Treasury Tuesday!

It is my opinion that we could really make a difference in the world if more of us learned to stop thinking of "handmade" as just an option for gifts and started working it into our daily lives a bit more.  That's what today's treasury is all about.

These are all items that many of us use on the daily basis and most of them are things that get "used up" (like soap, detergent, and make-up) or are generally intended to be disposable (like facial towels and diapers).  That means that you have to purchase them regularly anyway, so remembering to consider "handmade" as an option before picking them up at the local big box store could really make a difference.

Handmade items tend to lack the harmful and unnecessary chemicals that are so often in manufactured products and so are safer for you and the environment.  Also, when you buy handmade, you are helping to support a person... a family in your own country, rather than a wasteful corporation that has shipped its jobs overseas.

It may seem like a such small thing... just a drop in the bucket... but I know how grateful I am for each and every customer.  Also, I have worked for a number of small businesses and have seen firsthand how the loyalty of the local community keeps things afloat.  When you vote with the almighty dollar, it truly has an impact, so choose wisely. 

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/OTYwNjQ2N3wyNzIzMjMzODQ4/handmade-essentials-personal-care?ref=pr_treasury

Front Page Feature!

Today, I woke up to discover that I had been featured on Etsy's front page early this morning.  That's always exciting!  Here it is:

Treasury Tuesday!

I did a little something different this week.  This treasury is geared more toward Etsy sellers than our our customers.  However, it might be interesting for shoppers and fans of Etsy shops to have a look at some of the things their favorite shopkeepers have to consider and invest in.

As you can see, we must create (or pay someone else to create) a shop banner, avatar, and perhaps even a logo.  We agonize over the perfect packaging, trying to balance presentation, the protection of our merchandise, and cost so that our customers will have the best experience possible.  Then there are photo props, craft fair displays, and the hundred-and-one extra little touches that make everything personal and special.

It's a lot of work.  A lot of work.  And there's a lot more involved in running a successful shop than just creating the artwork or craft, which a lot of people don't seem to realize.

But.  When someone leaves feedback or writes us a message gushing about how thrilled they were with their experience, we are reminded why all of our hard work is worthwhile.   

Treasury Tuesday (late... again!)

How Inspiration works... sometimes...

Yesterday, my Pandora station played Mumford & Sons "Little Lion Man."  I was curious about something and went to look up the lyrics, which lead to my discovery of this video... which I could not stop watching.  Of course, I like how it sounds, but I also thought that the video was really beautiful... very lovely, moody lighting, tons of emotion (look at their expressions)... just a perfect combination of elements.  Take a look (language warning, for those at work or in the presence of young, impressionable vocabularies):

Before long I had a paintbrush in my hand and that video turned into this:

For additional photos, you may check out the listing in my Etsy shop.  I may end up doing another version of this because I'd like to work some of that fantastic blue-green shading into it, but this is what I have for now.  It usually takes me a couple versions to get a painting right, anyway, so no big deal there.

The moral of this story is that sometimes inspiration comes pre-packaged and ready to go.  It almost feels like cheating.

And then there are the other times...

"And so it goes."

So.  I adore Kurt Vonnegut.  Actually, he's kind of my hero.  I read Breakfast of Champions back in 1999, when I was a senior in high school, and it changed my world.  A number of years passed before I started digging into more of his work (dual majoring in English and History in college really cut into my "pleasure" reading time) but, by now, I've read most (though not all) of his work.

For those of you who haven't read any Vonnegut... you should.  You don't have to read much... even a book or two will help you look at the world in a new light.  I suggest starting with Breakfast of Champions and then A Man Without a Country (which is a memoir, rather than a novel).  After that, I also highly recommend Slaughterhouse Five (arguably his most well-known piece and the one from which I borrowed this post's title) and Mother Night.

He just wished that people would take better care of each other and the planet.  It's a pretty simple idea... be helpful... be kind... be compassionate... and his work shows both how essential that is to our happiness and how the very structure of our society makes it difficult to do so.

He was also a great supporter of the arts.  Though this is a theme is several of his books, his view is probably phrased the most succinctly here:

“The arts are not a way of making a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”  

- Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

So.  Because I adore him, and because his explicit permission to do it badly made me brave, I attempted to paint his portrait.

Kurt Vonnegut, 8x10 acrylic on birch board

It's not perfect... trust me, I know... I can pick out the flaws as well as anyone.  However, I am unreasonably proud of it!  You see, I almost never paint people.  They are just too darn difficult for me.  I screw up the proportions, the colors, everything... and forget about making a particular person.  I didn't think I could do it, but here he is.

The painting is based on a photograph taken by his daughter, Edith Vonnegut.  A brilliant artist, she is much more comfortable representing the human form than I shall ever be.  If you explore her website, you will understand why I admire her work... the people she creates are so free and expressive... a moment in life saved for all time.  Comparatively, my work is incredibly rigid.  I must learn to relax!

Her photo is published on the back cover of Armageddon in Retrospect, which is where I first saw (and fell in love with) it.  Here are the two, side by side:

My painting beside the reference photo on the back cover of Armageddon in Retrospect.  Original photo by Edith Vonnegut.

Really.  Read some Vonnegut.  You won't regret it.  

It's Treasury Tuesday!

Since I missed last week, I've created twin treasuries that feature offerings from the same shops, in the same order.  One is in cool grays, the other, a bit warmer.  Enjoy!