The countdown is on, and despite the worsening economy, I've noticed a lot of shoppers in Oxford, MS actually shopping.
What I ask the Oxonians to consider is this: buying handmade, locally-resourced products.
Why, you ask?
Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving.
The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.
Buying handmade is better for people.
The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.
Buying handmade is better for the environment.
The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.
The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.
Buying handmade is better for people.
The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.
Buying handmade is better for the environment.
The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.
We can look at the idea of shopping and consumerism from many different viewpoints. For example, when citizens of the USA were issued extra funds in their rebate checks, critics hoped this little extra lift would boost our own economy. But many Americans used their rebates to purchase new flatscreen TVs that were manufactured in China, and therefore gave a big boost to the Chinese economy, and not to our own. Companies like Circuit City still went bust. If Americans had invested their money entirely in locally produced, manufactured or handmade goods, our economy may have gotten a leg up on what is turning out to be a global recession. Time will tell, and in all truth, buying gifts from smaller companies or local artists is a great way to give a gift that is more unique and more thoughtful, especially if you are seeking gifts for those who seem to have one of everything.
Oxonians are lucky this year that the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council is hosting a Holiday Arts Market during the first week of December. 22 different vendors from Oxford and beyond will turn the Powerhouse Community Arts Center into a handmade gift-shoppers one stop shop. More details to come!
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