So when I opened my vintage store on Etsy.... Obviously, I quickly became well aware that a lot of people on etsy made crafts and art or "Re-Purposed" items from vintage scraps, pieces & supplies. Great! I'm all for recycling, supporting the arts, collecting bits & pieces of odds & ends for a creation that has not yet emerged. I use to have a closet full of that stuff for my art when I used to do found object/industrial art sculptures in the 90s. And Mosaics too, I still have a bag of tiles and pieces of colored glass somewhere. I think it's great if pieces of a broken vintage item can be salvaged to make something. Better than sending it to the dump. That being said, if any of you have seen my Etsy profile.... Then you know that I go into my spiel about being "Not so much owner's of vintage things but temporary caretakers" And about "Preserving them for the next person". OK so as a vintage seller of course I've accidentally broken a few ceramic items over the years. And I can't help but feel a little guilty when I do. The Finality of it. That's it for that piece! They aren't making anymore. Sure you can probably find another like it if you search. But that doesn't change the fact that there is one less in circulation now. Kind of like an animal heading for extinction. There's only so many left and when they're gone ....They're gone!So in the back of my mind, from time to time.... I had wondered about the ethics of people who use vintage to "re-purpose". "I'm sure they only use vintage items that are broken beyond repair" I thought. Then I noticed some of my vintage dishes were sold. Which was great until I saw the buyer's user id. I won't say the exact id but it was very similar to ismashplates . WHAT!? I wasn't sure how I felt about that! I mean they're not even broken yet! I didn't know what to think. I felt a bit unsettled. I started to think of all the kittens I had given away to "good homes" over the years and imagined the possibility that all of those people had alternate agendas as well! A leather belt, furry ear muffs? stew? I guess it took me by surprise because I had just blindly assumed that all the "re-purposing" began after the original intended purpose was no longer an option. I mean, I like mosaics. And I can appreciate the joy of smashing something as much as the next girl. But I'm not going to grab a mallet and head for Granny's antiques either.Really, I know it's not a major issue. And these plates did have a small chip underneath. (UNDER-NEATH!) But it made me think. How DO I really feel about this since I am so supportive of the preservation of all antique, vintage & collectible items. Even the not so expensive ones that are easier to come across? I feel like this is the part where I wrap it up by announcing whether I've decided on left or right, A or B, but I'm still not sure. I'm usually pretty easy going, I guess I'll just take it one vintage killer at a time.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
She's Gonna Smash the Dishes!
So when I opened my vintage store on Etsy.... Obviously, I quickly became well aware that a lot of people on etsy made crafts and art or "Re-Purposed" items from vintage scraps, pieces & supplies. Great! I'm all for recycling, supporting the arts, collecting bits & pieces of odds & ends for a creation that has not yet emerged. I use to have a closet full of that stuff for my art when I used to do found object/industrial art sculptures in the 90s. And Mosaics too, I still have a bag of tiles and pieces of colored glass somewhere. I think it's great if pieces of a broken vintage item can be salvaged to make something. Better than sending it to the dump. That being said, if any of you have seen my Etsy profile.... Then you know that I go into my spiel about being "Not so much owner's of vintage things but temporary caretakers" And about "Preserving them for the next person". OK so as a vintage seller of course I've accidentally broken a few ceramic items over the years. And I can't help but feel a little guilty when I do. The Finality of it. That's it for that piece! They aren't making anymore. Sure you can probably find another like it if you search. But that doesn't change the fact that there is one less in circulation now. Kind of like an animal heading for extinction. There's only so many left and when they're gone ....They're gone!So in the back of my mind, from time to time.... I had wondered about the ethics of people who use vintage to "re-purpose". "I'm sure they only use vintage items that are broken beyond repair" I thought. Then I noticed some of my vintage dishes were sold. Which was great until I saw the buyer's user id. I won't say the exact id but it was very similar to ismashplates . WHAT!? I wasn't sure how I felt about that! I mean they're not even broken yet! I didn't know what to think. I felt a bit unsettled. I started to think of all the kittens I had given away to "good homes" over the years and imagined the possibility that all of those people had alternate agendas as well! A leather belt, furry ear muffs? stew? I guess it took me by surprise because I had just blindly assumed that all the "re-purposing" began after the original intended purpose was no longer an option. I mean, I like mosaics. And I can appreciate the joy of smashing something as much as the next girl. But I'm not going to grab a mallet and head for Granny's antiques either.Really, I know it's not a major issue. And these plates did have a small chip underneath. (UNDER-NEATH!) But it made me think. How DO I really feel about this since I am so supportive of the preservation of all antique, vintage & collectible items. Even the not so expensive ones that are easier to come across? I feel like this is the part where I wrap it up by announcing whether I've decided on left or right, A or B, but I'm still not sure. I'm usually pretty easy going, I guess I'll just take it one vintage killer at a time.
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