only the best

The economy stinks. It stinks all over, although here, in Michigan, it seems to be tanking quicker than necessary. On our drive to Adrian on Saturday, I lost count of how many "For Lease" and "For Sale" signs I saw on the side of the freeway, next to now empty businesses and buildings. It used to be a joke between Don and I that "any day you come home still employed is a good day". Now it is a blessing, since Don is watching people he has worked with for years arriving with a lunch bag and leaving with a cardboard box. I'm being honest when I say that these days I am nervous, and I do spend time with the scenario running through my head of what could happen. I don't dwell on it, but it is there.

That being said, I read a statement on another blog that just doesn't sit well with me. The blog belongs to a wonderful artist whom I respect for her talent and ability. In one section, she says that she hopes that sales pick up because it is hard to make ends meet. Okay, I get that, 100%. It is what she said next that sticks in my craw. She says that she is tired of having to "dumb down" her work because people just can't pay for the talent that she exudes. Wow. Maybe it's just me, but that is the most arrogant, full of crap, stuck up attitude I have ever heard. What I am hearing, or reading here, is that she not only won't lower her prices (which are quite frankly, high), but since we can't pay $135 for a bead, she just won't put all her heart and soul and talent into them anymore because we don't deserve it. If we have money, she will have time. That pisses me off. Yeah, it's hard hard hard hard hard, but does that mean that you only give 50% to people, instead of still giving your best?

I have had to cut corners. I don't use Sterling Silver anymore, but it's not because I don't think that people who purchase my pieces aren't deserving of it, but because it is around $250 an ounce. If haven't "dumbed down" my work. I still wirewrap every little loop, use the best materials I have, if I can add a little doodad that makes a necklace or a rosary just that much more special, then I do it. I have even dropped my prices because if someone wants a necklace, I am not going to say, "Pfft, well, if you can't afford the $150 price tag, than you don't deserve it". That is just wrong.

Any talent we have is a gift from God, and having people out there who look at your work and say, "Wow, that is beautiful and I want that" is such an awesome feeling and a unbelievable blessing. I have been blessed with a family and friends that have given me more than I have ever deserved, and I will not look that blessing in the mouth. Ever.

Long story short, you will only get the very best from me. 100%, full of love, made with care and given to you with my heart stamped in every bauble. Nothing but the best. Period.

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