I first discovered Love Good when it was known as Love Good Music a couple years ago. I was doing some research online and was happy to have found a company that was endorsing patronage for talented artists. Love Good continues to evolve their movement beyond promoting artists and distributing music into empowering all artists through apprenticeships and other opportunities.

Since crowdfunding continues to grow in popularity and become part of the new normal for musicians to fund their projects, I decided to ask David Lee, the Operations Director at Love Good, a few questions about the importance of supporting artists financially and how to go about getting the support of patrons.

1. Love Good’s vision is: “To bring beauty back into the forefront of culture.” What would you say classifies a piece of art or music as beautiful?

All beauty has it’s origin in the glory of God. As Aquinas notes, this beauty is present first and foremost in the relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Any piece of art or music that evokes a sense of wonder or raises one’s mind to reflect on the self-less love present within the Trinity, I would classify as beautiful. The arts have a unique ability to direct one’s thoughts from a self-oriented gaze to a self-giving one.

2. With online crowdfunding sites becoming more popular over the last few years, it seems that the average person is becoming more comfortable with donating to creative and inventive efforts. How important is patronage to the success of good art?

Patronage has always been integral to the creation of art. Artists that will have an impact on our society for the rest of its existence- Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt- the list goes on, were constantly being commissioned to create art. Patronage give artists the freedom to concentrate on their creative efforts while also affirming the artist that the fruits of their labor are meaningful and worthwhile.

3. What advice do you have for a talented creative who is looking for patrons so that he or she can devote more time to pursue their craft?

Patrons desire personal connections with the artists they support. Patrons are much more willing to support someone whom they connect with on a human level. The more an artist can do to cultivate personal connections (house concerts, art shows, etc.) the more success they will have in garnering patrons. Even meeting individually with patrons who support you can be a great way to empower patrons to invite other people join in on your initiatives.

4. How should an artist “market” themselves and share their message to get the support of interested patrons?

The greater the sense of vision and purpose behind your work, the more compelling and enticing your work will be to potential patrons. Whatever you can do to express this vision clearly and succinctly through videos, social media, live events will help patrons to coalesce around your work. It will help the patrons believe in the necessity of your work.

5. In what ways do you see crowdfunding and patronage evolving over the next few years?

I believe that rapid expansion of crowdfunding that we have seen over the recent years will continue to increase. Beyond the normal startups, corporate companies are tapping into crowdfunding sources more and more. What has been unique about the Love Good model has been that patrons have not just been buying into a product, but more importantly a movement based on the belief that their patronage has the opportunity to evangelize the culture at large through the arts that they help bring into existence. Anyone who might have an interest in supporting Love Good projects with this vision can find out more information at lovegoodculture.com/patron.

Thanks again, David, for sharing your insights and Love Good’s mission with us. I’m excited to see how the movement continues to grow and expand!

For more about the importance of patrons, check out Jeff Goins’ blog post: Why the World Needs More Patrons Than You May Realize.