *is* how artists did it in the old days.
4 people like this
@lecanis (16647)
• Murfreesboro, Tennessee
10 Feb 07
Well, I'm not sure I could afford YOU all by myself! *giggles*
But if you do get it off the ground, I'd be interested in hearing more about it. Who knows, maybe I could go in with a friend on an artist of our very own!
Ah, on that note though, off to do something I meant to do before anyway!
3 people like this
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
10 Feb 07
I'm quite cheap! *rimshot*
On that note, before I dissolve into incoherent babblings of affection and thanks: what sort of genre of fiction do you like? Because I'd like to write you something. Horror, fantasy, sci-fi....
3 people like this
@p8ntballr21 (857)
• United States
10 Feb 07
I would be glad to help out this cause as long as it is legitiment. A dollar a month could go a long way.
3 people like this
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Well, it started out as just a joke, but people do seem interested in it. Whenever people ask me what I do, I say I'm starving artist - I'm a struggling writer living off of ramen and frozen wontons. I didn't intend to be a starving artist, but I'm disabled and disability aide is hell to get out here. So I may see about getting this off the ground.
2 people like this
@Bbilal (1998)
•
10 Feb 07
The theme of the show is pretty good. Starving artist haha! I can not control myself by laughing. I surely will help you in this regard as much as I can. Not only I, we all will assurely help you to be honored! Thankyou for having such a lovely discussion!
@auburndreams (838)
• United States
10 Feb 07
I have been sorely tempted to put a paypal tip jar on my performing website. Because some times people see my show and want to give something, but they may not have money with them.
I hope you got your account verified so you can get your money.
Once a man wanted to send me something but couldn't get paypal, so I got a P.O. box just for him. He did send something once, but then he flaked out and at this point the costs of maintaining the P.O. box outweigh what he sent. But I keep it so I don't have to give out my home address on the Internet.
@Wanderlaugh (1622)
• Australia
10 Feb 07
I think it's a great idea, and a major social and economic uplift for starving artists. Might be the first time in history anyone's found a workable form of Famine Relief for artists, or other cultural minorities.
I've often thought of doing it the other way, letting other people suffer for my art, just to see if it works. It seems more democratic, to me, but they keep running away. Can't imagine why.
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
10 Feb 07
this is why i am working my but online to try and make my hubby and me independent so we can persue our dreams cos we are both very stifled and frustrated artists..he is in media and i can sing bur unfortuntely to start making a living out of it or do it with having an earning there is an uphil struggle..good luck..when i get in a position i will join your adopt an artist thingy..great idea..
@sirensanssmile (3764)
• Netherlands
19 Feb 07
That is great that you received a donation!
That is a rather amusing idea to start an adopt and artist program. heh I can just imagine the paint covered pathetic looking artists in photographs that would go with each sign up. heh
@pendragon (3349)
• United States
10 Feb 07
I am an artist/writer, and a disabled one, (sometimes starving). I don't think either of those factors enables me with the right to ask for people's spare change."I'm in pain, and I have a vision." The two do not normally twine,I just feel blessed, not needy.
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
11 Feb 07
All joking aside - since this whole post was written in humor - I've never actually *asked* anyone for money. But I do write tailored pieces for anyone who chooses to make a donation to my blog. If a service is being performed, I don't think it's begging.
@juliocstryfe (2019)
• Brazil
11 Feb 07
May I suggest instead of using Paypal's default "donation" button, youlink to a page with your paypal account email, so that they can send the money from Paypal itself?
@shmeedia (1044)
• Canada
10 Feb 07
can artists adopt each other? :)
i like this idea a lot!
though i wish i could be adopted too, i wouldn't mind adopting others. but knowing me i'd end up with a penful of starving artists...lavishing my attention on them but all of us staying as broke as we were before i adopted them all ;)
and congrats on the site donation!
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Artists who've benefited should be encouraged to adopt fledgling and struggling artists! :D It's a whole cycle! I'm in the same boat - I'd love to support my fellow wordsmiths, but then we'd all be broke!
@kitchenwitchoftupper (2290)
• United States
16 Feb 07
MissK, I am so happy to hear of your donation! I know that the last time I visited your blog I was not able to do anything and I think that I told you about that.
I think your program is great! I don't know where you live, but you could probably buy 3 pkgs of Ramen for $1.00, so don't go all crazy on me here!
I love the idea of posting updates on how you are doing....and for goodness sakes, please don't do it the way they do it on that tv commercial. That man has been dragging that poor little girl around in her bare feet for a couple of years now telling me that if I would donate she can have shoes. Well, granted, I have not donated, but in 2 years of dragging don't you think he could have gone out and gotten her a pair?
Alright, I've aired my opinion of heart-wrenching commercials, now I will tell you I love you and wish you the very best of weekends ~Donna
@dragonstar13 (1465)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Keep us updated on your progress, I might be able to scrape up a dollar every couple of months.
1 person likes this
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
11 Feb 07
Since I posted this, I've gotten around a hundred dollars in donations. Seems people really are all for supporting the arts! Either that or they feel bad for me since I'm poor and crippled. I'm going to go with the first one.
@astromama (1221)
• United States
10 Feb 07
How do I sign up to become adopted? Do I need to fill out paperwork?
It is seriously difficult to make money as an artist. I know, as I make and design homemade clothing (mostly dresses and skirts for women) and my husband paints and sculpts using wood, metal, and stone. He also does these really interesting pieces he calls 'Lost Art'... a play on 'Found art'... you'd probably have to see his stuff to get it. Anyway, point is, he and I can spend hours upon hours working on something but when it comes time to sell it, people only want to pay what they would pay for a reproduction or factory made piece! And this is why we have day jobs... But we have a very colorful and creative home, filled to the brim with paintings and art sculptures!
I think half of the problem is that we've only lived in places that are seriously over-saturated with artists, musicians and the like... it's not as novel anymore.
*Sigh, look over at sewing machine with mixture of temptation and resignation*
So... seriously, where do I sign up???
@misskatonic (3723)
• United States
10 Feb 07
Well, I'm seriously thinking of setting up a site once I have enough artists to adopt out! People seem interested, definitely. And there were people who always want to support the arts, but don't want to deal with all the charities that ask for large donations.
Actually, if you're a seamstress, do you do commissions?
@astromama (1221)
• United States
12 Feb 07
At this point, it depends on the work...
Up until now I have focused on putting on elaborate fashion shows to showcase my stuff with other designers... local, funky productions. Other than that, I used to have my clothing on consignment at a boutique in Austin, but I recently moved, and I'm very pregnant... As soon as I have more time to sew, I plan on doing the consignment thing here... who knows when that will be. Did you have something in mind??
@juliocstryfe (2019)
• Brazil
11 Feb 07
Interesting, although Im no starving artist, itwould make for a humurous addition to my comissions site.
@highflyingxangel (9225)
• United States
10 Feb 07
That's a rather interesting concept. I, personally wouldn't have thought about that. I'm rather amazed that you got someone to donate to it!
@ThunderCrash (334)
• Germany
10 Feb 07
Sounds interesting, I hope you can supply us with some news about that project because we want to know how it's going. Like what's with your artists and what's changed for them. Hope you get with your idea what you wanted to get ^^
@amethod73 (12)
• United States
10 Feb 07
my mom just pased away she was my best friend every sence Ive been writing and cant and wont stop I think your idea is a good side hussle for aney artist . I want to know where can I go with my emotional expressed words of this world or place that I embrace with no famlie its strainge but I
maintain my reality since my mom was all I had every day I try to hold my head up high and not
cry but im moveing along and I staying strong
