4 ms·
Etsy is one of the only places where one can buy quality handmade works. It certainly is the most concentrated market for those items, but you have to know how
by jason-phillips 4y ago
Etsy is one of the only places where one can buy quality handmade works. It certainly is the most concentrated market for those items, but you have to know how to dig deeper past the mass-produced crap. It helps to know a little about art or the medium first. That provides a launch point from which your queries can become more focused as one learns.
I've discovered entirely new categories (to me) of arts and crafts in that way, from 19th century American coverlets to Welsh stick chairs, eventually learning about the nascent Arts and Crafts movement's evolution in the 19th century in response to the soulless factory-produced goods of that age.[0]
As a result, today I probably have some of the largest context-specific art collections in Texas, if not the United States, which includes Japanese Takatori ware, Ukrainian art, handmade Windsor chairs, and Anagama (dragon kiln) wood-fired pottery. All discovered through Etsy.
In some respects, I am under the impression that most people simply don't know what they're looking for, i.e., they don't know how things are made and therefore don't know how to search for it. The genuine real McCoy is there, behind the first page of mass-produced imposters, you just have to dig for it.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_and_Crafts_movement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_and_Crafts_movement
- toss1 4y agoThat's awesome to hear that you have developed the expert knowledge needed to search out such unique finds and successfully acquired them! Except that the entire core selling point of Etsy was that we would be able to search, and artists/artisans would be able to surface their works, WITHOUT the searchers having to sort through all the crap. Merely coming to Etsy was supposed to bypass the crap and get to the good stuff. Clearly the VCs and Etsy management are happy with lying for profit. I hope an honest competitor comes up.
- dylan604 4y ago>Clearly the VCs and Etsy management are happy with lying for profit. replace the specific Etsy reference with pretty much any VC funded company, and you'll have summarized vast majority of VC funded companies.
- k2enemy 4y agoI'm sure you know this, but for others curious about stick chairs, Chris Schwarz has brought about a dramatic increase in people's awareness of them and how to construct them. Lost Art Press has several books and videos about their history and construction. https://lostartpress.com https://lostartpress.com
- jason-phillips 4y agoYes, I have many of his books. I'd buy one of his chairs but they come to market very infrequently. I'd love to take one of his classes.
- sizzle 4y agoWow do you have a blog or page we can see more at? Sounds like an impressive collection!
- jason-phillips 4y agoI write about some of it on my Facebook page. Just search my name and "Lampasas, TX". I don't do this too much; there's just too many pieces and after the 15th piece of Takatori ware people start to lose interest. When I do write, I try to keep it fresh and interesting in some way.
- sizzle 4y agoAwesome, love learning new stuff like this. Thanks for sharing!