#Etsy has taken money from me and is refusing to give it back

[claypigeonpottery]

all of these have been added to my available pieces list! (plus there were already a few pieces up there)

I’ll update that post as they sell

[swampstew]

Raven, I have a question since I frequently buy stuff from Etsy. What does arbitration mean in this case? Or class action lawsuit? I don’t understand and am not sure how this will impact me and the stores I support.

(Also had no clue you sell stuff and need to know in order to buy and support my precious family. I love you!)

Hey Blaze, thanks for asking. When using Etsy (as a seller or buyer), you sign an agreement to not participate in a class action lawsuit against Etsy and that they will handle disputes internally. This has been done by giving blanket refunds to customers and taking funds from sellers before actual reviews could be done. This was a real sucker punch for people on Etsy who need to be paid first in order to make their products, plus it sucks when you sell something for $X and then your buyer demands a refund for whatever reason and Etsy will just pluck the money back, no process, no customer support whatsoever (they don't even have a hotline number anymore).

In an attempt to sweep customer service issues under the rug, Etsy has been offering disgruntled buyers no-questions-asked, no-return-required refunds, with funds automatically taken from sellers’ payment accounts.  In order to prevent sellers from bypassing this issue, Etsy has been imposing “Payment reserves” en masse.  This means Etsy outright refuses to pay sellers the money they’ve earned from sales until after the order ships. 

This opt-out clause allows people to be able to participate in lawsuits but because the update was very lowkey and they bury the opt-out information under all the legalese, people tend to not read that bit and aren't aware they have that option. So if they ever try to sue Etsy for whatever reason, Etsy can use that clause to say you have no case. This newsletter was to let people know how to opt-out without having to read the whole damn thing.

There have been a lot of shady things happening on the backend with Etsy the Corporation - including design theft from alibaba/express dupe pages AND drop shipping pages even though Etsy is supposed to be a hand makers marketplace; no customer service at all except online articles; forcing sellers to participate in Etsy ads with no option to opt out and than forcefully taking fees from sales made through clicking on Etsy's forced ad; encouraging sellers to opt into an additional advertisement program to have listings appear higher in searches which NEVER resulted in actual sales; charging sellers for shipping fees per products but not providing any support, material or stamps or anything to justify charging for shipping costs that sellers ate to ship products; if you had 5 items for one listing, Etsy would charge renewal listing fees each time as if it was making a brand new listing each time (it was not); forcing sellers to use a payment service that is infamous for the lawsuits against it for committing fraud; and then the godsdamned star seller program that actually punished sellers for not meeting ridiculous benchmarks every quarter, just a lot of awful shit.

My suggestions - if you use Etsy and have a problem with your item, message the seller directly instead of using Etsy's refund/help program because it will cut out the seller entirely. When using Etsy, check the profiles ratings/reviews for bot reviews or if you see multiple pages selling the exact same items using damn near identical product pictures, and uhhh if anyone you want to support sells anywhere off Etsy use that instead! Some of my Etsy friends have started using Kofi now too!

My Etsy shop is still closed and I put all my online shops and social medias on hiatus to figure some stuff out. The Etsy shit was the straw that broke the camel's back of my online seller's journey so I pretty much sell locally at farmers markets when I have the time. Haven't done a table in a while and I do miss it. I don't want to publicly share that information though because I do value my privacy but I will share that my store was about mental wellness and self care. I made bath products, jewelry, stim toys, and art. Support your small business owners!

[sketch-mer-6195]

You Sure? (ROTTMNT Leonardo Hamato x Kalani Rotasu {OFC})

Warnings: Some swearing, Spoilers for ROTTMTN Movie, Angst... some at least. Word Count: 1666 A/N: I swear I thought I posted this chapter a long time ago... apparently my dum-dum self didn’t like the dummy-sum I am.... Well here we go! and I know @mysticboombox​ has seriously been waiting since she is partially my beta reader with the snippets I give her lol.

And I know I gotta work on making lnks to the chapters and masterlist. I promise I’m gonna do that.

Part 3. Not A Date!

Standing in front of the mirror and adjusting his lapels for the 86th time, Leo was debating whether to keep a tie on or go without one and open the top button. His mind was full of possible “what if” scenarios in his mind.

What if she stands heim up?

What if she asks to stay down in the lair tonight?

What if she asks him to stay for the night?

What if she tries to kill him?!

“Getting cold feet, Leon?”

Blue let out a scream and spun around with his toothbrush in hand only to see Mikey and Raph with smug looking grins. Leo groaned and placed his toothbrush back in its place before looking back at his own reflection, with the company of Mikey and Raph.

“I’m not scared, just anxious okay.” Leo retorted before looking down in the sink.

