How to ride the trend wave in 2011

The global financial crisis was a game changer in how we spend our money. Before November of 2008, advertising was all about “more, newer, and different” without looking at the substance or deeper significance of what was being sold. Tips and trends were about how to ride a tsunami. That it would inevitably crash and devastate  lives was not part of the advertising conversation.

We were supposed to market our work to consumers with disposable income, who were assumedly seeking satisfaction by having more of what they had, or a newer version, or a different kind of it, or more of a newer thing… you get the picture. It was pretty shallow.

By the end of 2010, we can’t read any substantial forecast for 2011 that doesn’t mention values such as sustainability, simplicity, and the human connection. The very good news for artisans is that we no longer have to find a surfboard to ride the trend wave. This year we are the wave! The trend gurus are predicting that artisan, handmade goods made with sustainability and lasting quality by humans with a story to tell are It. All you have to do to market your work now is to show who you are and what you do. Make a cohesive statement in your presentation; your photos and shop copy, if you sell on Etsy.

Through ArtisansGalleryTeam, we are carefully selecting works from the pool of Etsy shops that are legitimately handmade in an artisan studio by those who bring individual vision and advanced skills to their works. Joining with others who are the real deal is going to make riding the wave easier.

Here are some trend reports worth noting:

I have been working in "ethical" for a long time, because I find humanitarian principles very important, and I hated big fashion's disregard for them. Having said that, I think the global economic crisis has made people re think how things are made, where they come from, and has led to an appreciation of small-scale, handcrafted, tangible, home-made etc.. The human stories behind the products are interesting, the big manufacturing model had become boring, impersonal & mechanical.

Ann McCreath from Kiko Romeo

 

 Organic Waldorf Doll By SewnNatural

IMM Cologne believes that as a result of the financial crisis people are questioning what it is they need to live well. This is leading to the emergence of simplistic, formal or severe designs that combine the basic and old with the modern and the high-tech.

Interior Trends 2011 was recently released by IMM Cologne

Natural Gemstone Cluster by ThePeachTree

Whenever we feel as consumers that the time is right for paring down, we focus on simple designs and simple, warm colors. Plain metals and eco friendly materials: wood, bone, simple and soft semi- precious stones with Earth colors and a simple palette will prevail for 2011.

Lisa Jesse (Lisa Jesse has the #1 website on Google for trend prediction)

Happy Etsy Day!

It took me awhile to fully grasp what Etsy is, and what it offers to me. I had been making my own little mudpies from my obscure little off-the-beaten-path world, and selling them to gallery buyers. These buyers are generally fairly conscious and appreciative people, but the main conversations we have is about trends, sales, and What People Want. I had no awareness of the Handmade Revolution or craftivism. I have been an eco conscious person for decades, and was aware of the Slow Food Movement, but did not relate to myself as connected to those things through my pottery. I've thought a great deal about these subjects, and the diffence I can make by offering heirloom quality functional pieces that can be around for thousands of years, by packing with recycled materials, by firing in an energy efficient manner in a home and studio that we are retrofitting for maximum energy efficiency. I also see that by making pieces that glorify the natural world's beauty, I am doing my small part to make preservation a higher priority.

It has greatly excited me to see a clearer connection between doing what I've loved all these years, and the moral and ethical values that are dear to my heart. I also really enjoy the personal connection to people who are finding and buying my work. Today I packed a gift that a young man stationed in Iraq wants shipped to his girlfriend back home. I'm also shipping out a piece to another potter in the US northeast. It feels like an honor to be so chosen. So, thank you, Etsy, for bringing these new experiences to my life. You are so much more than a website. You are a larger context for all things handmade.

Bright SunShiney Day

Bright SunShiney Day is climbing towards hotness in Etsy Treasuryland. I chose artists from all over the globe, and invite you to visit the treasury (only up until Sunday, 10 am, March 29) and then click and see where everyone is from. The Handmade Nation is truly a global community!

I chose the title from I Can See Clearly Now (Written by Johny Nash, sung by Bob Marley,Anne Murray,Jimmy Cliff, many more):

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin?for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

The Revolution Will Be Handmade

We're all likely to buy a wedding or anniversary gift soon. This year I'm thinking of how my spending affects our troubled economy, and I'm joining the Handmade Revolution. Think about it! In buying this gorgeous dinnerware set by JD Wolfe Pottery, or this 4 pc placemat set by Such Pretty Colors, 100% of your money goes directly to the artist, and directly into the Real Economy. 0% goes to CEO bonuses, golden parachutes, third world sweat shops, corporate irresponsibility, or any of the other depressing topics we were happy to never hear about until last October.

It's better for our planet, too. Stoneware pottery made in an artisan studio will far outlive commercial dinnerware, and it uses less energy to produce. A good fabric artist will always produce more durable goods with less waste than manufactured products.

Will I be spending more??? Will I be hi-jacked by my conscience, morals, ethics, and general soft-heartedness into doing The Right Thing? Heck, no! The 4 pc dinnerware set is $119, and the 4 pc placemat set is $35. Pretty much what I'd spend at an upscale corporate retail chain.

(The curious should know that I am not related to JD Wolfe Pottery, even though we have the same last name, and are both potters. I just ran across it on Etsy, and like the work. And I can't fill every dinnerware order out there- it's okay to spread the Handmade Revolution around. None of us will ever be Too Big to Fail.)

It's all pretty sweet. I used to just make stuff and love to shop and now I'm a revolutionary.

Oh, Baby!

Nothing gets my awwww like a baby face! I love the absolute cuteness of the tiny little clothes, and these are 3 artisans whose works are lovely, but I must confess that it's the gorgeous little faces that had me select them today! Malindi's pale green Jocyeln hat is modeled by one of those bright little faces that just takes my breathe away! 1kybele's pink striped newborn hat, with it's long tail, is charming, but look at that snuggly little babe...precious, precious, precious. And Three Yellow Starfish's Red Hippo Bloomers are showstoppers, but that cherub being shown off by barefoot Daddy is the sweetest thing alive.

One of the things that draws us all to Etsy is that artists are presenting their work as they see it- in our own homes and studios, from angles that we find interesting, and modeled by our own family and friends. It gives us a more personal and intimate connection to the things we want to buy. It's part of a new economy, the Handmade Revolution. I'm sold...just look at these 3 reps!