There are many in need and many being left out.
Yes, I’m actually doing a second post this week. Why? Because there’s something important that we need to discuss and this is the most efficient way of doing that. I realize that at this particular moment in time there is a lot of information hitting you square in the face. People who would normally be busy doing other work are creating cute cat videos or complaining about their quarantine-mates. Every government office on the planet is weighing in with advice and updating information. In the glut of all that information, I fear we’re losing sight of a group of people who are directly affected by the shutdown, people on whom you depend, and a lot of them need your help.
Of course, I’m talking about artists. Not just visual artists in the traditional sense, though they’re certainly part of the most-affected group. I’m thinking of the entire expanded list of people who work in the various genre of arts, people who frequently are private contractors, those we consider part of the ‘gig economy,’ wholly dependent on that next job coming through the door. When the businesses they work with shut down, their income is the first to disappear and often the last to return, if it returns at all.
The list of people impacted is longer than one might think. Here’s a partial accounting of artistic people we know are currently out of work:
Makeup artist, hairstylists, grips, stagehands, road crew, stage manager, wardrobe stylist, costume designer, light engineer, sound technician, set designer, special effects designers, floral designers, custom instruments, production crew, catering, food service, advertising, marketing, printmakers, social media content developers, graphic artists, illustrators, dancers, choreographers, models, agents, photographers, bartenders, curators, sculptors, copywriters, editors, lyricists, songwriters, composers, translators, music arrangers, DJs, radio personalities, filmmakers, actors, actresses, video directors, producers, camera operators, orchestra conductor, painters, portrait artists, concept artist, architect, model designer, nutritionist, leather workers, tailors, carvers, furniture designers, stonemasons, glass blowers, metal fabricators, jewelry designers, bakers, pastry chefs, sous chefs, writers, editors, proofreaders, independent journalists.
Of course, there are more. I don’t think I could ever satisfactorily create an exhaustive lists. Artists impact our lives in more ways than we easily imagine.
The good news is that a lot of industries that employ gig artists have created funds to help with their expenses. The bad news is that a lot of those funds come with requirements or limitations that leave a large number of people unqualified for assistance. For every artists that is getting some assistance there are at least three others (more in some genres) who have nothing at all. The overused term “starving artists” is more real than it has ever been.
How can you help? First off, let’s be clear that if you’re at home, not working, and not getting paid, you should take care of yourself and your family first. No one is asking you to forego your own needs. For those who are still working, however, and have some discretionary income, consider all the artists in your life and look at the ways you can help. Some offer gift cards, providing the artists revenue now in exchange for services later. Some have items available for purchase, from jewelry to music to clothing to prints. Venmo, PayPal, and other financial services apps have ways for you to send money directly to people you know are affected. If you’re not sure how to help, just ask.
Then, spread the word. A great number of people don’t stop to think about how many hundreds of thousands of artistic people are adversely affected by the global lockdowns. To that end, we’ve created a series of images to remind people how dependent we all are on artists. I’m turning off our normal copy protection for this post so that you can download any of the images to your device and share them. Here they are:
What can you do to help me, personally? Buying prints is probably the easiest way. Click the link in the menu to see what prints are available. If you want to support our writing, go over to the Old Man Talking page and click on “donate.” Either method helps us pay bills and buy food. Should we have excess, be sure we will use that to help others.
A lot of people are adversely affected by current shutdowns and artists are taking a huge hit. Thank you for supporting those close to you and thank you for sharing our message.
The Nightmare Of Being An Immigrant
Being an immigrant is never easy and fears within that community have never been higher
The kids arrived home from school last night all abuzz about seeing their friends. They actually enjoy school most days. However, Inside their backpacks was a note that I found rather chilling. They attend a very diverse, multi-cultural city school. If the administration felt it necessary to send home the following letter, they are obviously responding to a real fear among the parents of our children’s classmates. Here’s the text of the letter:
What to Do Next to Protect Immigrant Communities
As America faces challenges in our long fight to uphold our founding values of liberty and justice for all, the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) stands firmly with the immigrant communities who make our country strong. Though the president has the discretion to unilaterally alter some immigration policies, he cannot change the law itself. We will advocate strongly with the new Congress to retail protections for all immigrants.
In the meantime, here are four important things to know right now:
[contact information for the NIJC is provided at the end]
A few things for those outside the immigrant community
First off, few of you are actually outside the immigrant community. Unless you are part of an indigenous North American tribal people, you’re part of the immigrant community so don’t go getting all huffy about immigrants. Someone in your family has been exactly where immigrants today are and they likely were just as scared. Being an immigrant in a new place, even if that place holds tremendous promise, is still frightening.
Beyond that, however, there are some other things we should all consider:
Where This Gets Personal
We live in a very multicultural neighborhood. Many are immigrants, including the darling little five-year-old who catches the bus with the kids. Her parents only recently moved to Indianapolis from New York because opportunities here were better. Yet, the day after the election, her mother confided to me that they’ve been warned to stay packed and ready in the event they might have to leave again. They are afraid to even unpack all the children’s clothes.
There are immigrants all around us. Indianapolis has been a very open and welcoming city despite the efforts of many in our statehouse to turn them all away. We rely on them for the services they provide and they equally rely on us to provide them with a safe and accepting community in which to raise their families.
Sure, there are a few bad apples. Ya’ know what, there would still be a criminal element without them. Every society on the planet is contaminated with those who would rather exist outside the law, so blaming immigrants is rather ridiculous and insincere.
Just as we have been quick to support women and our LGBTQ friends, we need to do the same for immigrants in our country. They’re scared. They have no idea what to expect from January 20 onward. Even worse, there are more than a few people out there who are willing to take advantage of that fear. Our immigrant population needs to know that we have their backs.
That the atmosphere has reached a point where letters such as this one need to come home is truly sad. This is our fault. We need to fix it. Please, support your local immigrant community however you can.
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