Producerism
Jonathan >
This time of year is always the busiest for us – just as it is for everyone in agriculture – crofting, horticulture, smallholding, homesteading … There’s so much to do, and most of it outdoors, physical work – which, as the years go by, seems ever harder to keep up. And yet our load can be lightened miraculously (if temporarily) by just a few kind words of encouragement – especially from those with a similar lifestyle and outlook on life. Alas, help of that kind is more likely to come from the far side of the world than from other islanders, too many of whom – crofting heritage notwithstanding – leave us discouraged by their indifference.
We aim to post, to the Big Garden and Croft blog, at least twice a week : somehow, frequent posting seems easier than posting less often – and certainly it’s more fun. Perhaps that’s because, by more frequent posting, our blog keeps up a momentum, one post prompting ideas for those that follow, the only obstacle being the time available to develop those ideas and turn them into reasonably well-honed compositions of words and pictures. Leave it too long, and ideas lose their sparkle, story-lines get tangled … That’s when momentum works against us.
Sometimes, it needs something from somewhere else, from someone else, to help us let go the burden of words unwritten, the stories of yesterday still untold, – to start agan in the here-and-now, with a joy and ease that is spontaneous, rather than a weary fulfilment of a self-imposed duty.
So if anything has, in the past few days, helped lift our spirits a little, it’s been the arrival from upstate New York, USA of something we ordered on Etsy.
It’s a kitchen towel woven by Kerry Sanger of WovenTogetherCrafts. It’s made of pure cotton, mostly in its natural colour – unbleached, with patterned stripes in pale and navy blue. Every time it’ll be used, we’ll think of Kerry. Every time we use it, our entwined ideals of Beauty-in-Utility will be celebrated, strengthened – and renewed.
Both Kerry and her husband Don are weavers ; but more generally they are maker
s. Kerry’s blog – Love Those “Hands at Home” reflects so much of what is important to Denise and I about domestic life, but above all the value of making things ourselves, at our home, for our home – or for our family friends and neighbours. We’ve coined our own tongue-in-cheek terminology for that way of life: we call it Producerism.
Yes, that’s right! The opposite of Consumerism.
Together, Kerry and Don, Denise and I – and everyone for whom making stuff at home is normal – and preferred to buying factory-made stuff from a shop, we’re the Producerist Society.
Kerry > Whether I make it or you make it, or someone’s grandfather made it, whether it’s a cake, or a quilt, or a fiddle tune, if it’s made by “loving hands at home,” I’m for it!
Well said, Kerry!
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Producerism is the way to go! What an uplifting post. And the rhubarb looks amazing x
The towel is beautiful, and I love your Producerism! I grew up with a mother who loved to shop, and ever since a little girl, I have always hated it! I much prefer the making :*)
Oh, Jonathan, I love this post! Partly, of course, I’m thrilled that you like your towel and had such nice things to say about our weaving–thank you! But I love everything else you wrote here–it seems funny to me that the two of you, so far away, understand us better than almost anyone! I also love what you wrote about trying to keep a blog going and the challenges of posting often and different challenges that crop up when we *don’t* post often–it’s as if you have been reading my mind! I’m in that place of not taking the time to post and ending up with a cluttered, restless mind . . .
Use your towel–make it work hard and trust that it will get better as you use it!
I love that word too. I have purchased very little other than a book or sewing supplies for years. I rarely purchase clothing other than those items I can’t make myself. My gifts are handmade or purchased from other local artisans. I love the work of Kerry and her husband. They are lovely, creative people. I’m ready to see and support local crafters more.
I like ‘producerism’ too, so thoses that make are producers as apposed to consumers, I am both, I make what I can but buy what I can’t, the people of Uist are different from the people of Lewis because I’m not a crofter but I grow as much veg as I can and I have found the local community supportive,
the handwoven cloths are nice,
I could never set myself a target for blogging, I’ve been blogging for over 12 years, it all depends on what I am doing, how I feel, so sometimes I might blog often, other times (like now) I only blog occasionally,
enjoy blogging don’t make a chore of it, and enjoy all the other things life has to offer, Frances
J > I guess we’re all consumers to some degree. Producerism is not an absolutist ideal, but about the value we see in the home-made, relative to the factory-made, about our preference to spend time making, rather than shopping. We thought that in moving to a crofting community we’d be amongst others that – perhaps more than anywhere else, would value the home-grown, the home-made ; but the truth seems to be the very opposite.
I love your work! And that rhubarb is STUNNING! Large, Large Large! Ours doesn’t get that huge here!
I love this word – Producerism! I’m proud to be a producer and a gifter. There’s nothing more satisfying than gifting something you’ve made or produced. Enjoying your blog – new here. Thanks!
Cheers, Elizabeth
I like that…producerism…that would most definitely be me 🙂 BTW…my blog is still around, it’s just not through wordpress.com so it won’t show up in your reader. If you still want to follow along, it’s springlakehomestead.com. I hope you two have been busy being producers! We got in 50 chicks for meat two weeks ago, and today I’ll be working on the garden. In the rest of that time it’s been work in the yard and work on the blog changes. Love those towels! I’ll have to look Kerry up!
Thanks, Danielle. Yes we knew you’d ‘migrated’, and we’ve been keeping up with you, though less frequently of late, due to the aforementioned busy-ness!