The two brothers chuckled at their new leader as he shot them a glare through the mirror. Mikey came up to him and threw his arm across his brother’s shoulders. 

“Don’t worry, it’s like riding a skateboard. Once you’ve done it once, it’s stuck with you for life.”

“It’s not that simple, Mikey. This is my ex-girlfriend we’re talking about. The owner of The Nexus Hotel and the Battle Nexus. She’s not all smiles and quick comebacks to my one liners.” Leo replied.

Raph chuckled slightly before looking back at his brother. “Look, we understand how nervous ya are. And we got your back. No matter what, we’ll figure this out together. Even if it means we go to the Hidden City to find the answer.”

“Besides, it’s not like she can fight you. You are on your A-Game, bro!” Mikey reassured him.

Leo chuckled at his little brother before realizing something. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date with your girlfriend, Angelo?”

“Yes, but Mara is coming here to get me so we can take the turtle tank. Have a romantic picnic made by yours truly, and then lo and behold! Buh-BAM!” Mikey pulled out a small velvet box, making both of his older brothers gasp.

“No Way! Wait, where did you get the money?!” Leo asked, earning a serious nod from Raph.

Mikey rubbed the back of his neck and let out a nervous chuckle. “I got an etsy page and have been making requests of my sick spray paint art. And with that, Mr. Harrison and April helped pick out the ring.”

Raph and Leo hugged their baby brother and congratulated him. Mikey soon slipped out as he heard his girlfriend calling for him in the lair. As Raph and Leo watched their little brother leave, Leo let out a sigh before running a hand across his face and looking back at his reflection. Raph glanced back at his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder as a sign of reassurance. Blue had let out a small chuckle before smiling and looking back at his brother. After one last glance, Leo removed his blue tie and undid the top button before nodding to himself. If anything, he was gonna go out in style even if his ex refused his offer. 

Waving and calling out that he was leaving to the rest of his family, Leo made his way to the surface and took to the rooftops to head to his destination and meet up with his ex-girlfriend at the Run of Mill Pizzeria. As he made his way to the alleyway to the secret entrance, Leo was taken back at the sight before him. A dark skinned woman with her dark violet hair in soft waves. Her black backless dress revealed the dip of her back as her dress draped down her legs to about mid calf. The slit on the back of her dress didn’t help with the thoughts that began to plague his mind.

‘C’mon Leo! This is not a date! Just a meet up to talk like civilized adults.’ He scolded himself as he cleared his throat to try and calm his nerves.

But it didn’t help after the woman turned to face him. Kalani, with her cloaking brooch perched over her right breast, looking over Leo and flashing a soft smirk and walking over to him. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he watched her draw closer to him until they were both at arm’s reach.

“My, you sure clean up rather well. For a sewer dweller.” She stated, walking around him and her arms crossed.

Leo scoffed and placed his own hands on his hips. “At least I don’t have to wear a disguise.”

Kalani stopped in front of him with an unexpressive look, but a small smirk pulled at the corner of her lip before she touched her brooch and shifted back to her yokai self. Her teal skin still complimented her dress, if not better than in her human form. He thanked the higher power in the sky that she couldn’t hear his palpitating heart. Shifting slightly, he cleared his throat and offered his arm to her which surprised her greatly. Kalani glanced between himself and his offering before carefully looping her arm with his own. It felt a little awkward, but it was a welcoming feeling that spread across her body like a warm blanket. Entering the restaurant was like walking down memory lane; Yokai were enjoying their meals, talking and laughing. The smell of great Italian and unique cuisines filled their nostrils which both were on the verge of drooling.

“Señorita Rōtasu! It is an honor to see you again, my dear!” Señor Hueso, the owner of the establishment, beamed with glee as he welcomed her with open arms.

Kalani smiled and hugged the skeleton and only to find her place back next to Leo who smiled broadly at him, something that Hueso actually returned and nodded.

“Two, private booth please.” Kalani requested which Hueso accommodated with no questions asked.

Once he seated the two and left to get their drinks, Kalani rested her elbows and propped her chin in her hand. Her eyes scanned over Leo which, oddly enough, made the slider squirm slightly in his seat. It was as though they were back on their very first date, only for her to know exactly what was going to happen. But as he watched her, Leo couldn’t help but notice how calm she was. And a hint in her eyes that showed she was remembering something. Possibly their first official date here? And how much of a dork he was trying to impress her that night. He could see her shoulders relax, her whole body deflating into a comfortable posture and her own eyes softening. Relaxing himself, Leo leaned on his forearms that rested on the table and just… enjoyed her presence. He was feeling young again. Remembering how they were together, the smiles and bantering. But they were happy in the long run. Or so he believed.

