ION INDIE MAGAZINE September 2015, Volume 16 | Page 57

THE ARTS are one of the few professions whose practitioners are expected to work for free. Try asking your doctor, contractor, or attorney to perform their services for the ‘exposure’. Even better-ask them to pay YOU for the privilege. Yet, artists, musicians, writers, poets, authors, photographers, models, designers, filmmakers, actors, dancers, etc., are routinely expected to donate their talents and skills; sometimes having to expend their own resources in that process--all while helping others to make money. To add insult to injury, they are often exploited by the predators that lurk in the shadows--with their slick smiles and empty promises--that feed off of their souls, passions, and dreams. Many in the arts get discouraged and give up, defeated, from not being able to make a living from their craft, or just out of sheer frustration. Creativity is powerful. It endures and leaves a legacy. It is a catalyst for change, provokes thought, and can heal a broken spirit. Some of the greatest moments in history revolve around music, film, books, theatre, a painting, or a photo. Encourage, inspire--support the arts! The future will thank you for it! TM WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/THEFAIRYROCKMOTHERKIKIPLESHA