Going Digital... sorta

Making handmade soap can be a peaceful process or it can drive you bonkers and if you're a one person shop, like me, you talk to yourself..  a LOT!   So I suppose it can be a lonely process too at times.  I'm a social creature by nature, and I love to talk with people, which is why summer/fall events and festivals are so important to me.  With all of this years events being cancelled, I'm stuck talking to the walls.

Without being Captain Obvious, Covid-19 sucks.  

That seems to be the general consensus of just about every single artisan I have spoken to over the last several months.  Our farmers market here in Keene opened up on May 31st and it was just plain, weird.  No beautiful tables to look at, only one person allowed through a "checkpoint" at a time.  Farmers markets and craft shows thrive on human interaction, they're places where people go to socialize and  shop.  You never know what kind of diamond in the rough you'll find as you wander from tent to tent, meeting all kinds of folks from all walks of life.  

So what is an artisan to do with all events, large and small being cancelled?  (I am so glad you asked!!)

Enter the Indie Artisan Collective.  On May 22nd, a group of small business owners had a group meeting and they discussed how their businesses were riding the wave of Covid-19.  Most said that their events were being postponed or outright cancelled.  As the discussion progressed, the business owners came up with an idea of doing a virtual craft/art show (shopping experience).  They decided that this virtual show would be streamed live once a week on Facebook & Instagram and each week would feature 2 or 3 different artisans.  So the Indie Artisan Collective was born.

Think of it as buying online, in your ja'mama's (as my brother called his pj's, the name has stuck all these years) and being able to ask questions about the products with real time answers from the artisans that make them.

It's a collaboration of love by people who love what they do.

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