Don Goodrich on mon 24 sep 01
This is going to ramble somewhat, but should get to the point eventually.
Although these ideas have appeared here before, my feelings about them were
particularly intense today.
This morning (Sunday) I shoved the kayak in the car and drove to Chicago
to paddle in a race on the Chicago River. The day was warm and pleasant, even
though a thunderstorm drenched us. Went several miles by river through the
heart of downtown Chicago, and found that events of the past 2 weeks have
burned evil images into my brain. I can no longer look at that beloved
magnificent skyline without imagining large airplanes hitting various parts
of it. I trust that with time this will pass, but wonder how it must be
affecting the people who live there.
Since the race ended at Chinatown (just south of downtown) it seemed the
perfect excuse to shop in that neighborhood. Several shops had selections of
exquisite, manufactured, hand-decorated porcelain. Most of it was from Japan,
and all was very inexpensive. Not for the first time, I wondered why I even
bother trying. It would take me so long to make wares that looked that nice,
I'd have to charge three to ten times as much before it would be worth my
time.
And yet, although my work isn't nearly so pretty, my customers pay what I
ask and come back for more. From this I can only conclude that there's
intrinsic value in the stories, the personal connections that accompany
handmade work bought from its maker. Perhaps it would be valuable to take
note of the ideas and inspirations going into each pot, so they could be
shared with the buyers. Since I normally focus on the maker/seller's rather
than the shopper's side of the equation, this was somewhat of a revelation to
me. I didn't buy any exquisite 3-dollar teabowls today, but if I'd met the
person painting those dragonfly designs, I might have bought a stack of 'em.
Don Goodrich in soggy Zion, illinois
goodrichdn@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/goodrichdn/
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