“So, let’s get down to business shall we?” Kalani started as she sipped her water. “You said to me a few days ago that you-”

“What happened?” Leo interrupted, catching Kalani off guard.

But she wasn’t surprised. Her walls building up, Kalani sat back in her seat and swirled her water in its glass and looked at him with a bored look.

“I did not come here to walk down memory lane, Nardo. I came here to offer my services and make a proposition.”

Leo bit the inside of his cheek before making a mental note and putting a pin on the topic. She was right, for now at least. They had to stay focused. Taking a sip of his soda, Leo leaned on his arms and leaned closer to her causing her to lean a little as well. As he gestured for her to lean closer, which she obliged, the turtle smirked and flashed his dazzling pearly whites and winked at her. Letting out an annoyed scoff, Kalani began to slide out of the booth and stand as she straightened out her dress.

“If you’re not going to take this seriously, then this was a waste of my time. Good evening.” She said in a cold tone.

But a hand grabbed her forearm. Not tight, but not weak either. Looking back at the three digit hand that had her arm, she looked over to Leo who was sweating bullets. He was desperate, something that she had not seen from this turtle. Leo on the other hand had no clue what she was thinking, she put up her walls thickly to hide what she was thinking real well. But he needed her help and he knew that he could only trust her with this mission. With a soft sight, Kalani sat down but this time by his side. Leo scooted further to give her space and to keep his distance. As she removed her kappa kap and laid it on the table, she turned to him and rested her cheek in her hand.

Leo shifted slightly before rubbing the back of his neck as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Look, I’m sorry. It’s just…”

‘You’re still just as beautiful as the day we first met.’

“It’s just what, Nardo?” Kalani repeated, making Leo snap out of his daze.

Feeling caught, he thanked the Pizza Supreme in the Sky that the lights were low to hide his burning blush before clearing his throat.

“Look, you’re family. At least, still part of the family. And you know the Hidden City far better than me or my brothers do.” Leo explained. “Please, Kali. We need you. I need you.”

Kalani’s eyes widen slightly, her jaw slack. He wasn’t one to ask her, especially like this. It was throwing her off to see him be vulnerable. Biting the inside of her cheek to try and not sigh she nodded only to see her ex relax in his seat and soon explain everything that had been happening.

Taglist: @asmosshampoo​ @kitomon​ @raphsweapondealer​ @post-apocalyptic-daydream​ @turtle-babe83​ @thelaundrybitch​ @mysticboombox​​​ @infuriatedleprechaun

If you wish to be added or removed, let me know in the comments bellow!

Stay Happy, Stay Healthy, Stay Hydrated and always remember. W.W.L.J.D.

HOT SOUP!!!

[designsfromtime]

Is the Customer Always Right?

If anything, I am guileless when it comes to offering all ya’ll a behind the scenes peek at what a “day in the life” of a historical costumer can offer. Sometimes I worry about coming off as ungrateful when I share a problematic situation, but I believe being honest allows me to embrace my humanity, and gives you all permission to do the same. It looks like fun creating all these gorgeous costumes, and it is! - - but there is an unfortunate ugly side to owning your own business: Dealing with entitled and difficult customers. 

My career has taken many twists and turns over the last two or three decades. Before I retired in 2012 at 52 and began designing costumes full-time, I was a medical transcriptionist. I owned my own transcription service as well as working for a huge opthomalogical practice back in California. As such, I have taken many, many training seminars in customer service. It’s been drilled into my head that for every one person who is dissatisfied they will tell ten more people. 

With those statistics in mind, I have endeavored to focus on customer service both in my tenure as a medical transcriptionist, as well as today in my costuming business. But the fact of the matter is that not every client will be a good fit for your particular business or your personality, but I do feel somehow I have failed  clients even when they become overly demanding and, dare I say, self-centered, and I have to cut them loose. 

Look, I get it! Plunking down 2K for an entire ensemble is a HUGE investment for any client! I don’t take any of my clients for granted - ever.  I endeavor to give each client equally of my time and attention. As a general rule, I am extremely conscientious about responding quickly to messages and inquiries. I go to great lengths to explain my process and educate about cut, textiles, and construction of historical clothing and lay out what they can expect, even though I find myself repeating the same spiel over and over. 

