As I sit in my studio, I wonder if it is all for nothing? I spend time a lot of time putting details into each of my polymer clay figurines and then I find myself in Walmart and there is some plastic or resin object made in China for one quarter the amount that I charge. It seems that we just throw things away and never want to have something good enough to pass along to others. It isn’t that I am complaining, I do have a group of customers who appreciate purchasing items that will last a lifetime if taken cared for. Maybe that is it? We don’t think of things needing to last a lifetime or passed on to someone else. I would hope not, since I see lots of people at auctions and eBay trying to find something that use to exist. I will continue to plod along and made really beautiful and fun figurines and they will become valuable in my later years.
I know we are facing hard economic times, but we need to support the American made crafts movement. Why are so many people satisfied with buying low quality products from China or elsewhere? The quality isn’t good, sometimes even dangerous, nor does the item last long. I can’t think of anything that would be purchase that is made in China that would make it to the “antique” state. Am I wrong in thinking this way? Have we become so disposable in our thinking? What do you think?