The word "local" carries a punch, right? All politics are local. Shop local. Eat locally grown and raised food. What other "local" phrases come to mind for you?
I do what I can to shop local, eat local, vote local, etc. But as a seller of art, as much as I enjoy local markets, my real thrill comes from having a broader reach.
Seriously, selling in small art markets is a joy for me—even if I don't sell a single thing, which is often the case with small markets where people are more interested in looking than in purchasing. I like participating, and I like chatting with the passersby. But through my Etsy shop, I have had the privilege of shipping artwork far and wide.
This morning, I sifted through several years of Etsy orders and tallied them up by location, and here is what I found—I have sold to every state in the U.S. except Alaska, Hawaii, Missisippi, and North Dakota. What's up with those people, anyway? I have also sold to Washington, D.C.
And, I have shipped art to quite a few countries around the world. Here is the list:
- All over Canada
- All over the UK
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Australia
- South Korea
- Japan
- France
- Italy
- Singapore
- Israel
- The Netherlands
People in all of these places have scoured all of Etsy and chosen art from my shop. They have bought paintings, assemblages, greeting cards, and bookmarks (from when I used to make those). And this makes me smile ear to ear.
I don't often sign my work on the front, so it's not like my name is out there on walls and book shelves. That's not the point as much as is this—something I have created with my own two hands has spoken to someone else. And it's certainly possible that what I have created will outlast me.
There are lots of different ways to leave a positive mark during our short time here on this plant. Creating beauty in some form is one of the ways I have tried to leave my mark, not just for people I know in my own town but for people around the world who I'll likely never meet.
I'll keep participating in local markets, and shopping in them, and at the same time I hope I can keep sending art far and wide.