We live in such a great time. Sure, the economy has tanked and there are a gazillion people concerned about the future of their jobs, but the way I look at it, this is actually a very exciting time because (in the US) it is possible to reinvent yourself and do something positive with your skills and use something so simple as a blog as a store front. Looking into my crystal ball, I see blogs as the conduit that will bring people together in support of one another and as the next marketplace for people who have uniquely (folksy, if you will) designed products that are worth looking at and buying, unlike a lot of the commercially made crap on the market in stores.
Yes, I know blogs are not new. I've had one myself for over two years. However, in the past year or so, blogs have taken off like crazy. It's a whole industry unto itself. There are service providers (Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad...), design services (just Google the words "blog designer" and see how many entries pop up! It's like 24,000!), directories, advertisers who target bloggers, websites devoted to blog how to's, and the list goes on. And while all this commercialization of keeping an online journal is going on, the best thing about it all is WHO is the driving force behind it all. You. Me. The people like Laurie Wisburn who have something great to share with the world and just want to do it themselves. I use my blog as a journal. I don't get too personal, I just like to write about the things that happen in my life. Some people discuss their inner most feelings. Families set up blogs to keep relatives from a far in touch. Other people devote their blogs to hobbies and specific personal interests and maybe even use it to market their products. Blogs are going to be the Ebay of the future. (Actually, not. Etsy is the Ebay of the future. Let me explain my thoughts...) As history shows, in rough economic times people revert to making due with what they have by either using it as it or repurposing it, doing more of the household chores/maitaince themselves rather than hiring it out, and focusing on hobbies that can be done at home (rather than, let's say, take up golf or something like that) which is where Etsy comes in.
This brings me to a blog I've been following: It's called "Scarlet Fig" by Laurie Wisburn and I'm totally into her original design fabrics. If you read her bio, she made the decision to leave corporate life and pursue creative interests and now she's selling her wares online. I love her entrepreneurial spirit!!! Power to the people paving the way for a new system of commerce and individual promotion!!
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