Top 5 Reasons to Buy Handmade

Every couple of days or so, Etsy posts an interview with and feature on a different seller. A week or so ago, they featured an artist named Dolan Geiman, who, instead of listing his top 5 favorite books and movies, listed the top 5 Reasons to buy handmade. I really liked his list, and because it's something I believe in as well as something in which I'm personally involved and invested, I wanted to share it with all of you.

"First reason to buy handmade art:

1) It’s handmade. This means someone actually took the time to personalize something and put their blood and sweat into it. Good luck getting authentic sweat from a robot.

2) Out of all the things people can purchase, art is the one thing that they will never throw away. It’s a fact. It’s not a disposable thing and so it’s better for the environment.

3) When you buy a handmade work of art, you are telling your neighbors, your friends, and your relatives that you are smart, civilized, and sensitive. When someone is filthy rich, what do they spend money on? Art, of course. So if you, an average Jane, can buy art, then that automatically elevates your status among your peers.

4) Buying handmade art usually means you are helping the artists of the world to continue their existence. More artists mean more free thinkers, more activists, more parks, and more cool events. Artists open the doors for everyone else. Look at gentrification. Who do they send in first? The artists.

5) The best part about buying handmade is that you usually get a chance to have a personal connection to the object and the artist. Buying a handmade item shows your willingness to be a part of a community and your eagerness to contribute to a greater cause."

Visit Dolan Geiman's Etsy shop here (he has some really great stuff), and read his Featured Seller interview here.