Search results (tags) for: "consumerism"

American Consumerism

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:31:00 -0000

Consumerism: A passion for acquisition of personal property; the concept that a healthy economy requires a strong consumer market; advocacy to protect consumers from false advertising, shoddy merchandise.

Have you noticed how the definition of consumerism is being interpreted by those of us in America who consider ourselves part of the so-called Indie Movement? This movement has been initiated, motivated, propagated by us – and folks like us from all over the world. Us, being the people who care more about the personal part of the property. Us, being worldwide consumers, AND artists, crafts people, activists, punk rockers, back woods weavers, dirty potters, knitting divas, computer nerds, and so much more. We, being one weird bunch coming together to create something and succeeding. Succeeding because we are working together across our opposite occupations, mismatched philosophies. We are the buyers and the sellers who are bringing the world back to basics.

Think about baby America for a minute. Baby America was full of rebels and idealists. Full of people who wanted to find a different way, a better way, a more fulfilling way; people like us. Those oddball revolutionaries built this new world with hand forged tools as they pushed across the land. And the lands were settled and each settlement was full of folks with the necessary skills for survival: they could make soap, knit socks, shoe a horse. Each settlement had some sort of crafts people - basket weavers, blacksmiths, and carpenters. The people created what they needed on their own, and they went to the local Indie folks for the works that fell out side of their own skill set. And the nation flourished and grew and prospered. Then, folks spread out even further a field and it became hard for them to get all the things they needed. During this time, the blight of slavery began to spread across our nation as many of our forefathers looked for ways to more easily obtain what they needed and wanted.

The nation grew more, and more, full of all manner of great minds, melding skills from all over the vast, earthen world. There were times people traveled many miles by horse and buggy, or waited months and months for their goods to be delivered, but the Indie Artist Craftsperson was still able to make at least some sort of living.

But our new country continued to grown even bigger. And smarter. And faster. The machine age of industry grew, and the plastic world began. General stores became Five and Dimes, and then Sears and Roebucks, and then Targets and Wal-Marts. The American people could easily find very inexpensive items to meet their every need. They no longer had to MAKE life's little necessities. They no longer needed to visit their local craftsman or wait for a handcrafted dining table from the carpenter three towns away. They could buy particle board and polyester! They never had to sit up at night to knit mittens or slippers because they could run down to the Super Center at any hour of the day or night to buy such things for pennies of the cost of knitting them!

The craftastic connections that had made communities strong in spirit and economy began to unravel and the people in Adolescent America seemed to have forgotten how positively lovely it was to sleep beneath a hand pieced quilt, made by a grandma lady, and filled with natural fibers. They forgot that buying hand thrown pottery dishes to eat off of, not only keeps an age old art alive, it fulfills someone’s creative drive; it helps SOMEONE ELSE to support their family.

Thank goodness we, not just us Americans, but all the people of the Indie Craft Movement, have come along to connect the dots. We have begun to recant some of the mistakes our parents and grandparents made. We have started to realize once again how delicious it feels to wash up with natural goat's milk soap and to dress our babies in handcrafted clothes emblazoned with pirates and sushi. And we have started to realize what this awakening means to consumerism, to craft, to the economy, to people, to the country, to the WORLD!

How odd that this eye-opening fusion of consumption and craftivism, connecting us and helping us create a more personal level of consumerism has been birthed from the all amassing global sphere of technology and information known as the internet. If only those original renegades could see where their steps have led us; right back to a new frontier. It is still a new frontier. And just like the original American frontier folk, we are relying on each other for support and encouragement. We are turning to each other to buy the things we cannot make ourselves. We are teaching each other and ourselves new skill sets. It seems that after several generations of near oblivion, we are beginning to be much more responsible in Adolescent America. We are more concerned about our Earth and the land; much more concerned about the foods we eat and the waste we create; once again interested in helping and supporting each other in a crafty sense.

The naysayers who call our movement a trend — they just don't get it. They must not be hearing us when we say that this sense of community, albeit mostly virtual, is changing a lot of lives, this country, and the world for the good. But they will see, because we are all standing together on this front, sewing machines and scissors at the ready — and we ARE making a difference.

If you're interested, I recommend these for further reading:

http://www.artjewelryforum.org/speakers-presentations/diy-websites-and-energy-the-new-alternative-crafts/

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/etsy_ebay_distributed_mass_customization.php

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/dspace/bitstream/1794/5194/1/Rachel_Johnson_07.pdf

Big thanks to twiststyle for sharing her reflections. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below! You can also read, Crafting, Consumerism & Cooptation: Materializing a Utopian Idea, MicroRevolt: Changing the Way We Think About Protest, or stringtheory's Make like a Tree posts.

