Handmade is a collaboration between the artist and the interested party, the freer the artist, the more beautiful the result. Personalizing the piece creates a sense of pride that it is unique to you. Every craftsman wants to see a happy customer. By helping to create your own custom item, they achieve this happiness.
Clearly, you are supporting learning, creation, and history by allowing artisans to practice, demonstrate, and continue traditions. We are a society that values art and creativity, and by purchasing handmade you are supporting the continuation of the arts for the next generation.
Handmade is not mass-produced. Each object is a unique display of craftsmanship. Each has its own character that is admirable. When you buy handmade, you buy a commitment to authenticity, a guarantee that no other piece will ever be the same.
You are more aware of how your actions affect the bigger picture. Not supporting mass-market products, unethical sourcing, or low-cost labor. You are supporting people's livelihoods with a responsible decision to redistribute wealth.
So, what really makes handmade so special?
Well, first of all it's wrong to compare handmade to big companies - there really is no comparison. We don't sell it the same way. We don't buy it the same way or receive it the same way. How do you compare a jar of mass-produced jam to a homemade one, using local fruit, presented in a beautiful jar with a beautiful handmade label? It's impossible.
I would argue that handmade is more sustainable than mass production. Mass production means mass purchasing and this forces prices down the line, especially in the production of raw materials. Lower production costs ensure that large-scale companies can make more profit while selling at what initially appears to be a low price - a bargain price.
Dig a little deeper, and what it really means is that many people around the world are forced into low-paying jobs, and that has a negative impact on these countries, to the extent that they can't develop, they can't maintain their environment, and any adverse situation, like drought, has a much more adverse impact on them than if they were wealthier.
The richer nations must then subsidize these poorer countries with loans, bailouts, charities, etc. This money comes from you. It is a fake economy. It is a virtual profit and not a profit in reality because if you had paid the real price in the first place you would not have had to pay in any other way.
So when you look at that 1 Euro offer from your local supermarket, it's not a bargain. It will cost you more in hidden fees than what you originally paid for it.
Mass-produced items are perceived as, or in fact, “throw away.” A horrible culture of “if it’s broken, don’t fix it – just throw it away” is now so prevalent that we throw away things that are perfect. We want an upgrade, the latest version, the next best thing… we want to be noticed. However, what we fail to notice is that our piles of junk are growing ever larger!
This is where handmade excels – there’s no need to upgrade as it’s already perfect. There’s no need to keep up with anyone as a handmade item is unique. Even if it’s one of a kind, each one will be slightly different from the next. It’s the little imperfections that make it so desirable.
Why, I hear you ask? Well, if you have a handmade, one-of-a-kind piece, then only you in the entire world own it. That's something that over 7 billion people will never have because you have it, and if you hold on to it until 2050, then that's almost 10 billion people who won't have it.
So how do you get the edge over everyone else? Every handmade piece is as unique as every person in the world.
Mass production is now turning to small artisans for help. The big, branded stores want their product to replicate the handmade feel, but it’s virtual. It’s not authentic! However, they also recognize that people don’t want to live in a bland environment. But instead of giving you the true handmade item, they want to sell you a machine-produced copy. The difference can be likened to that between a diamond and a carat of zirconium. Both are good, but I know which one I would love much more.
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