Why You Should Buy Art Right Now

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way--things I had no words for.” Georgia O'Keeffe

This pandemic’s pretty scary, am I right? I have been seeing so many people buying lots of stuff lately cause a lot of people actually are still working but from home. This is why I want to reach out to you guys specifically because you can help more than you know.

There’s bad news everywhere! Everyday is a winding road!  I just put Sheryl Crow in all of your heads. If you are one of the smart people wearing a mask when you have to leave the house, or you are a person who is never leaving the house or you can’t leave your house, I am sure you are bored no matter what. I know how bored you must be, because even though I have been working through this entire pandemic -- whenever I get a day or two off, I still find myself bored out of my mind at times.  

Let me guess you have already watched every movie. You have read every book and have tried every single sex position.  Great, you’ve done all that but LOOK AT YOUR WALLS. I literally just did a podcast with someone who told me they never have stuff on their walls. That is actually pretty normal. Every house party I have been to most of the time has nothing on the walls. 

I don’t know what it is about living these days but people are so on-the-go that they are failing to appreciate decent art. Before Covid hit, nobody felt the need to decorate because they just always felt like they were never at their homes enough to justify decorating them. A lot of people I know would be on the verge of moving so they wanted to get rid of their belongings. Believe it or not, I have had it happen more than a handful of times where people that have bought my art ask me if I would like it back since they are moving. I know the sentiment is that “I won’t have anywhere to put it,” but also, you could try to hand it off to someone that isn’t the artist. 

Every painting that has been given back to me I have given to someone else for free or painted over it or even thrown away because it seems as though it isn’t good enough to want to be passed on as something special. If you have art you don’t want anymore why don’t you see if a family member or friend would like it, or even buy it from you. Then you are making money off my art but l don’t care because I just want people to see my art, and other people’s art for that matter. You can totally sell old art, give it as a gift or if you have to give it back but just know that art you paid for may get tossed from an insecure artist.

Before I met my partner, I had been over to so many people’s places with nothing on the walls and it just felt so lonely. I feel like now more than ever is the time that you should have something on your walls to look at. Art was a meaning of status at one time but it also was there to give you something to fix your gaze on. Something to cherish. Just looking at it stimulates your brain and you feel just that much more “OOMF” in your life. 

Another reason is that there are thousands of artists making stuff right now due to how fucked up it is out there. I always try to support other artists by buying their work whether it be art, music, or writing. Before comedy got cancelled I would always say that we were all just passing around the same twenty bucks. I pay you on my show, you pay me on yours and then maybe I will get us lunch someday. It brings you closer together with the artist cause you are also supporting them. 

I recently invested in a small drawing with some stitching on the surface of a piece of toilet paper from my pal, Andrea Guzzetta. It is so cute and insane she could even do that without ripping it and I have it framed next to my door so when I leave to go to work at my clinic, I can remind myself anything is possible, and we are capable of even making art on the most sensitive piece of paper you can(obviously). BUT more importantly, I am also reminded that I am not alone and someone else is also making art in these times.  It makes me feel more connected. 

Have you ever walked into a museum and there is art from an era and you are like “OH MY GOD, I am so glad I didn’t live then.” Someone is going to say that about us if we have a lot of cool well kept art from right now. You may not want to remember everything that was going on in your life during this pandemic but looking back on positive things you did during this in future will make you feel better about yourself. And what better way to look back on it then having some art specific to the times you were struggling. 

Most artists don’t bank the money when they are alive. Most art you see that makes it into a hoity-toity museum was done by someone that was super cool and made it immediately (very hard to do), someone that is super rich and bored with life and just decided to make art (Damien Hirst), or someone that worked their whole life doing whatever their art is and never lived comfortably and suddenly rich people think they were a genius after they died. It is cruel but it is always how it has been. 

Artists are here to make stuff more fun. Don’t tell me you don’t have at least one scandalous memory of going to a fancy shmance apartment with cool art and it didn’t get you horned up. We all love fun but we also forget where it comes from and how much money it takes to do the work for the fun. I will say we also forget how affordable art can be. I make small stuff for fifty bucks or less and have a one hundred dollar minimum for things 8 x 10 or bigger. It doesn’t mean it gets much more expensive but that with shipping included is so affordable. Think about how many people spend over a hundred a week on just weed or alcohol. People always want art but they don’t want to pay for it. We can make up for that right now.

 If you have nothing on your walls, buy art.  For every poster of a real piece of art you bought, you could probably have found something cooler on Etsy.  Stop purchasing the same poster everyone has.  An Anchorman poster does not give you personality but your friend’s personal art does. Buy art for your friends.  It is very hard to know what your friend wants, but a painting of the two of you captures that moment and your friendship for life. Stop buying your friends cookbooks, it is insulting! Remember all your pets?  I had a client get a bunch of paintings representing his dog and it was such a fun idea. That’s a guy who will have a lady over and she will take one look at his walls and go, “OH MY GOD, this guy has passion.” Don’t forget that all of this can also be applied to other forms of creativity.  Buy comedy and music albums from local comedians and musicians along with the performer’s merchandise that they would normally be selling on the road.  There are so many great artists out there in so many different arenas.  Go out this week and support one of them.  

Thank you for listening. I think I got the point across here.  GO BUY ART. 

Thank you, stay safe and be good to yourselves.  It’s rough right now. 

<3  Katie Bowman