It’s Labor Day today in the US, and I came across this really interesting article by Steve McCallion over at Fast Company. In the article, he talks about how Labor Day has lost it’s meaning – moving from a holiday glorifying the value of the American worker to one where we celebrate through leisure and shopping.
In the article, he calls for a return to Labor Day’s roots:
“There’s an opportunity on Labor Day to raise awareness that American workers still make things – really cool things.”
And I think nowhere is this more true than the craft and indie design movement. We are the future of manufacturing in the US. (Or so I like to think.)
So on Labor Day, I’d encourage all of us (whether you’re in the US in or not) to think about how we can spread the word about what we’re doing. How we can show people that some of us do still make things, that making things brings value to our society, and that it’s worth supporting with your dollars?
Perhaps we can use Labor Day as the kick-off to stop preaching to the choir and start marketing outside our niche.
I’d love to hear what you think. Check out the article and share your thoughts in the comments – as the new face of labor in the US, what can we do to spread the word?
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On a somewhat related note, I’ll be speaking at the next Ignite Baltimore on Craft as Economic Catalyst. I’ve got 5 minutes and 20 slides to convince people that supporting craft-based businesses is good for our economy and our communities. If you’re in the Baltimore area on September 30, I’d love to see you there!
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And one more little reminder. The Marketing for Makers (and designers, crafters, and artists too) e-course starts next week. There are still a few spots left, so head on over to marketingformakers.com to sign up now!
Great issue! A starting place would be for crafters to think of themselves as laborers. Yes, the majority of us aren’t doing large-scale construction (though some might be!) or heavy labor, but we do manual labor.
There’s such a stigma that hand work is less valuable than mind-work, but the two are connected.
Related to craft as labor is the notion of a living wage. Crafters need to think of themselves as paid laborers and we shouldn’t be deep discounting our work. We can offer a range of priced items, but should not be putting a low price on them to compete with Wal-Mart. This might mean holding out longer for customers, but we can educate in the meantime. Just the other day I was shocked to see a hand smocked, hand sewn baby dress, offered as custom made, for under fifty dollars. That’s crazy.
One way to do this is by crafters posting more videos about how they work, showing their studios, maybe how-to videos, etc. Tutorials about materials and their costs? You don’t see many of these kinds of things on the ‘net- mostly photos of finished objects. We don’t see the back story behind these objects.
Great post Tara. I just wrote about how Labor Day has become irrelevant, but I have worked all weekend. Those of that make stuff do still exist!
Hey! I’m working here on Labor Day! 😉
Thanks for continuing to keep the focus on what’s important. Unfortunately it’s a little late for this year, to be pointing out some of your points about the origins of this holiday, but I’ll put it on my to-do list and lead up to the holiday with a blog post next year.
Especially now, with the jobless rate at 9.6%, it’s quite a reflection to realize how important any one is with their work, no matter what kind of labor they do. Wouldn’t it be great if all the out of work Americans made a push for handcrafted-made-in-America by possibly starting something that they have a passion for and we all buy it?
If we could as a society try to think about all the great products that used to be made here in the U.S. I’m excited about the handmade movement and hope that we get back to a well-made product instead of a mass produced item – and celebrate the artisans who are crafting these items and creating great things.
i’m afraid i couldn’t get past the “working stiff” comment. i really don’t think that’s fair to anyone who, well, works.