The early mission of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild in WNC was/is that same paradigm. In the 30's a social worker saw the poverty and yet the industrial nature of the mountain folk. She got them to craft things in the winter to sell to summer tourists. They were functional yet beautifully made. The SHHG craft fairs were the inspiration of all the local fairs enjoyed across the USA. and Canada. Visit the FOLK ART CENTER on line or when you visit Asheville.
This article touches my life very closely. I am a flower farmer and artist. I grow flowers from April-October to sell direct to florists, where I (btw) have to compete with stems grown 2000 miles away in Columbia or Ecuador, and priced at half the cost of production here. I think the US still subsidizes flower farms in Columbia. But I'd love to find out that's not true.
But the other part of my income is making art from the flowers and doing art shows in Atlanta. Besides actual framed art, I have to make little things for people with less money (to do really well at these shows.)
So I sit and make a Christmas ornament. And it takes at LEAST 60 minutes, to stuff these flowers in a clear glass ball, and to use a chopstick to move the flowers around inside this glass ball. Because to make it beautiful, you need to spend time on it.
But how much can I sell these for to actually sell out? $15. Because our culture, even at high end art shows, cannot imagine someone sat at a table with a wooden stick for over an hour turning all those little flowers in the most visually appealing direction. They have no clue how much time I put into these. It would be demoralizing but when your entire day is spent doing hands-on work, it is easier to put these negative thoughts out of mind.
Also, look up Grandpa Amu. But it's not just coming out of China. There are tons of videos like that coming out of Japan, too. Making noodles by hand, blacksmithing, woodblock carving (Dave Bull), traditional carpentry, washi paper, there's even a thriving sourdough bread culture, with many videos showing bakers using wood fired ovens (Reiya Watanabe, Japanese Bakery Tour, etc). Then there is this guy from the UK growing, harvesting, and processing flax https://youtu.be/3JKhhtoe9v4?si=AG0nGR5hlmKWZtEM.
Thanks for letting non-paying subcribers comment today. This is very interesting.
My first thought was that Amazon is reportedly (WSJ) paying $40 million to tell the story of Melania Trump's return to the White House. A leading disposer of overproduction is buying off the US president and his wife. As an American (and almost daily purchasing household of things from Amazon and/or Walmart), it is hard to see us kicking the "stuff" habit. Our women live as queens and princesses, with whatever they want to be delivered as soon as this afternoon.
For example: we have four .5m x .8m cloths which are pictures of a beautiful scene as seen through an open window. My wife put the autumn one up yesterday, over a corner cabinet that she has bought within the last couple of years. Several houseplants sit on top of the corner cabinet, in front of the window image. It is extraordinary the beauty that $100 provides to our kitchen (the cabinet and four cloths).
Since 2020, I picked up knitting again, using only 100% locally spun wool for hats, shawls and sweaters. Wool offers protection from EMF's and we all need as much protection from that as we possibly can. My son, homeschooled since 2020, took an interest in pottery and now creates pieces on his own wheel and fired in his handmade, wood-fired killn.
I recently invested in a locally hand spun and hand woven blanket, a craft that Acadians still practice where I live. It was expensive but what a piece! I enjoy wrapping it around my shoulders in the evening because besides EMF protection it is warm and cool at the same time...unlike polyester which is sweaty while not being warm.
This will be the new way of living, post industrial. People are already getting sick of being constantly hooked online, impoverished by their own governments, watched and controlled, brainwashed for cannon fodder. When the power supplies overload with AI, we'll collect in our dilapidated town centres, start allotments, and go back to basics. It used to be fun; it will be fun. Thanks Alex, you spotted it!
Alex, if the world became more appreciative of natural and hand-made beauty, we might think we had returned to the Garden of Eden. My guess is that we would'nt be far off.
I love this article. You nailed it!
Me and my family value these thoughts and we live after them here in Europe on a very modest level.
For us it has to do with the principles of permaculture - for example "Short Routes".
The less a thing needs to be transported to be of use the more energy-efficient it is.
