Putting your money where your interests are: a basic point of economics

[00:00:01]Hey there. I'm author Sarah A. Chrisman.

[00:00:03]>> And I'm Gabriel Chrisman.

[00:00:04]>> And today we're going to talk to you about the importance of supporting the things you love so that they stay available to you.

[00:00:11]Now, this is, especially in terms of creative work.

[00:00:16]>> Yeah, any sort of art or any sort of music. Well, that's a type of art, but yeah.

[00:00:20]>> Music is a type of art. Or even just small businesses where you get more personalized service and >> And honestly, you have a business in a place that you visit >> Right.

[00:00:33]>> instead of just being a faceless website online.

[00:00:36]>> Right.

[00:00:36]>> Though of course, there's small businesses online, too.

[00:00:39]>> True, but But for example, so if you, and this is going to sound self-serving, but you know, you know, stre- stretch it out, apply it, apply it more broadly. If you like a particular author, you have to buy their books, actually buy their books with Read them, too. Please read them, but you need to buy them to keep that author writing more of those books you love so that they can keep writing them.

[00:01:10]>> Mhm.

[00:01:10]>> And the same goes for music. If you like music from a particular musician, you have to actually put your money where your interest is so that these things can keep being produced. And this is um this is for you, too, because if you don't support the people making these things, they can't keep making them.

[00:01:31]>> It's basic point of economics.

[00:01:33]>> It's a basic point of economics. You can say, "Oh, I love XYZ. I support XYZ all the way." But if you're not actually >> investing >> investing in it, you're not actually supporting it no matter how much you love it because then whoever's making that can't keep making it living off of air.

[00:01:56]>> Right. It just doesn't happen.

[00:01:58]>> It just doesn't happen. It doesn't work that way. If you like small bakeries that you can walk to in your community, and if you happen to be lucky enough to have one, you have to you have to >> and buy all the things.

[00:02:11]>> and buy things to keep it going.

[00:02:14]>> And it's it's sort of again, your basic principles of economics. The if you want to see less of something, >> then don't shop there.

[00:02:22]>> it or you don't shop there. You just create less money going that direction.

[00:02:26]>> there is a store that's you know, being a real jerk to you and treating you like dirt, don't shop there. Doesn't matter how cheap things are. Just don't shop there. Don't give them your money.

[00:02:37]>> All of it essentially, like where you spend your money is essentially a vote about what type of world you want to live in.

[00:02:43]>> Absolutely. Absolutely. And this is something we very much believe in. That how you spend your hard-earned money >> Mhm.

[00:02:53]>> is a hugely important vote for how you want to live. How you want the world to be. And for me, how I spend my hard-earned money is a much more important, much more personal way of voting than anything I've ever done at a ballot box.

[00:03:09]>> Well, for one, you have a lot more options and choices about what you can buy these days.

[00:03:14]>> Yeah.

[00:03:14]>> You know, there's a lot more good options especially. There are more people doing good things out in the world that you can buy than there are politicians running for office that are actually worth voting for.

[00:03:25]>> No, right.

[00:03:26]>> And so >> And this is honestly tied in really closely to why we left Washington state and moved to Iowa. Was it was just we were increasingly being forced into situations where we were ha- just to buy food and such, we were having to give money to people who were treating us like dirt. And I didn't like that. And so, we moved.

[00:03:53]Um >> And it's just a matter of again trying to create what exert whatever uh influence and pressure you can bring to bear. And a lot of that is through spending your own money.

[00:04:04]>> Right.

[00:04:04]>> Uh in order to create a world that we actually want.

[00:04:08]>> Right.

[00:04:08]>> products we actually want to see on the market. We want to buy. Things we feel good about. Things we enjoy reading.

[00:04:15]Things we enjoy listening to.

[00:04:17]>> And if there's a piece of music that you really love, not only you know, buy it from the artist and to support them, but tell your friends about it. Encourage your friends to buy their own copies as well. That's the thing. Don't just lend things out so that the author maybe got one one dollar from one person. They'll appreciate that. They really will. But they'll appreciate it more if you tell all your friends to buy their own copies, too.

[00:04:48]>> And that again, it's just really important to keep keep the world going that we want to see.

[00:04:56]>> Right. Yeah, it's not enough to be just a fan. Basically. And we want fans. We like fans. But >> Everyone wants fan Well, yeah.

[00:05:05]>> Most people want fans. But the fact is just to be able to keep doing it, money is required.

[00:05:10]>> Right. Right. Again, no one who creates anything, whether it's a book, a song, a piece of visual art, or you know, a loaf of bread. No one does that from the air.

[00:05:25]>> Right.

[00:05:26]Yes.

[00:05:27]>> There's a an old Chinese axiom that even the most capable woman can't make a meal without food.

[00:05:32]>> Mhm.

[00:05:33]>> And the same is applicable to anything in life. And not just art, but even the more basic things, too.

[00:05:43]>> And so, whatever you love, you have to put your money where your interest is and support the people making it so that they can keep making it. This isn't just, you know, a touchy-feely, it's the right thing to do. Yes, it is the right thing to do.

[00:06:00]But, you need to do it to This is what's in it for you. What's in it for you is you get to keep having it.

[00:06:07]You get to keep >> You get more of those books or more of that music and you get more of the the people doing this sort of thing in the world, people running those types of businesses, people, you know, baking that bread for you if it's a local bakery.

[00:06:20]>> Yeah, local bakery, you know, a local gift shop that you like, any sort of store, local bike shop.

[00:06:27]>> Right, absolutely.

[00:06:28]>> Yeah. And again, do it for you primarily. Do it secondarily for the artist because you like them, you like what they're doing and it's a nice thing to do, but primarily do it for you. Do it for your own self-interest so that you can keep getting more of those things you love. Do it for you.

[00:06:48]This is for you.

[00:06:50]>> [laughter] >> And that's our takeaway today is that when you're try when you're thinking about, >> [snorts] >> you know, what to buy, where to buy it, think about what you want more of >> Mhm.

[00:07:02]>> and how the way you spend your money is going to affect what you get more of.

[00:07:07]So, that's our call to action today.

[00:07:10]>> Yes.

[00:07:11]Absolutely.

[00:07:12]>> And we hope you enjoyed this video. If you did, give it a nice thumbs up. This is where I would usually say be sure to tell your friends about my books, but I think I've done enough of the tooting of my own horn this time. So, we'll just, you know, remind you to go for what you want more of.

[00:07:30]>> Yes, exactly.

[00:07:33]>> Happy reading.