Hip Handmade with Modish: Scarves

Wed, 14 May 2008 17:28:00 -0000

Awesome style blog Modish has started a new series that really piques our interest: Hip Handmade. This series utilizes the idea of comparison shopping between the "big box" version of hip clothing and accessories and the handmade, Etsy-style version of said products. As Jena from Modish explains,

"Those big box stores are calling your name with cheap deals on hip clothes and accessories, home goodies that you just can't live without, beckoning you to become part of the latest fashion trends of the moment...it can be hard for the indie design world to keep up! But, they do keep up- it's just sometimes a little more difficult to find the hip handmade goods that rival the big box stores' goods in style, but far surpass them in quality, creativity and uniqueness!"

This post does a whole comparison on the lightweight summer scarves you've seen adorning ladies' necks.

All the handmade options came from Etsy! Check out Modish for more Hip Handmade comparison shopping.

Crafting, Consumerism & Cooptation: Materializing a Utopian Idea

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 02:00:00 -0000

If you don't make it yourself, are you just a consumer — consumer in the dirty sense of the word?

I recently read Jean Railla's guest post “What Would Jesus Sell?” about Rev. Billy's Church of Stop Shopping, Morgan Spurlock, the Handmade Pledge and Etsy. Rob Walker — the author of a New York Times Magazine piece Handmade 2.0 about the crafting movement and Etsy — posted Jean's article on his blog Murketing:

"What Would Jesus Buy is the suitably ironic title of the documentary produced by Morgan Spurlock (of Super Size Me fame), which follows the antics of 'Reverend Billy.' As the head of the Church of Stop Shopping Reverend Billy, a character developed by the New York City actor Bill Talen, preaches an anti-corporate theology with an authenticity of feeling and full gospel choir. In the film, Reverend Billy is up to his old antics–exorcising demons at Walmart Headquarters, taking over the Mall of America, and finally crashing Disney Land. His objective? 'To save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt!'
I wonder what Reverend Billy would have thought about the handmade pledge sponsored by Etsy, Craftster, Craft Magazine and others this past holiday season: 'I pledge to buy handmade…and request that others do the same for me'...

...But I can’t help thinking: Isn’t shopping, no matter how wonderfully crafty and politically correct still, well, shopping? Can you escape the so-called sin of consumerism by buying handmade?'” [Read the whole post]

Jean then goes on to pose important questions about the crafting movement and its relationship to the act of buying. This topic fascinates me and makes me uneasy too. It's something I often think about. If you're just a buyer on Etsy and not a seller, are you somehow less empowered? Are you less talented? Are you not *really* part of the community? And Jean pushes this a bit further by begging the question: If you're selling things at all, are you selling out and therefore opting in to a consumerist society, albeit one a shade better than simply shopping at the massive chain stores crowding out small businesses all over the globe?

Can the act of shopping have meaning?

I think it does. I speak for myself here, both as a buyer and a seller, and as someone who has had the chance to really observe what happens on Etsy on a day-to-day basis (because I'm an admin at Etsy, yeah, so I guess I'm pretty biased!). What follows here are some of the questions I often ask myself when reflecting on Etsy's role in the larger capitalist society.

I, for instance, make movies (or rather I used to before I decided to take a job at Etsy); my filmmaking collaborator and I sell our doc Secondhand (Pepe) in my Etsy shop. I'm personally sending it out to the few that buy it, asking for their feedback after they watch it. Why am I selling it? In part because I went into debt making the thing and I'd like to make back at least a token amount of the money I spent! But I also listed it because it's an amazing experience to get those comments and criticisms from people I've never met face-to-face. My listing fees buy me access to a larger audience. The sale price of my movie covers the cost of making the DVDs, if not the time and money spent on the production of the film.

The world needs people to make things. Yes, I suppose Etsy could have been started as a website where makers give away their handmade things or do barters and swaps. But what about people who really want to make a living from what they make and do it part-time or full-time? In order for that to happen, creative people need buyers. Otherwise, they'll have to make do with some sort of day-job, probably something that is not their passion.

