#the real give and take process is in actually having meaningful convos rather than slotmachining the whole deal

[thesummerfox]

On “Creators Supporting Creators”, and why this can go straight to hell

Another daily dose of guilt trip made its way onto my dash as I’m once again forcibly reminded that “creators need to support each other!” and “fandom creators need to stick together!” in posts that outline rather strictly what exactly constitutes as support. I cannot count the amount of posts I have seen that worry about fandom engagement being down, the likes/reblogs-ratio being utterly skewed in favor of the former instead of the latter, and what exactly constitutes as the care for and validation of your friendly neighborhood creator.

And, let me tell you, I’ve had it up to here with all of it.

The tag “creators supporting creators” is a security blanket. It’s a band-aid for the fortunate and less fortunate alike. It’s a measuring tool through which creators can engage in an interaction that is more of a “scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”-debacle than anything else. It’s a way of amassing clout the way most social media functions these days, of gaining followers/subscribers, of feeling like somehow you’ve ‘arrived’ and will one day be a Big Name in fandom.

My friends, the tag “creators supporting creators” is one hell of drug that’ll lie to you and muddle the waters until you drown in them.

Supporting a creator does not mean spreading everything they put out there. Supporting a creator does not mean you need to be visibly positive about everything they put out there. Supporting a creator does not mean you need to reblog ten of their creations in order for your work to receive any attention from them in turn.

Truth is this: blanket support hollows the praise. How can a creator trust you actually love their creation when you next throw that exact same love at a creation that suffers from a number of visible issues, such as bad story formatting or a very pixelated quality? How can a creator believe that you like the way they portray a character when you next turn around and heap praise on a creation that portrays the same character in a way that is diametrically opposite to the first? How can a creator feel good about the praise you heap upon them when that praise is interchangeable with the praise you heap upon everyone else? How can a creator feel like their own work has inspired you when you next request the exact same work from five other creators?

It’s empty. It’s just noise. It does not sustain or nourish creativity, nor does it inspire or push a creator to try new things. It’s a void that grows with every interaction. It smothers growth on the creator’s part, but also limits your own growth as a reader/viewer. It does not invite in-depth looks at the media you both enjoy, nor does it provide any real sustenance that challenges you or makes you perceive things differently than before.

Our creations matter to us. We put a lot of work into them. We want to keep creating, but a huge part of creative flow is born of actual meaningful interactions with the rest of fandom. Supporting a creator can be as simple as offering feedback (“I really like this idea and love what you’re doing with xyz, but could you please add a readmore or adjust the paragraphs for easier reading?”), offering a sounding board (“I’m vibing with xyz idea so if you wanna talk about it please feel free…”), and offering a get-out-of-jail-free card (“please don’t feel obligated to update this week or fill this request/prompt if you don’t feel like it”). It can mean seeing a creator ask for a beta, a sensitivity reader, or someone they can bounce an idea with, and dropping into their private messages to talk about that sort of thing. It can mean sitting with them as they scream about not getting a scene right, or sharing a cool tutorial or resource with them that you know they can make great use of, and so on...

Support of a creator’s content cannot always be quantified under things such as a like/reblog-ratio or other forms of measurable fandom engagement. A creator is more than the sum of their content and does not always need to put out new material to have a place in their fandom. A creator’s relevance does not hinge on how much they produce, nor does it center around the popularity of their work.

If you really want to show creators your support, stop acting like a consumer. Support them as a human being who’s doing the best they can and would often like to learn how to do even more. You’d be surprised about what shakes loose if you do!