Soapbox: Lucy Crichlow Of Old Hannah On Why Everyone Should Become A Patron

In an age where content and information is abundant; distribution is global and practically free; and we sit around tables with friends all possessing similar information about, and lenses on, the supposed issues of the day, investing in original thought is more important than ever.

The business world has commandeered the term ‘innovation’ of late – but artists are, and always have been, the beating heart of cultural innovation. Imagination, creativity and disruption – untainted by the promise of (or desire for) wealth or success – is their stock-in-trade. The primary value of art is in its very existence, in the existence of the culture that sustains its creators, and in the constant nourishment that provides for society at large.

Particularly for independent artists, our business model is broken. Consumers have a transactional relationship with a discipline that is not transactional in nature.

Occasionally (extremely rarely), a piece of independent music, film, writing, theatre or dance will cut through and become popular enough to generate significant income. But those pieces are not born from nothing. They’re born from hundreds of thousands of hours of artists doggedly honing their craft in bedrooms, garages, coffee shops and the rest.

Artists trying to cut through the noise have a heavy lift on their hands these days. They have become, by necessity, professional networkers, promoters, marketers, bookers, events planners, PR experts, photographers, administrators, team leaders, project managers, fundraisers, accountants, grant applicants, negotiators and, lastly, creatives. Sadly, this creative persona only ever really gets formal acknowledgement by audiences... sometimes... if you’re lucky... at the end of the process.

Not all artists possess the means to transform, or even enrich our society. You might even think some have the opposite effect. Fair enough – all artists aren’t created equal. However, collectively independent artists shape a cultural narrative that, like few others, is entirely independent from corporate, political, or even, more often than not, self-interest. As individuals, and as a society, we can and should invest up front in those people – in those individual people.

So here’s my take on it: don’t wait to see if you’re interested in a particular song, painting or news article. Find a way to invest up front in a culture that you want to cultivate and sustain, that you value, or more importantly, that you think is valuable. Buy independent artists equipment, travel, and crucially, time. Subscribe to respectable news outlets. Once they have the financial freedom to focus on what they’re best at, see what the content they produce becomes.

As a global society, the coming decades are going to present us with challenges the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Climate change, migration, homelessness, political upheaval… We’ll need new ideas to tackle those issues. And we’ll need to start seeing things differently to find new ideas. Artists and the art they produce will help us do that.

Nothing comes for free – if we consume without contributing anything, we will run the well dry, and some business will come along and fill it with something way less nourishing than water. Be a patron. Pay not just for the art: pay for the artists and the creators.

Old Hannah’s debut album Borealis is out now.