“If you curse the rich, you’ll never be one of them.” -Rev. Ike
I recently posted this quip from Revered Ike on the Artists Who THRIVE Face Book page and it received a bit of backlash.
That bitter backlash, typically born of feelings of failure, didn’t really surprise me. That backlash just reminded me of another one of my favorite quotes. This quote from Oscar Wild is one that artists who curse the rich should keep in mind, “When bankers get together for dinner, they talk about art. When artists get together for dinner, they talk about money.”
Obviously the artist and the patron have a symbiotic relationship as patrons of the arts are generally wealthy and artists, not so much.
I know that there are exceptions to every rule so please just hold your commentary.
If you curse the relationship between the artist and the patron, I can guarantee you that you’ll jack up your prospects of being an artist who successfully sells their work.
If you embrace wealthy patrons, like I have, I know that you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Why?
Because the fact is that over 95% of the wealth earned in this country was produced by self-made folk who come from middle class upbringings.
Luxury Marketing surveys and my experience confirms:
- that these wealthy folks are generally rooted in their middle class values
- they’re pretty grounded and down to earth so they have a finely tuned BS meter
- and they are charitable not only with their money but also with their time
Revered Ike and Oscar Wild speak the truth. Don’t be a hater. Let the truth set you free.