I’ve mentioned this several times before, but I have heard the horror stories from both clients and cast mates: costumers (even those touted as scions in the costuming forums) taking a client’s money and receiving their fabrics, only to ghost on them and not respond when the client tries to get them to honor the commission and actually MAKE the gown they paid for, or they do not respond to the client’s requests when asked to refund the money AND return their fabrics only to find this same “costumer” has not only ignored them but used THEIR fabrics for a gown which they put up for sale on Ebay. Another nightmare story is about some of the vendors on Etsy who promise to ship a gown by a certain due date, take the client’s money and when that date comes and goes and the client contacts them they LIE and say, “It’s in the mail!” - Only to learn that they haven’t even finished it! Worse, when the gown arrives it started falling apart the first weekend they wore it at faire and she paid $600 for it! Then there is the account of a vendor in the Ukraine who ran out of velvet to finish a client’s Italian gown and rather than waiting and reordering the fabric, they made the gown but SCRIMPED on the fullness of the skirt and shipped it as is without consulting the client. In THOSE situations I would agree that the customer is RIGHT. I haven’t found myself in the same situations as these “costumers” because I would NEVER treat a client with such disregard - but I have found myself in a nightmare scenario more than once that involves the client becoming difficult for no justifiable reason.

I’ve been fortunate that in the seven years since opening my studio here in WA I have only had FIVE clients who made me want to pound my fist against my computer screen and question why I am in this business. Yes, they were that frustrating!  One of those instances I wrote about in a post called “When It All Goes South” I’ll spare you the details of the other four, but usually the common denominator has been that they didn’t respect my time and my busy schedule, or the efforts I made in the consultation process. That sounds very benign, but a to relate a situation that happened this week wherein I spent 1.5 months exchanging 70+ detailed and lengthy messages, and provided them with dozens, and dozens and DOZENS of fabric options and they kept asking for more, and more, hoping that one of them will fall into the Goldilocks zone, it became frustrating. We hadn’t even gotten half way through the consult process because the client was stalled on fabrics. I didn’t mention the fact that after she paid her deposit she changed the style of the gown multiple times. *face palm*

You may be reading this and shrugging your shoulders and asking “What’s the problem?” The problem in the case I just described is that choosing fabric is only the FIRST step in the design process, but also I have deadlines imposed by the clients. If they don’t comply I can’t meet those deadlines. Until a client chooses their main fabric I cannot begin to offer any ideas for the overall design aesthetic, nor can I choose a complimentary color for their sleeves and forepart, not to mention the embroidery pattern to be used, or sussing out whether or not they will need a trim that may take up to 4 or 5 months to ship - such as the case of a gold bouillon trim I ordered from India recently which she stated she was interested in using, not to mention it requires 4 to 6 weeks of hand tacking!  The expectation of this client was that I would be an endless fountain of “options” - and because she was investing 2K I should spend as much time as she wanted footering around window shopping for fabrics while her timeline is ticking away. When after a month and a half I began to draw a boundary and tell her I need a decision if she expects me to meet her deadline because there is a ton more work I need to do on her consult, she felt I wasn’t giving her ENOUGH of my time and stated that because I was pressed on time for current engagements I could not offer any additional efforts to her as a client.  This, after spending MORE time than is usual with this client, I am to blame?  

I learned from an extremely difficult client in 2018 not to allow a bad situation to malinger and hope for the best. In that particular case it went from BAD to WORSE, and I had to dig in my heels and refuse to bend to her ever growing ridiculous demands. If I cannot work with a client in the consult phase, and I’m pretty damn patient ya’ll, then I have learned the actual construction process will only unravel further. 

As a side note, normally by the time I’ve exchanged two dozen messages with a client, I have their fabric sorted, and I’ve sourced a complimentary color for their sleeves and forepart, found their trim and/or the embroidery pattern, sketched their gown, and presented them with a design board.  Sooooo. . . I offered this particular woman a refund on her “non-refundable” deposit minus my consultation fee of $100 for the hours and hours and HOURS of research I spent over that 1.5 months offering her more and more options to consider. She was pissed that I was unwilling to allow her to take months to decide, and no amount of “explaining” the urgency or my time constraints seemed to sink in. No matter what I said she is convinced that “I” was the problem. 

So, is that situation a failure on my part? Should I be willing to set aside another client’s commission to cater to this woman’s demands? What’s more, is the customer ALWAYS right? 

There is an oft-quoted catchphrase in the business world that states: “the customer is always right.” I’ve heard that in many training seminars. Lalana showed me  comic wherein it stated “The Costumer is always right.” I laughed, but there is a prevalent attitude that WE must meet the customers’ needs even if it means we often go to ridiculous extents to please them. However, treating customers like they are always right can be self-destructive for entrepreneurs like myself and here’s why.

In an article by “Entrepreneur” they offer FIVE reasons why the customer is NOT always right and why: 

1. Businesses Have Limited Resources

Entrepreneurs like myself are not omnipotent, neither are employees - or in my case, my assistant Lalana. Most businesses, especially the fledgling ones, operate with limited resources including limited time, funds, and energy. Every business experiences its share of grudging customers, who, no matter what might be done to satisfy their needs, will continue to complain.

