ext_25635: photo of me in helmet and with sword (Tonight we dine on Raman)
Alex ([identity profile] red-trillium.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] wyld_dandelyon 2010-07-15 09:24 am (UTC)

Even when I don't have a lot of money I'll drop a coin in a hat when I am at work. In general I'm not a dance person so I wouldn't tip there. Since funds are tight usually when I do drop a coin I want it to be something I've enjoyed & want to support. I have a 'performance artist' I try to tip regularly though, he stands on a box and does like a moving statue/robot when you tip he moves. :) I've tipped the guy who draws amazing pictures as well as the older "country folk" type couple who busk regularly. I can't tip everyone but try to when I have a spare coin or two.

I think online people are more shy about tipping sometimes because they don't want to be seen to be 'cheap' by only dropping a couple to few dollars in, especially when they're name goes in (Paypal) vs an anonymous coin drop.

A lot of people are also broke or can't afford to tip. For those who are in this position, I don't think they realise that even commenting or spreading the word is a kind of tipping that makes a difference to an artist. Getting the word out on the internet is crucial for anyone trying to make a couple bucks, especially an artist trying to get their words out in the public eye.

Also, I think there's a presumption that if something is on the internet then it's free and should always be the case. I think some people tend to devalue work just because it's online and not "real life", but they don't realise not everyone has the resources to become a famous published artist.

Also, one of my downsides is that my Paypal is only credit card funded. I would love to tip more often but (1) am never quite sure how much and (2) it goes on my credit card and I don't pay my balances off completely so I need to justify to myself that it's ok to do this once in awhile but try to balance it. When I cut my spending down on stuff then I include donations.

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