I was exposed to the artistic scene at a very young age.

I don't remember a time in my life where I wasn't being motivated to do better as a writer or a musician. I've been supported by people who feel the same way towards art as me for a very, very long time.

Indiana is not a metropolis, nor does it exactly focus on culture the way I wish it did. Though I'm proud of where I'm from I wish more people here (and all around the globe) understood the value of art and the fragility of its creator.

I know professional songwriters, musicians who do what they do to make a living, and writers who dwell on stories because they have to.

But most of the artists I know create their platform by themselves without any label or publishing house. These are the kinds of artists I grew up with. The starving ones. The passionate ones. The ones who endure.

A local newspaper in my city once told me that they don't write about indie artists. They told me, and I kid you not, that artists who refuse to cater to the whims of the established industry were, essentially, unimportant.

I consider this day in age the modern Renaissance. It was a surprise when they told me this.

I wish they'd take into consideration the amount of hard work these creators put in their projects. Indie artists do everything themselves. Everything. They don't have other people make their album covers or take their photos; they don't have enough money to because they usually don't even get paid.

I would know. I published my first book at 17 years old. I made the cover myself. I edited the whole novel (53,000 words altogether). I formatted it for publishing. My first paycheck was only $9.00. Even though the novel bombed terribly, it was mine. All mine.

Indie writing has become more popular these past few years and I'm beginning to conjure up a theory for it; my generation has a very unkind view towards money hungry establishments. We hate politics in our art and that's just the truth.

It's very important that we support indie artists of all kinds because these are the people who make amazing things because they want to, not have to. Their music and their writing have not yet been saturated by big businesses. They have not experienced the war of publishing politics. Their eyes are bright; they look forward to the future.

They're honest. They're real. And people don't take them seriously enough.

Support your local artists.