Feeling guilty and culpable for such petulance is actually unwise and it affects your business in a negative way. If the necessary steps have been taken to address the issues of a customer, then a business owner should close the matter and move on.

'Businesses are not dependent on individual buyers. It is actually immature to spend all the energy to satisfy someone who does not intend to be happy. It is important to address the requirements of hundreds and thousands of other regular clients, and also show solidarity with the employees,”

2. It Adds Misery to Employees

Any business will invariably have its share of malicious, rude, snappy consumers. Amongst 50 customers there will at least be 5 who will end up rubbing you the wrong way. Now, reacting to such folk with appeasement and guilt is utter naivete! 

Making employees believe that the customer is always right, is tantamount to making them feel dejected. Between supporting your employees and taking sides with an intolerable, enraged customer, it is best to choose the former (the employee). Customers must get this message that though they are important they are NOT indispensable, while supporting employees always pays extra dividends.

"With constant support from the owners comes a sense of loyalty amongst the employees who then provide better service to customers. It's axiomatic that happy employees always go an extra mile to make customers happy." 

3. Customers Are Not Omniscient

The creator of a business and the team that works with him know best about the product or service they offer. But customers are often upset because the products don't function the way they want them to - or in the case of my costuming business, they may have expectations around how much time I am able to spend in a consultation, or that through no fault of our own we cannot accommodate their specific vision they have of a particular gown. In the recent experience, the client kept asking for color combinations that are not available in the fabrics she insisted upon. All I can do is offer an alternative and try to compromise by offering options. But the attitude that a client knows best leads to an expectation that I be willing to go to any extent when they demand unrealistic or even ludicrous things.

Often customers will try to establish that they know better and try to share opinions or advice on how a product should look or work. Irrespective of the sector of the business, it is risky to give customers the liberty to think they cannot be wrong. 

The key is to establish with customers, in a very amicable way, that the maker of the product is the final authority - In my case that would be ME. I go to great lengths to educate customers on my products and service in order to help them understand my expertise or why I use a certain procedure. I won’t take on a project that I am not passionate about, but more especially when my knowledge is discounted and they wish me to create something that doesn’t fit into my design aesthetic I will decline the order because there needs to be a state of sympatico between designer and customer. 

4. It Pits Management Against Employees

The message that the customer is always right, is demoralizing, and results in bitterness against management and indicates that the organization favours the customers more than the workforce. In reality, taking  the side of the employees generates happier customers because your employee, or yourself, will have a more positive attitude. 

5. You Don't Want Every Customer

Not all customers are indispensable and businesses must accept that. It is better to let go of a persistently complaining and abusive customer who only end up creating stress amongst the employees (or myself). This is irrespective of the amount the customer pays for your product.

Disgruntled customers can wear away your spirit, involve a very high quantity of resources, and add to your stress levels. It is sometimes sensible to lose a customer for protecting the company and its workforce.

"To stay in business for a long time, entrepreneurs need to avoid unreasonably disgruntled customers. Getting rid of bad customers might cost a little profit, but it's healthier in the long-term goals of the business,"

The full article can be found here: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/308548

While these “talking points” are focused on the Management versus Employee relationships, they are valid across the board for a small business owner whether or not you have employees. All of the angst and frustration and demoralization felt by employees or managers who are forced to capitulate to an over-demanding or self-centered and entitled customer is just as keenly felt by me (the owner). It puts me in a grumpy negative head space and it effects my attitude in the studio, which in turn affects Lalana who has to put up with my grumpy ass, and wears down my energy to the extent it affects my usual generosity to the rest of my clients. 2K in commissions just isn’t worth the hassle!   

So, while I’m still working through the guilt and the regret of having to cut loose a client as I did this week, I’m learning that my work will speak for itself, and for every ONE client I have a negative experience, I have MORE who actually appreciate me and are reasonable enough to understand I have deadlines and they are 50% responsible for the success of their commission. I may not be in a place of full acceptance that I could not have made this particular client happy, but I feel justified in drawing a boundary that just because a client spends 2K in my store, it does not give them permission to behave like an entitled premadonna. 

[nocturnals-anonymous]

The absolute rage expressed in this piece borders on the righteously murderous. I would wager it’s a sentiment shared by at least 70,000,000 Americans. This mom is angry and tells it like it is:

I was born at the end of Gen X and the beginning of the Millennial Generation, and grew up in a middle class town. Life was good. Our home was modest but birthdays and Christmas were always generous, we went on yearly vacations, had 2 cars, and there was enough money for me to take dance classes and art lessons and be in Girl Scouts.

My 1940s born Dad raised me to be patriotic and proud, to love the war bird airplanes of his era as much as he does, and to respect our flag and our country as a sacred thing. I grew up thinking that being an American was the greatest gift a person could have. I grew up thinking that our country was as strong, and honest and true as my Dad. I grew up thinking I was free.

