write thank-you notes to authors/artists

when you encounter art you love (a magazine story, an illustration, etc), spend 10 minutes writing a thank-you email to the person who made it. best-case scenario, you have a lovely exchange with an artist you admire and affirm their reason to make art. worst-case scenario, you just learn how to recognize and articulate your taste better. the stakes are low, nobody will ever find you annoying for saying you appreciate their work!

a martha gellhorn quote that made me start doing this a decade ago: “Ever since I was fourteen years old and wrote Carl Sandburg the glad news that I thought he was a fine poet, I have sent a letter of praise and thanks to anyone who writes anything that gives me the excitement of new understanding. This is no more than common politeness; we say thank you without meaning it, why not say thank you when really grateful.”