The greatest artists of our generation started without any followers, only an idea and people who began to believe in them — now it’s your turn to become the believers for a new crop of innovators.
Living in a college town, we have the unique opportunity to be around people who are just beginning to find their passions. We all have goals that far exceed most people’s expectations, and that’s what makes supporting our community important. As a community of young adults, we have to support our local artists, musicians and scholars.
I recently started listening to flipturn, a flagship band of student-run Gainesville record company Swamp Records. The band plays in Gainesville all the time, and I’ve been invited to go to multiple shows, but I’ve never gone. I’d never wanted to spend money on a band I hadn’t listened to.
Over the past week, I took the plunge and dove into flipturn’s Spotify page, and since then, I haven’t strayed far from its music. I realized I should’ve been supporting it for a while now — not just because I like its music, but because it's a local band, sponsored by a local, student-run company.
Students are putting in hours and hours of work to create something they’re passionate about, and we often take that for granted. We tend to be stuck in our own world, focusing on clubs and projects to better our own careers, which is understandable. But sometimes it’s worth taking the time to appreciate the work of what someone else has created. People who invest time into projects they’re passionate about are often working on projects made to better our own lives, and we’re wasting their work if we don’t appreciate them.
Supporting local artists is the only way people will become successful. Everyone thrives on an audience; whether you’re a biology major or a musician, audiences are essential to get a message across. Biology majors have research they’ve slaved over, and it needs to be read to make an impact on the world. Musicians need an audience to hear the messages they’ve written into their melodies. Messages and lessons are put into nearly everything people create, and the only way for people to learn is to pay attention.
Our community of twenty-somethings is constantly creating and innovating to not only express things they believe in but to create a change in the world. There are a million voices that are all trying to say something through some sort of medium, and every once in a while it’s worth stopping to listen.
Gainesville is full of life and art, you just have to be willing to look for it. Every semester, new artists and innovators are creating projects they’ve poured their souls into. Everyone starts out small, but it’s the people who have taken the time to support them who allow a person or group to grow.
We are a town of young people who have the power to change lives and not just through our own projects. We can change lives by simply listening to a local band or going to an art show. You have the ability to start conversations about someone’s art, which start a whole chain of new conversations. Spreading messages is how people will become successful, and it’s so easily done. A simple Snapchat or short tweet, and all of your followers know about an artist they’d never heard of.
Engaging with others and our community is the way for people to become successful, but it’s also a way for you to become successful. Chances are if you are interacting and supporting someone, they’ll do the same for you. It’s a two-way street, built on support and communication. Don’t let someone’s work go to waste. Go out and listen to the messages that people are vying for you to hear, and maybe they’ll do the same for you.
Michaela Mulligan is a UF journalism sophomore. Her column normally appears on Wednesdays.
