When I joined masto, I gravitated towards following creative peeps and noticed a thing that's pretty common to all of us: we feel guilty for promoting places that people can buy our work or otherwise support us financially. So I started the #CreativeToots hashtag for that very reason. Got an Etsy page? Online store? Patreon? Selling a piece of art? Throw that tag on it. Do it with unfettered abandon. Everyone else: Look at that tag for artists to support. Buy their stuff. Help them create. <3
@WelshPixie this is true of contributing to, or maintaining, an open-source project too. I think the stigma around approaching your audience, hat in hand, for money is wearing down, though. I see more and more creators on Patreon, and approve! Building a business is hard, and I think a lot of people see a "sales pitch" and don't appreciate the work behind it. Promote away!
