What if we begin this post by defining “local”?
What if “local” strictly means people who live in the town-proper? Is 1 mile outside of the town limits acceptable? 5 miles? 50? All of Colorado? What if it’s just “Made in the USA”? What if that includes “satellite nations”? Puerto Rico, Guam? Or Hawaii and Alaska?
What if “local” art is a sham? Can a small mountain store remain viable if every store in town only carried “local” art? What are the odds for multiple stores to stay open that mostly carry the same “local” art? What if you became bored with “local” art being sold in all the stores as you walk through in town?
What if the boundaries of “local art” exceeds customer expectations?
What if everything in Unrepentant Artist was NOT “Local”? Do you prefer to “shop local”, then buy from Walmart? And/or maybe buy an out-of-country knockoff?
What if some art is made out of the country?
What if every think-out-loud customer that says they “prefer to buy ‘local’ art” would actually BUY local art?
What if every customer bought one stick of $2 natural lip balm or one bar of soap for it’s amazing proprieties even if it wasn’t “Made in Our Town”? Would the really-local store owner then have gas money?
What if every exiting customer that left saying, “Really cool shop, great stuff!” actually bought one freakin item?
What if a customer purchasing one item, of which they ask if it’s “local” art, is actually HELPING to keep mom/pop-local stores open so they can thrive and you can still visit your “favorite” shop in the mountains?
What if everyone who did NOT make a purchase in a little mountain shop, but said “we’ll stop in next time we come through”, personally contributed to the demise of such shops?! Psst: I won’t be where I was when they come back!
What if some “customers”, that are little more than snoopy-idea-stealers, actually state “I can make that!” or “we can make that and sell lots of them”?! What if they were actually kind enough to buy one, THEN copy it, and call it their own?
What if customers left their phones in the car and tried remembering what they saw, so they can replicate it(?), instead of taking one photo or multitudes of everything they like? What if artists consider this theft? What if every photo you take of someone else’s art can be replicated and hung on your wall? What if everyone says: “I wouldn’t do that!”
What if the world were so small that “local art” was everywhere?
What if the item you buy, that’s claimed to be “local art”, is actually made up of many parts that are made in India, UK, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bali, Korea, Mexico or China…?
What if a purchase of “local art”, from another country, actually helps feed their own children?
What if you dis-allow yourself to be bound by invisible lines in the sand, because someone instilled fear in you about “those” people? Yet you may travel abroad (if you’re brave enough), bring something home and say “A ‘Foreign Country’ local artist made it.”
What if Every Thing you Think You Know is FLAT out Wrong? Including “local” art? (Speaking of FLAT: 200 Proofs by Eric Dubay)
Buy local, act local, speak local, think local, touch local, hear local, believe local… Deny the rest of the World? Impossible.