My friend Arnel is doing an #inktober project on Instagram. I texted him on Friday asking if I could buy this one.
He replied: "I do trades 😉" And when I inquired for detail, "Like other arts and crafts. Or booze"
I love the idea of artisans eschewing money and trading/bartering hand-made things. And I liked the idea of being part of a community that is bound by that system. "We ALL like hand-making things."
And Hand-Made makes me think of "hand-chosen." I've been talking to Jennie about "the hand chosen life" a term that we came up with to talk about making a life by adding things one by one. Every addition to our crowded life should be chosen by hand, like choosing a single apple from a produce stand. Making things when we can. Reusing things that have personal meaning and stories attached to them. Gardening. Making family recipes. Choosing wisely and well. Leaving a wall blank until we have something (like Arnel's print) that we love.
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Here's an example of what I'm interested in. Jennie and I are furnishing and decorating our new home. I've been "prototyping" ideas for some framed stuff over the couch in the living room. I do not want to purchase prints from a Pottery Barn catalog. My first inclination is to make the prints myself. A second-best option is here, where you can learn how to turn free downloadable pictures from museums into poster prints.
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