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To the rescue? Always.

Sarah and Sam Wilson.

ZOË KRAVITZ Saturday Night Live, March 12th 2022.

No, but seriously, do not buy "folklore" items from big stores like IKEA. If you want traditional items from any culture, you should support the craftspeople of said culture. IKEA will stop producing these things once it is no longer fashionable with folklore. They also don't use traditional crafting methods in their production, which means that when they force local craftspeople out if business, a lot of knowledge is lost. Crafts are learned by practice rather than theory, and it is very hard to revive them once they have fallen out of practice.

Craftspeople tend to source their materials locally, and both the materials and the final products are of a higher quality than the cheap knockoffs from big brands. Locally sourced materials are usually more environmentally friendly.

Yes, it is expensive to buy handcrafted items. But that is actually not a bad thing. Because it means that a skilled craftsperson can pay their bills and provide for their family. It also means that they can keep their tradition alive.

Hot take: Some things aren't supposed to be affordable. The reason why many traditionally crafted items are so expensive is that it takes so_much_time to make them. They weren't commercially produced for most of their existence. Regular people crafted in their spare time, and they put a lot of effort into it. This resulted in beautiful objects for little to no money.

But today, the crafting tradition is kept alive by a limited number of people who do this for a living. Which means that they will charge you for the countless work hours spent on your order.

If you can't afford to buy stuff from a craftsperson, make it yourself. Most of our traditional folklore decorations can be made with very basic tools, if only you have the time and patience for it.

Note: you need to make sure that the tradition is open before you do this!! DO NOT craft folkloric items from other cultures for commercial purposes.

Buying second hand/vintage/antiques is a good option for less crafty people.

tl;dr Big brands exploit traditional crafts until they stop being profitable, and then leave them for dead. If you want a tradition to survive, you need to support the local craftspeople.

good rubs

Woody

Please do not forget Judo Fighter, Fethi Noirine, who withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics in solidarity with Palestine.

Free Palestine🇵🇸

This is the best thing I've read today. Everyone wants a piece of Mobius, Loki is gonna be the jealous one next

Please go vote for my piece in the National Capital Art Prize for a chance to be People’s Choice. I would really love and appreciate you for it.