#and you can't blame the consumption of plastic goodies on american tastes without sounding ignorant of like. the world. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

405blazeitt · 10 days ago

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the conversation on artist merch and manufacturing is one i'm interested in because i like having my digital pictures as physical objects now and then and i don't know enough about the ethics or economics of it to have a real stance on it, but i do know enough about it to know that a lot of the folks talking about it don't know enough to be talking about it

#the last acrylic charm i got was from an artist in mexico who either owns a laser cutter or visits the manufacturer frequently #and her prices were about the same as everyone else's #so it can probably be done ethically (labor-wise) w/o much change in costs but you can't know if it's ethical unless you know the workers #CoL is one thing but so is the fact that some countries have more manufacturers who cater to that market than others #i've done a quick look into US plastic cutting companies and they often don't have the *printers* necessary for this kind of work #or they cater toward advertising so they're not interested in anything other than printing a logo on 200 keychains #but if we start talking about materials? it never ends #an enamel pin or acrylic charm is more durable than anything your typical indie artist can make at home #the plastic and emissions that go into artist merch is so small compared to what big companies are doing #and you can't blame the consumption of plastic goodies on american tastes without sounding ignorant of like. the world.#but that doesn't justify putting more plastic out there y'know?#there's also the 3rd angle of “artist merch is better when it's more diy”#which i agree with in the sense that i don't particularly like going to reptile shows and seeing the same 3d printed toys everywhere #but that's not a concrete issue so much as sellers responding to a market where those things sell best #people like colorful goodies. there's not much that can be done about that.#it's a lot more nuanced than a lot of folks want to say but nuance doesn't interest people and it doesn't get notes

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