11.30.20 Retail Therapy

At the Ladysmiths of ATX
gallery at Canopy Austin

Last year, I had a great holiday selling season, with pop up markets at Pottery Barn and Creative Side, and my work shown in the Ladysmiths of ATX gallery at Canopy Austin.

This year will be very different, I imagine the only sales I will make will be through online events and my Etsy shop - but my jewelry doesn't represent my livelihood - for many other artists I know (and plenty I don't), holiday shopping makes or breaks their annual income.

It would be hard to overstate the negative impact that Covid-19 has had on artists and businesses...including, or maybe especially, makers.

My work in the Canopy Austin gallery 

The New York Times reported that "small businesses account for 44 percent of all U.S. economic activity" and a story in the Washington Post led with the sentence "More than 100,000 small businesses have closed forever as the nation’s pandemic toll escalates".

Never has the concept of "Shop Small" been more important.  Buying work directly from a maker, or through a local gallery does more than just give you warm fuzzies as a shopper, it can have both an emotional and financial impact on the person who crafted the items you buy.

Buying from a maker results in a more personal and thoughtful gift.  It will be one of a few or one of a kind, hand crafted rather than made through production (and maybe even out of the country).

Buying from a maker supports them as an artist.  It demonstrates your commitment to craftsmanship and creativity.  The creation of the item is personal, which makes it a more meaningful gift.

Buying from a maker has a positive financial impact, not just for the artist, but for the local economy.

The Local Multiplier Effect (LME) - and economic concept that looks at money spent small and local, versus in a large national retailer or online - means that dollars spent with a local artist or vendor stay in the local community.  Those dollars continue to circulate locally, supporting other businesses, rather than leaving the community.  The impact of a dollar spent locally can be several times greater than a dollar spent in a big box store or online. 

While there is no physical retail space this year, the Ladysmiths of  ATX are working hard to create a virtual space for women jewelry makers. 

Starting this week, November 28, through December 6, they will be hosting an online holiday market on their Instagram feed and stories. They will be highlighting nearly two dozen jewelry artists using the hashtags:

#makermagic2020 and #LSATXMM20.

These are just a few of the faces behind the social media posts and accounts you will see over the next couple of weeks at the Ladysmiths of ATX Maker Magic Holiday Show...

not only are these talented women crafting beautiful jewelry, they all need to buy groceries and pay bills - and I guarantee that they will be more excited about and grateful for your purchase than a big box store or major online retailer.

Some of the Ladysmiths of ATX on Zoom

I understand that handcrafted, artisan gifts may be harder to find this year because there are almost no in person markets, and these items can be more expensive - so not everyone can afford to purchase them - but I encourage you to look online for virtual markets, or seek out small shops in your area.  These folks are your neighbors, they make up your community, and they deserve your support.

Until next time.

11.23.20 Home for the Holidays

Under ordinary circumstances, I would say that when it's still 100+ outside, it's too early to be talking about Nutcracker...but a few weeks ago, that's exactly what I did...and it was great.

For the last decade or so, I have been giving Nutcracker Docent presentations on behalf of Ballet Austin at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and more recently, I have been providing descriptive audio narration for students and other visually impaired patrons at performances.

Like everything else about 2020, Nutcracker presentations are going to be different this year...but I was thrilled when I got a request to go to the Ballet Austin studios and record both a video piece for the docent presentation that will go out to third graders across central Texas, and make an audio recording of my descriptive narration.

I was so excited to be going somewhere and doing something - in person, with people - safely, of course.  I got dressed, put on make up and jewelry, donned my mask and drove downtown.

When I got there, I was so glad to see the staff from the Community Education and Production departments...but I couldn't hug them, in fact, we all stayed six feet apart as they set up the camera and microphone for me to record my video segment.

I was a little nervous - it's one thing to make a presentation in front of a group of third graders, they love having "guests" in the classroom, but doing it on camera is a little more daunting.

For many students, Nutcracker is their introduction to live performing arts, especially dance, and I wanted to appear as enthusiastic on camera as I try to be in person.

The good news is - it went quite well - in no small part due to the work done for me by the Ballet Austin staff. They had the script on a teleprompter, and adjusted the scroll rate to a speed that worked well for me.

After the video taping was finished, I was ready to do my descriptive narration audio recording...but rather than being in the sound booth at the Long Center, with a live performance on stage, I was in an office watching video on a small screen.

Still, I was glad to be asked, and happy to be doing it.

I'll miss being able to see the students - and the performances - in person this year, but I'm glad to be able to help the folks at Ballet Austin, who are working so hard to make sure that Central Texans - including thousands of school children - can still experience the Nutcracker this year.

Covid has hit arts organizations and individual artists especially hard.  If you are able - please support them - by maintaining your season subscriptions, following the on platforms like Patreon, and as always, shopping small from artists for yourself or as gifts.

You can help support Ballet Austin, and enjoy the holiday tradition by bringing the Nutcracker Home for the Holidays.  Just follow the link to make a tax deductible donation to Ballet Austin and get digital access to the performance and related events.

I hope you have a small, safe and socially distanced Thanksgiving this week.

Until next time.