As an adult, I have witnessed the world I grew up in fall to ruin. I have watched as our currency and our economy have been shamelessly corrupted beyond redemption. Since we’ve been married, my husband and I TWICE had our meager investment savings gutted by the market that we were told to invest in, now that pensions no longer exist and we working stiffs are on our own. We will be working until we die, because the Social Security we’ve been forced to pay into has also been robbed from under us.

I have watched as our elected officials enter Congress as ordinary folks and leaves as multi millionaires. I have watched my blue collar husband get up at an ungodly hour every day and come home with an aching back that we pray will hold out long enough to get him to old age in one piece. Outside of shoes, socks and underwear, almost everything my family wears was bought used. We’ve been on one vacation in 12 years.

We don’t have cell phones, or cable, or any sort of streaming services, just a landline and internet. We hardly ever eat out. Our house is 1400 square feet, no air conditioning. I cook from scratch and I can and I garden and I raise chickens for eggs and meat and I moonlight selling things on Etsy. Still it is barely enough to pay the bills that go up every year while service quality and the longevity of goods goes down. What I just described is the life you can live on 60K a year without going into debt.

At last calculation, when you consider all of the federal, state and local taxes plus registration and user fees, Medicare and SS payroll taxes, almost a third of what my family earns is stolen by the govt each year. What’s left doesn’t go far, just enough to cover the basics and save a little for when the wolf howls at the door.

I watched as my family’s health insurance was gutted and destroyed. Our private market insurance, which we had to have because my husband’s employer is too small to have a group plan, was made illegal. We were left with the option of either buying an Obamacare plan with unaffordable deductibles and insanely ridiculous out of pocket maxes, or paying the very gov’t that destroyed our healthcare a fine for not buying the gov’t mandated plan that we cannot afford. We now have short term insurance that isn’t really insurance at all, and I live in fear of one of us getting injured or sick with anything I can’t fix from the medicine cabinet.

I have watched as education, which was already sketchy when I was a kid, became an all out joke of wholly unmathematical math, gold stars for all, and self-loathing anti-Americanism. My family has taken an enormous financial hit as I stay home to home school our child. At least she’ll be able to do old-fashioned math well enough to see how much they are screwing her. A silver lining to every cloud, I guess.

I’ve sat by and held my tongue as I was called deplorable and a bitter clinger and told that I didn’t build that. I’ve been called a racist and a xenophobe and a chump and even an “ugly folk.” I’ve been told that I have privilege, and that I have inherent bias because of my skin color, and that my beloved husband and father are part of a horrible patriarchy. Not one goddamn bit of that is true, but if I dare say anything about it, it will be used as evidence of my racism and white fragility.

Raised to be a Republican, I held my nose and voted for Bush, the Texas-talking blue blood from Connecticut who lied us into 2 wars and gave us the unpatriotic Patriot Act. I voted for McCain, the sociopathic neocon songbird “hero” that torpedoed the attempt to kill the Obamacare that’s killing my family financially. I held it again and voted for Romney, the vulture capitalist skunk that masquerades as a Republican while slithering over to the Democrat camp as often as they’ll tolerate his oily, loathsome presence.

And I voted for Trump, who, if he did nothing else, at least gave a resounding Bronx cheer to the richly deserving smug hypocrites of DC. Thank you for that Mr. President, on behalf of all of us nobodies. God bless you for it.

And now I have watched as people who hate me and mine and call for our destruction blatantly and openly stole the election and then gaslighted us and told us that it was honest and fair. I am watching as the GOP does NOTHING about it. They’re probably relieved that upstart Trump is gone so they can get back to their real jobs of lining their pockets and running interference for their corporate masters. I am watching as the media, in a manner that would make Stalin blush, is silencing anyone who dares question the legitimacy of this farce they call democracy. I know, it’s a republic, but I am so tired of explaining that to people I might as well give in and join them in ignorance.

I will not vote again; they’ve made it abundantly clear that my voice doesn’t matter. Whatever irrational, suicidal lunacy the nanny states thinks is best is what I’ll get. What it decided I need is a geriatric pedophile who shouldn’t be charged with anything more rigorous than choosing between tapioca and rice pudding at the old folks home, and a casting couch skank who rails against racism while being a descendant of slave owners.

I’m free to dismember a baby in my womb and kill it because “my body my choice”, but God help me if I won’t cover my face with a germ laden Linus-worthy security blanket or refuse let them inject genetically altering chemicals into my body or my child’s. I can be doxed, fired, shunned and destroyed for daring to venture that there are only 2 genders as proven by DNA, but a disease with a 99+% survival rate for most humans is a deadly pandemic worth murdering an economy over. Because science. Idiocracy is real, and we are living it. Dr. Lexus would be an improvement over Fauci.