The early mission of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild in WNC was/is that same paradigm. In the 30's a social worker saw the poverty and yet the industrial nature of the mountain folk. She got them to craft things in the winter to sell to summer tourists. They were functional yet beautifully made. The SHHG craft fairs were the inspiration of all the local fairs enjoyed across the USA. and Canada. Visit the FOLK ART CENTER on line or when you visit Asheville.
Thanks Alex for a wonderful article.
And the landfill issue would abate if repair became more common.
Art and craftsmanship feed the soul
This article touches my life very closely. I am a flower farmer and artist. I grow flowers from April-October to sell direct to florists, where I (btw) have to compete with stems grown 2000 miles away in Columbia or Ecuador, and priced at half the cost of production here. I think the US still subsidizes flower farms in Columbia. But I'd love to find out that's not true.
But the other part of my income is making art from the flowers and doing art shows in Atlanta. Besides actual framed art, I have to make little things for people with less money (to do really well at these shows.)
So I sit and make a Christmas ornament. And it takes at LEAST 60 minutes, to stuff these flowers in a clear glass ball, and to use a chopstick to move the flowers around inside this glass ball. Because to make it beautiful, you need to spend time on it.
But how much can I sell these for to actually sell out? $15. Because our culture, even at high end art shows, cannot imagine someone sat at a table with a wooden stick for over an hour turning all those little flowers in the most visually appealing direction. They have no clue how much time I put into these. It would be demoralizing but when your entire day is spent doing hands-on work, it is easier to put these negative thoughts out of mind.
Dear Alex, thanks for your ever inspiring and beautiful articles, no matter the topic.
I recommend reading Sacred Economics or The Ascent of Humanity, both works by Charles Eisenstein, you’ll love them.
Regards.
Wow, some very insightful and rational thinking. This really is the way forward for all of us.
Also, look up Grandpa Amu. But it's not just coming out of China. There are tons of videos like that coming out of Japan, too. Making noodles by hand, blacksmithing, woodblock carving (Dave Bull), traditional carpentry, washi paper, there's even a thriving sourdough bread culture, with many videos showing bakers using wood fired ovens (Reiya Watanabe, Japanese Bakery Tour, etc). Then there is this guy from the UK growing, harvesting, and processing flax https://youtu.be/3JKhhtoe9v4?si=AG0nGR5hlmKWZtEM.
Rabias world on Instagram is marvelous ( China )
Thanks for letting non-paying subcribers comment today. This is very interesting.
My first thought was that Amazon is reportedly (WSJ) paying $40 million to tell the story of Melania Trump's return to the White House. A leading disposer of overproduction is buying off the US president and his wife. As an American (and almost daily purchasing household of things from Amazon and/or Walmart), it is hard to see us kicking the "stuff" habit. Our women live as queens and princesses, with whatever they want to be delivered as soon as this afternoon.
For example: we have four .5m x .8m cloths which are pictures of a beautiful scene as seen through an open window. My wife put the autumn one up yesterday, over a corner cabinet that she has bought within the last couple of years. Several houseplants sit on top of the corner cabinet, in front of the window image. It is extraordinary the beauty that $100 provides to our kitchen (the cabinet and four cloths).
Since 2020, I picked up knitting again, using only 100% locally spun wool for hats, shawls and sweaters. Wool offers protection from EMF's and we all need as much protection from that as we possibly can. My son, homeschooled since 2020, took an interest in pottery and now creates pieces on his own wheel and fired in his handmade, wood-fired killn.
I recently invested in a locally hand spun and hand woven blanket, a craft that Acadians still practice where I live. It was expensive but what a piece! I enjoy wrapping it around my shoulders in the evening because besides EMF protection it is warm and cool at the same time...unlike polyester which is sweaty while not being warm.
This will be the new way of living, post industrial. People are already getting sick of being constantly hooked online, impoverished by their own governments, watched and controlled, brainwashed for cannon fodder. When the power supplies overload with AI, we'll collect in our dilapidated town centres, start allotments, and go back to basics. It used to be fun; it will be fun. Thanks Alex, you spotted it!
Great article, thank you!
www.kulturastine.club/klesarstvo
Alex, if the world became more appreciative of natural and hand-made beauty, we might think we had returned to the Garden of Eden. My guess is that we would'nt be far off.