To play devil's advocate with myself: why taint people's DIY impulse with money? Why not shoot for a higher goal? Why not aim towards a folk culture where art and craft function not as commodities to be bought and sold, but rather as objects that have deeper meaning and are passed freely from person to person according to usefulness or significance? Then there wouldn't be any arts "professionals." Anyone could make something that benefited society, as long as they practiced the craft to the point where it was beneficial and accepted by the community. In order to have the time to practice that craft, the community would support the person and guide them by passing down ways of doing things from those masters that had come before...Actually at this point, what I'm describing starts to sound similar to what I see happening on Etsy a lot of the time: in a way, the Etsy community is a platform for people to support learning — and the line here between professional and amateur maker is often blurred. There are fulltime Etsy sellers who have experience and have dedicated their lives to making and selling what they make. But the amount of informal learning and eye-opening that goes on with newbie sellers on this site is remarkable. That's a vast resource that is supported by the fees and other revenue streams on Etsy.

Another devil's advocate question that I sometimes ask myself: I feel great when I need something and I buy it from Etsy. For example, I need a notebook for work, so why would I ever go to Stapes and not buy a recycled one from an independent seller? The consumer's choice is obvious in this case. But what about those cute earrings I saw on Etsy? Or that little crocheted octopus? I don't need these. Right now, a little red octopus is staring blankly at me from where she sits on my desk. I don't think she knows the answer. But then I think of the seller RubySubmarine from whom I bought it. I like to think that by buying from her, I was doing my part to enable her to be creative, to support her as she tested her knowledge of crocheting, to talk with her about why marine life is so crazy interesting. Or when people compliment me on my angry octopus skirt by aorta, I tell them to go to her shop (yeah, there's a special place in my heart for the octopus). I feel like in a tiny way, I've become a patron of the arts or a supportive member of a folk community. Or maybe this is something new and different and complex.

[tote by weatherandnoise]

There's meaningful expression in the objects that I wear and that I have around me: I'm showing people that I support independent artists and I value things that aren't produced in a sweatshop or in a polluting factory, etc. I'm also proud to be a seller. This meaningful expression translates a utopian idea into something material. That's the power of art and culture: it's a physical expression of an idea. I seriously think about these things, and I think most Etsy buyers do too. And if some of them don't, then part of Etsy's mission is to spread the word (now I sound like the Reverend)! Etsy is not just a black and white site where people coldly pass money and goods back and forth. Etsy is also a place where this discussion can take place. Etsy brings us together to talk about consumerism and craftivism. Only if we don't talk about it will the handmade movement be co-opted by consumerism. What we stand to gain by talking about it, alternatively, is enormous: we can spread the word about the values underpinning the handmade movement to many, many people. (Now, that's evangelical!)

Seriously, there are other shades of grey. In real life, making a utopian idea a reality is sometimes messy. "Buy something because you love it, need it, it will haunt you if you don’t. Buy art because it makes you think every time you look at it. Buy things that are beautifully crafted because you appreciate the design, the workmanship and using something that is so well made will enrich your life. There is a lot of handmade crap out there… along with all the manufactured crap," says seller Mimi Kirchner aka mck254 on her blog post about the Handmade Pledge. Mimi pointed me to the comments on her post. kristin "feel[s] there are great reasons to buy handmade when and only when the crafter or artist truly loves what they are creating and it shows in their work. if the handmade item was made to just make a buck…i think that will show in the work as well and i would not care to buy that." Karen B. feels that buying handmade "is a way to slow down the consumerism/design for disposal mentality so ingrained in today’s world. I would apply your thoughts about buying handmade to anything one buys: do you need it, is it good design, does it speak to you, will it enrich/enhance your life….?" And "do you need it" begs these questions, "Does art matter? Does craftsmanship matter? Does the personal connection between buyer and seller matter?" These things do matter and that act of buying something handmade from the maker has symbolic value. But it also has a direct impact on our lives. It gives us compensation for our labor and also a sense of participating in a movement.

When I boil down all my questions, I realize that DIY and the handmade movement — and what I see going on in the Etsy community — is conscientious participation. And if you're a buyer of handmade things, you are participating by supporting independent artists, crafters and makers. It doesn't feel like rampant consumerism. It feels like you're making a difference. Making things and using those things — if it's going to be a sustainable movement — can't completely exist outside the marketplace.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Your Handmade Stories: momerath on Buying Handmade

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 21:15:00 -0000

momerath submitted a really interesting video in response to our call for Your Handmade Stories. She uses her "collection of Stick Figure Man photos" to illustrate her point about consumerism. She "photograph[s] informational/warning signs around the world." It has a kind of spooky effect. Well done, momerath. Very thought-provoking.

You too can get involved! To find out how to make a video, click here! See all videos from this series. Buyers are welcome to tell us why it's important to buy handmade too!