I am done. Don’t ask me to pledge to the flag, or salute the troops, or shoot fireworks on the 4th. It’s a sick, twisted, heartbreaking joke, this bloated, unrecognizable corpse of a republic that once was ours.

I am not alone. Not sure how things continue to function when millions of citizens no longer feel any loyalty to or from the society they live in.

I was raised to be a lady, and ladies don’t curse, but fuck these motherfuckers to hell and back for what they’ve done to me, and mine, and my country. All we Joe Blow Americans ever wanted was a little patch of land to raise a family, a job to pay the bills, and at least some illusion of freedom, and even that was too much for these human parasites. They want it all, mind, body and soul. Damn them. Damn them all.

[art-for-the-people]

Resigning from the fine art world.

I've always had such conflicted feelings for the art world.  For a large part of my life it seemed like fine art was the career route I was going to take. I'm good at it. I have the technical skill to make incredible art, and sometimes I still do. 

Putting my art in galleries/shows however, never really felt fulfilling to me. My art doesn't do anything for anyone there. I could create museum worthy pieces that could realistically be worth thousands of dollars if I ever choose to apply myself, but then the art goes to the buyer, hangs on display on a collector's walls; its a favored way for the wealthy to obtain tax breaks and build status among each other. It doesn't help me, it doesn't help ordinary people. Fine Art doesn't do anything for my community besides charge tuition and a $5.00 entry fee.

Over the last year, I've channeled my creative focus on For The People STL. I've designed protest banners. logos, stencils, decals, shirts, protest art, and more. This is the kind of art that our organization benefits from; through things like obtaining social media exposure to raising money on our etsy. My art goes to the right people; not just the people who can afford it. Not just gallery owners, not just the preppy art student crowds, everyone. Period.

The disenfranchised masses I want to serve with my art don't go to gallery openings or buy 30,000 dollar invisible abstract paintings. They are in our cities, in our buses, prisons, high schools. The fine art world does nothing to address this; there's a culture of elitism that keeps the majority of them from ever setting foot in an art gallery. People don't feel welcome. They feel they'll be looked down upon for lacking a formal artistic background, and from what i experienced at my community college art program, this plays out frequently in real life.

I recall the blatant favoritism I experienced in college. I was a gifted child; I grew up with a family that supported my creativity, and in a school district that had a good K-12 art program. I showed up to class on day one with more skill than a lot of my classmates; and i realize now that wasn't a testament to my skill, but rather to my privilege. I got A's in every class, lots of personal attention/advice from my professors; all in all art school was a very positive experience for me. Not everybody can be so lucky.

While I had a lot of support in my artistic endeavors, there were many of my classmates who didn't have the same opportunities as me. Their school's art classes weren't funded by the white suburban boom in St. Charles County. They might not have had supportive families, or money for art supplies. I had many classmates in my drawing class that had never drawn with charcoal before, and that was the medium we used the whole semester. 

Naturally, this put some of them at a disadvantage. The professor that taught that class would frequently stand in front of us and tell us that he planned on only assisting students that "actually try". He actually told a friend of mine to quit pursuing art for lack of talent. At the time I thought it was a pretty horrific thing to say, but it didn't matter to me because I was passing with flying colors. 

This type of gate keeping (at a community college for chrissakes) in the art world infuriates me. The are the kind of people that think you aren't a real artist if you can't name 5 paintings on display at the SLAM, or think things like animation or Fantasy Illustration are beneath them. The Art-elitist discredits all art considered to be "craft", they mock Bob Ross and the people who learn from programs like his because its not "real art".

I used to believe it when the art world told me that "If your intention is to create art, then your creation is considered art." but this mindset seems to change whenever students want to make music videos, T-shirts,  manga comics, or crochet tapestries for class assignments, suddenly these things become "non art" and are unacceptable to turn in for a grade.

Video games have changed the world of art; the masses love them, The fine art world rejects them, even mocks the idea of video games being considered art. Rap music, one of the most popular music genres, isn't taken seriously because it lacks the "classical finesse" of musicians like Bach or Beethoven. Childish Gambino's music video for "This is America" is one of the most powerful and moving performances of our generation. Its worthy of the same admiration and respect that’s given to other revolutionary artists and writers of our time. But still, it would not be something allowed in a gallery. There are no show openings, no class discussions. These genres deserve our attention.

