Last week I shared with y'all how to love a creative person. It was really fun to write because it kinda made me understand myself a little better, and totally made me appreciate Reed so much. As I was writing that post I was about to start three HUGE projects I have had on my plate for a while and so I was still very much in the excited stage. Now I am in the midst of those projects and I'm still pumped but I'm a little bit nervous too. Every time I start a project for a client I always have to explain myself to the people who help me along the way. I don't want that to sound bad, it's always good explaining but I start off with "Well, my dream is to be a furniture builder, so I am starting this for a lady..." and what I have learned from Reed is I need to give myself more credit. I AM furniture builder, I AM designing and building this for a CLIENT.
So as a kind of transition from last weeks post on how to love a creative person I thought I would write a post about why supporting a creative person is important, and how you can do that while also getting awesome work for your home :)
I don't want this to be a "buy my product" post, so I am not going to post any thing "for sale" but I am using images of pieces I have built and sold in the past. I want this to be a post that will talk about the benefits from buying from a maker and helping support THEM while getting awesome unique work for YOU.
So anyway, in this world of IKEA furniture at awesome prices, everyone falling head over heals for chalk paint thrift finds, I have found that often times it is hard to convince people that purchasing custom work is worth it. I get it that custom work can cost more than a thrift shop, and some cases IKEA. But when you are purchasing work made by a small time, small business you are doing so much more than purchasing an item for your home.
You are supporting a dream.
You are helping pay the bills.
You are funding a new business.
You are telling them they have a talent.
You let them know they are worth it.
Now, those are not meant to be cheesy gooey "quick go buy something from ETSY" reasons. Those are legit things that every time I get a purchase of any item, $15- $1,500, will run through my mind. I am always so encouraged when someone thinks my product is WORTH their money. They don't ask for discounts, they don't try and barter or bargain with me. They treat me like they would a real business. THAT means so much!
Now, I also wanted to share a few reasons on why purchasing custom work benefits YOU!
You are getting a quality piece.
- Usually. Now I get that some ETSY shops may not produce the "best" work. But for the most part, people that are wanting this to be a career. They are producing QUALITY work for a crazy good deal. Think about it, when you purchase something from IKEA, 1. it's not real wood and 2. you have to put it together when you get home. If you order a handmade cusotm piece of furniture from a local builder, they will put in HOURS of work, and use the best materials and you don't have to worry about assembling it when you get home!
You are getting something totally unique.
- You know how when you see an HGTV home and it always has the coolest stuff, like so many unique pieces that you can never find. Usually, it's because you are right, you can't just find those. They are having pieces made for the space, or reworked specifically for them. Guess what YOU CAN DO THAT TOO! It may sounds crazy, but you don't have to copy an entire room from the Pottery Barn magazine, you can make one that functions and looks the way YOU want when you work with a custom builder/maker.
You are getting a story.
- This is my favorite part about buying from small businesses. I love to tell people, "Yeah I found this girl in town that does custom work, she has a sweet little studio where she does everything in her yard." Or whatever the story was. There is always a story, how you found them, the process you went through to design the piece, a new friendship, SO MANY STORIES!
Basically, buying custom art and home decor isn't as scary and expensive as you may think. Do your research find a local maker that can help you build a dining room table to fit YOUR space AND your BUDGET. Find someone that you want to support their dream of painting for a living. ETSY has made this a little easier, but if you want something local to you, usually the good ole google can help you find someone local. Just put in a little bit of time and you could end up with something you never dreamed could be apart of your home.
Find someone and be apart of their story.
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