Oddbean

I drew this for a friend who, like me, was also born a Dragon, after her home had been destroyed by a firestorm which burned thousands of homes in our County. I was much luckier. The hubs and I kept ours from burning as our water wasn't turned off. We fought it for 2 weeks. https://void.cat/d/8Fm5D4GuUQFCyY4bjHFq3M.webp

Absolutely! I think it's because the #fiat platforms are horribly oversaturated and they have become a "competitive..." uh... more like a combative race to the bottom! No real price signal whatsoever and folks killing each other trying to undercut one another. Search "handmade" and get yourself tons of "search results" from bot accounts or real ones , but with mass produced wares. Folks buying stuff from Temu just to turn them around and re-sell them on Etsy. It's absolutely sickening for someone who actually works with her hands... (eyes, mind, art supplies...)

That is something I do worry about. I don't want us in a race to the bottom. That is why I don't like fiat platforms. 😕😕😕 We're supposed to trade with one another in ways that we can foster community and relationships with each other. Like what mom n pop's businesses used to be like. I grew up having my shoes made for me. Where I'm from, it was common, and your shoemaker had shoe forms with your name & that of the few other people who had similar feet. In fact, having ur shoes made was not a symbol of status, it meant you might have been poor enough that u could only afford to wait for ur one pair of shoes a year because u normally prepaid for them monthly! Handmade shoes were expensive, but they didn't expect you to afford them in one lump sum. Now? Only folks who can afford bespoke $10,000.00 tailored suits are buying handmade shoes. It's sad to think that oversaturation and exploitation could come to nostr. I hope it takes a very long time. I hope that the general sentiment of those using it is strong enough to resist it. My husband and I were very successful ceramicists in the 90's. I had all kinds of molds, different kinds of clay, glazes , you name it. We used to sell ornaments on Ebay, until the China craze took over and folks were able to just buy things made in mass. I can only hope and pray I am able to bring my crafting days back to life somehow. This cog in the machine life is breaking us in more ways than one. Just look at depression, suicide rates, addiction... Society is always at the brink. Something's got to change.