Of course there’s a very obvious pattern of discrimination; frequently its things mostly created by lower class women and minorities that are first to be dismissed as non art. Most big name art museums are excruciatingly white male dominant places. The male to female ratio put in those Gorilla Girls posters years ago actually haven't improved that much. Therefore, I see little point in creating art for a social class that doesn't hold me at the same respect as my white male colleagues. The system grows ever more rigged for POCs. There should be an environment of equality in fine art spaces;  yet as "liberal" as artists are stereotyped to be, "Fine Art" is still an industry that's owned by white male patriarchy.

It brings me more peace and satisfaction seeing my art enriching my community organization than any gallery opening my "fine" art has been featured in. I don't care if you think protest art is low class, or a step down from where I was before; i'm still gonna love seeing my comrades wearing the shirts i gave them to the next demonstration. This gives us a different presence in our community; we can outwardly show organization and self reliance.

This is where my artistic passion has been leading me my whole life, and I don't think I can go back to the fine art world anymore. It would make me feel like a class traitor.

Therefore, I refuse to participate in the mainstream fine art world. I won't make art for galleries or shows; i will go off and host my own shows, I will create my own spaces of creativity. 

If functioning outside the fine art line means I'm not a real artist, then I will embrace my lack of artistry by disrupting the status quo and inspiring change in the day to day lives of normal human beings. I will not make more art to be pondered upon by bougie classist drones; i make art for the people.

[deardotti-blog]

Work Experience

The trials and tribulations of being freelance: a lowdown. 

I thought perhaps I was doing the world’s stupidest thing doing my work experience as a freelance designer, as I felt maybe it wasn’t me pushing myself, or it would be seen as lazy or not adventurous...Now I feel like it’s the world’s stupidest thing because it is SO HARD TO DO.

I have so far, worked way past my 72 hours experience. Yes that has also included the freelance poster work I have undertaken for people, as well as the experience with silly girl club, but I now almost work twenty hours a week on top of course work to perfect my skill.

Here’s a little run down how I go about what I do and why.

I first was inspired to set up a shop when I worked with Nikki of the silly girl club - she had seen some jewellery I had been messing around with as a side project and convinced me to sell some bits to help me make some money.

Normally, I would procrastinate this to death and um and ahh for a few months...work experience however, decided to push me and give me the confidence to take a risk, almost giving me the perfect excuse to blame it on if it all went wrong!

In all honesty though freelance has appealed to me for various reasons, mainly being I am unpredictably ill and having the opportunity to work for myself as well as various people from the safety of my home gives me a great deal of comfort. 

My idea came from people acknowledging my art style and me thinking perhaps they would like to wear it. It all starts off with a design from a postcard or vintage ornament - much alike most of most work - which I perfect and then transfer onto paper or tracing paper. I use a thick clear shrink plastic that is easy to place over my illustration, making it easy for me to take my sharpies (ALWAYS USE SHARPIES) and colour in the colourful parts first, before lining it all using a really decent hard wearing pen.

I normally use one side of an A4 piece of plastic to one design, this shrinks to around 3 inches across and makes a really good sized brooch.

After it is cut out (another nightmare part, as they bend and snap a lot and the plastic tears very easily), it goes into the oven for 2 minutes on gas mark 3. I have played around with this several times and it is still very unpredictable so now my work has taken off a bit I will be buying a heat gun which will give me more control. I find work tends to smudge or curl onto itself and then smudge more.

This is demonstrated here:

notice at the side of the player, there’s little white gaps and smudges? it may not seem much, but to me it is a failure I would be ashamed to sell, and so goes straight into the bin. As wasteful as it seems, I refuse to sell anything I am not happy with and a smudge is a flaw. 

Each piece takes me around ten minutes to draw so you can imagine how much time gets wasted!

Once out of the oven I use a heavy tray and greaseproof paper to flatten them out, and then when cooled I use mod podge to paint and seal the drawn on side of the plastic, which I then coat in glitter and leave to set. This process is repeated layer by layer until it forms a thick, sparkly coating on the back of the brooch. I have found mod podge is my best friend, unlike other craft glues which can crack and then break all your glitter.

example! I was a little bit heart broken,

Once layered and opaque, I sand the brooch all over using a sanding tool and sand paper. I then wipe it clean and seal with a mod podge gloss. Once dry, I add my brooch back using the best glue in the world e6000.

They then get a good wipe down and are ready for new owners!

After launching my site last week, I sold out within an hour. I have since opened my own Instagram for it @thebigbadbuns and having sent out my first orders, watched the feedback come in!

So far all has been positive. Here’s a custom order on a jacket.

I have had requests for several more brooches now too, which I will be making in the spare time I get at the moment. 

I have enjoyed this experience so much and it is bizarre how life works sometimes. If I hadn't done the posters, I would never have met Nikki, and then would never have had the guts to start my own shop!

My next plan is to open an etsy store with my new berets I have been working on...I’m confident this will keep me going over the summer!