Many moons ago, long before I ever touched a sewing machine, the handmade market looked a little like this. It was an exciting rainbow of ideas and creativity. Some good ideas, some bound for Regretsy.
But there was something out there for fruit loops in every flavour!
But then something very strange happened. One day for some reason the grey rhombus became super popular. Perhaps it was a really clever idea that filled a void in the market? Perhaps it solved some problem and made life easier? Or perhaps someone spotted Brangelina with one and then everyone else decided they needed one too? In any case, these things rarely make sense, but for some undefined reason the grey rhombus developed a halo and they flew off the handmade shelves..
Voila!
Soon enough the handmade market place had to change a little to accommodate the grey Rhombus’s newfound halo ‘as spotted with Brangelina’ status. Hand maidens everywhere couldn’t see the point in selling their beloved gold stars, when it seemed everyone wanted a Grey Rhombus, so production of the Grey Rhombus soared to meet demand. But it was ok, the handmade customers were so happy that they too could finally get their hands on a grey Rhombus too! Grey Rhombus for everyone! Yaaaaaay!
But over time, with so many Grey Rhombuses to choose from it was hard for the happy handmade customers to decide where to buy their grey Rhombus. A few hipster happy handmade customers weren’t even sure that the grey Rhombus was so special after all, especially after that recent cosmo feature where Brangelina was spotted with a pink heart. With sales of Grey Rhombuses declining, handmaidens everywhere started to look for new ways to sell their Grey Rhombus wares. And one day, someone did this!
When everyone is selling the Great Grey Rhombus, and they all look pretty much the same, what better way to make your own Grey Rhombus start out but to make it cheaper? Sales of the $25 Grey Rhombus soared! Why pay $30 for a Grey Rhombus when you can buy them elsewhere for $25? And with the success of the $25 Grey Rhombus, even more folks jumped on on the hand-maker train and mass production of the Grey Rhombus carried on, full steam ahead until the handmade market looked…
like this..
Grey Rhombus makers everywhere fought to get their very own Rhombus to be noticed in the overwhelming sea of grey. Even the handmaidens who had resisted the pull of the shiny Grey Rhombus started to wonder whether there was any point in producing anything else but a Grey Rhombus, and as the doubts crept in the price of the red Pentagons went down too. Until eventually the handmade market looked like this :(
Meanwhile, the previously happy handmade customers, spontaneously snoozed at the mere sight of the Grey Rhombus!
and not even the promise of a 99cent Rhombus was enough to get them moving anywhere but the trash. Owning a Rhombus became almost passe, akin to owning a Backstreet Boys CD or a hypercolour T-shirt?
When even the local bum under the bridge won’t use a grey rhombus for a toilet, the Happy Handmade people wouldn’t be seen dead with a Grey Rhombus!
So next time you put your creative powers to work, pause for a second and think ‘Am I adding to the handmade market rainbow, or is this just another grey rhombus?’ I know which I would prefer!
Lisa is a wife, mother, handmaiden and cupcake connoisseur with a passion for pretty. She is inspired by all things sweet and shabby chic and can usually be found under an enormous pile of lace, ruffles and bows. To find out more about Lisa visit her blog littleloulouhandmade.com or follow her crafty adventures on facebook
Thank you Lisa for letting the {CHA} repost this very informative blog post. Together lets make 2013 the Year of Originality ~ Christine
