Admittedly this blog post is going to be a little self-serving, but feel free to use these ideas to support any erotic artist whose work you enjoy!
From writers and photographers, models, riggers, directors, leather crafters, sex educators, fetish fashionistas, and probably a thousand other roles that you could explore, there are plenty of passionate folks who spend long hours creating the art that titillates and arouses us, or just plain gets us off, and I think we can all agree that anyone who makes us cum deserves a tip of the hat, to say the least…
So where should we start???
Buy Their Stuff!
Right off the bat, let’s acknowledge the elephant in the room – there’s A LOT of free adult content available on the Internet.
Some of it’s good, and some of it’s pretty terrible. And some of it’s stolen or pirated from people trying to make a living, so there’s also that…
I can only speak for myself, as someone trying to make their living creating art – I really appreciate it when people pay me for the things I make.
It’s an incredible source of validation for an artist to have someone value your art enough to want to pay you real money for creating it. If you want them to make more, I can’t think of a better way of showing that.
Support Them on Patreon
Or Kickstarter, or IndieGogo, or OnlyFans, or whatever…
More and more artists these days, including myself, have started looking to non-traditional ways of interacting with their fans, and sites like Patreon are great because it’s a little more personal, we can offer all sorts of fun rewards based on your level of support, and most importantly – there’s one less middleman between the creator and the fan to take a slice of the pie.
A 5% fee from Patreon vs. a minimum 30% fee from Amazon is kind of a no-brainer!
Buy Them a Cup of Coffee, or Tea!
Metaphorically speaking, that is, through sites like Ko-fi or Flattr, or even by gifting an item off of their Amazon Wishlist … some artists ask for everyday items they need around the house while others may ask for sexy shoes and lingerie, and then offer you a few photos as a way to say thank you.
Most artists on Patreon, again – including myself, tend to offer a low tier option of only a buck or two to give fans a casual way to say thanks without breaking the bank, and if enough fans do that sort of thing, it can really add up!
Post a Review
Product reviews are great for a couple of reasons – they show potential readers that other people enjoyed a book or toy or whatever enough to write something nice about it, and in the case of people like me who sell books on Amazon, reviews actually play a part in their algorithm that decides what products customer see while they’re browsing the site!
A review doesn’t have to be long or drawn out, either … just posting, “Great story!” or “I couldn’t put it down!” helps, too. 😉
Granted, sometimes reviews can be a grey area for things like erotica because you might not necessarily want your real name listed next to a review for Spanked into Submission … one workaround can be to setup a new account with a pseudonym to link to social networks, leave reviews, etc…
Follow, Like, Share, and Retweet Them on Social Media
Social media is huge for creative professionals today and I can vouch that I’ve discovered a ton of great people throughout the BDSM community by stumbling across something that a fan liked or retweeted because they thought it was cool, too!
BDSM and bondage and fetishes are more than just keywords to target – they represent people’s hidden desires and secrets – and readers deserve to read erotica by people who get excited about that stuff, too.
— KinkyWriter (@kinky_writer) May 28, 2018
Speaking of those mysterious algorithms again, in addition to just getting your favorite artist’s work in front of your own followers, often times those likes and shares also help to build momentum as far as how those posts show up in people’s timelines, so just a quick click when we post something that you enjoy really helps.
Tell Your Friends
I get that sex is a really personal subject and you might not talk about it with other people, but if you do, something you’d probably be excited to share is your favorites … favorite lube, favorite bondage cuffs, favorite erotic writer, etc…!
Word of mouth is pretty much the best kind of review possible because unlike a random product review on Amazon, you’re a trusted source to your closest friends, meaning that you’re a lot less likely to steer a friend wrong when it comes to the things that you’re passionate about. If something makes a genuine impact on your sex life, tell someone else close to you and not only do they stand the chance of benefiting, but so does that artist or sex toy maker, too!
Tell the Artist Directly
And last but certainly not least – if you really like an artist’s work, tell them!!!
It doesn’t have to be a seven-page love letter or a series of stalkerishly creepy posts on their personal Facebook page. Something as simple as an email or tweet saying, “Really loved your latest story – thanks!” or “That was so hot!” means everything to your friendly, neighborhood artist who’s trying to make a name for themselves peddling kink.
Sometimes it can be really hard, especially in this genre, to know whether or not people actually enjoy your work, but I can’t tell you the number of times that a random tweet or an email or a review has perked up my day and gotten me back into the mood to think about working on my next story.
It helps to serve as a reminder that there are real people out there reading these kinky stories that I write about bondage and dominance, just as I’m a real person sitting here in this chair writing them. And it makes me feel good as a creator to know that people are getting value out of my work, whether they’re using my stories to fantasize or get off in private, or to build a relationship with a partner, or even to explore something that’s completely foreign that they admittedly don’t really understand.
A few simple words of encouragement will go farther than most people will ever know, so don’t be shy if an artist does something special that you enjoy.
The best way to encourage an artist to make more of the things you like is to make sure they know you support them – whether it’s with your wallet, your social media accounts, or even just your heart!
