There are many things to be proud of. For me, one of those is backing and helping fellow bloggers, authors, and artists. It doesn’t matter how you decide to help; the thing is that you end up helping projects that align with you. Helping others to realize their projects helps in having more diversity on shelves and screens. Think about it this way: mainstream won’t listen to you unless you’ve changed the game. To change it, you have to create something or help someone else do so.
I like to use Kickstarter and Patreon for that. There are tons of projects waiting for someone to lay eyes on them. True, not everything will tune with you. However, be assured that you’ll find something you’ll like. And, who knows? Maybe, one day, you’ll be the one asking for help to see your project out there in the wild.
It’s crucial to see all types of stories and have access to them. To rely on mainstream media, it’s suicide. Think about Comix and the revolution they created. Women were a rarity in mainstream comics by the time Comix boomed. In finding their way into underground comix, many women found their audience and changed the rules of the game. Slowly but steadily they reclaimed their place within the medium. Now, we can see something similar online: from blogs to Patreon, all these platforms allow us to have access to different stories.
I lost count of how many times I got angry with mainstream media searching for books with a particular content, only to realize that what I was looking for wasn’t going to be found there. One of the hot potatoes I like to talk about are women in comics. Despite the fact of women being in the medium since the beginning, finding printed information of them can be very challenging.
That’s why books like ‘She changed Comics’ are so important for me. The contents of these books are paramount to understand the history of the medium in the US. Explaining comics almost erasing one gender from the picture is wiping half of the medium itself!
Sometimes, you find projects that are funny or that challenge ideas directly. You will find books that will expand your views or will make you question yourself. Many times you access books and comics that you had no idea were out there in the first place.
Backing and helping fellow bloggers with their projects is paramount for all of us. Not only it enriches us as humans, but it also gives the opportunity to many to see their work published. And that’s a great thing to be proud of.
So, if you like a project: share it! If you can, help backing it up! You don’t need to give humongous amounts of money. Even just $1USD helps! Think about it as a coffee. Give coffee to someone so you can enjoy their gorgeous work!
What are the things you’re most proud of? Let me know in comments.
The post Something to be proud of: backing & helping fellow bloggers, authors and artists appeared first on dePepi.
