A comment on the Okazu blog recently reminded me of how conflicted I often feel at cons. I have a friend (used to be a close friend) who is an artist and makes money wholly by selling her clothing at anime cons (currently she has countdowns for 5 on her Facebook...). The problem i've always had in supporting her is that when I proudly wear her pink beanie with panda-ears and drawstring, I am incapable of taking myself seriously and am opening myself up to ridicule by a culture at large that finds "cute" to be morally objectionable/wholly inappropriate in males.
In the past I have tried to support as many artists as there are who make buttons that say "i [heart] yuri" which i can easily put on my messenger bag and have no one be the wiser. Yet, there are many more artists who only make yaoi-inspired art (i have no where i can conveniently put it where my sexuality is not brought into question) or furry art (far worse to possess no matter the gender). i guess in those instances, i will simply not support the artist, but is that favoritism?
The question I know pose is as follows: Is supporting a starving artist (i know too well how it feels) even when their merchandize is wholly impractical/an eyesore, intelligent? If I support a yaoi-artist, despite having no way to display yaoi art (thus a waste of money), am I encouraging them to create more impractical art? I want these kids to earn enough money to get into a good art school and make for themselves... but my contribution is so small that it hardly makes a dent in such a tuition. My friend Jarrod had a novel idea for supporting our mutual hat-making friend, buy joint partnership in her business. In so doing, you can take pride in their work, without needing to necessarily buy impractical art... but, i think at that point you stop being an art connoisseur and start being a business person. I want to be an art connoisseur AND a good friend. Is there are happy medium?
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