Howdy! I can't speak for folks from other nations but the general consensus amongst U.S. Americans is that our politicians are blatantly corrupt, beholden to the highest bidders. They accept "donations," or more accurately, "bribes," from corporations and billionaires. As a result, they do not legislate to the benefit of the working class. Grocery and housing costs have skyrocketed. Circuses left and right, yes, but where's the bread? The enormously wealthy pay minimal taxes while our social programs fail to meet the needs of our nation's disenfranchised masses and the homeless are being sent to jails where they will be used for slave labor. Our tax dollars are being sent to an apartheid state in order to fund their genocide of the native population.
And, while the elite hoard the wealth, they eat away at our rights. Protestors are being arrested for exercising their first amendment right. Women have lost a right to privacy, and are losing their bodily rights, at great risk to their physical health aside from the mental and monetary. The present is bleak and anyone paying attention is somewhere between furious and depressed. It's easy to feel powerless when the Supreme Court keeps bending to their billionaire sponsors and the President can't string together a sentence (No, he did not have a stutter in his earlier speeches. Though, given he also fought to maintain segregation, he never should have been in power.). When the DNC chooses the candidate with their Super Delegates, so the Democrat voters have only a veneer of say in the Presidential Primary Election, and the Electoral College, a group of unelected elites, ultimately decide the President anyway.
So, like many, I choose to support corporations as little as possible. If that's something you're interested in, here are some basic steps you can take:
Grow your own food. Can you grow all your food? Doubt it. But can you grow some? Yes. And the more you grow, the less you rely on corporate grocery stores to sustain you. If you grow an excess, you can donate produce locally. This also provides you more control over what comes into contact with your food, which given that many spices are tainted with lead, seems prudent.
Grocery shop at farmer's markets, delis, and bakeries. Can you find all your groceries at a farmer's market? Doubt it, but you can find some, and that's money that going back into your local community as opposed to some border-line grocery monopoly.
Opt away from chains when eating out. Fast food and chain restaurants are too expensive for the quality anyway. You are better off spending your hard earned cash on better food from restaurant owners and wait staff who are genuinely passionate about their menus, rather than franchise owners who leaned into an easier sell.
Shop on Facebook marketplace, non-chain thrift stores, garage sales, and local mom & pop shops. Purchasing used merchandise minimizes overall waste while being cheaper than buying new, plus it keeps your funds circulating locally. Goodwill brags about hiring otherwise unhirable people but they also pay below minimum wage and auction off what valuables come their way, rather than selling them in-store.
When shopping at a chain store, aim for non-corporate brands. Cancel The Clothing Co offers a series of lists to use as resources.
Use your library. They're great for books (physical, ebook, & audio) but also offer internet in case you're without, CDs, DVDs, VHSs, etc. Some offer tools and seeds, even. If you are patient, you don't need a streaming service. You can take out DVDs of movies and entire television series with your library card. You can also contribute to, and use, little free libraries. Some are themed and they're open when the county library is closed.
Don't replace what isn't broken and if possible, fix what is. Maybe you don't need the newest model for your mobile device. Maybe the brand isn't important so long as it performs adequately. Maybe you can repair your torn jeans, or tie-dye that shirt to conceal the stain. It's never too late to learn a skill and the more capable you are, the less you have to rely on corporations. Minimizing waste is akin to not littering, a net positive.
Minimize corporate media consumption. Block out-of-touch celebrities and brands on your social media accounts. Either get your news from a wide range or do your best to avoid all the big name news providers because they all have a corporate slant. Whether liberal or conservative based, they exist to turn a profit, not to inform the public. Make sure your computer has a good ad blocker. You can choose your circuses and I suggest leaning indie and local when possible.
Aim for more ethical companies when buying stock. Are any corporations ethically run? There must be some, however rare. This involves research. When you see a promising product and want to invest, double check to see if you can morally support the company. Are they funding a genocide? Did the CEO fund a bill you're appalled by? Did they back an embarrassingly incompetent politician? These are worth taking into account. Cancel This Clothing Co has a list of resources to help research stocks.
There is a quote in Cloud Atlas, the film, and likely also the novel by David Mitchell. "What is an ocean but a vast multitude of drops?" A corporation won't notice my absence but they will notice ours. And I choose not to support genocide profiteers nor those fighting against women's bodily rights, as a baseline. There are so many important causes. It's impossible to be knowledgeable to actively fight for all of them so I suggest choosing one top cause to act on. For many, currently, that's the U.S.A. sponsored Isreali genocide of Palestinians. In that case, I do have a more specific list of actions to take. This list is old so please let me know if any tips are no longer relevant or if any links are broken. Thank you!
And to be clear, I get that not everyone can afford to shop local. I personally do not drive so when left to my own devices, I'm very limited in where I can physically shop. I get it. As with all boycotts, we're all just doing our best. I hope you found these suggestions helpful. I drop a new blog post every Monday! Toodles!
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Howdy! I knocked out a couple of woodburnings this past week. I really like how they came out. I made both mockups back in 2020ish, intending to oil paint them. Before I got around to it, I moved from Austin to College Station, and began working smaller to sell locally at art fairs, rather than from a popular city gallery with ample tourist traffic. It's nice to be working in my style on wood, rather than trying to create what will sell.
The figure in Dauntless is actually from a photo of a model who posted to RedditGetsDrawn on Reddit 7 years ago. I loved the pose and meant to paint it much sooner.
I'm also scrapbooking again. The current scrapbook revolves around my dogs. This is a craft I really enjoy and have a stockpile of supplies for. I've debated opening an Etsy shop where I offer scrapbooking services. The idea would be that the patron would send me their pictures, up to a certain size, give me an idea of the vibe and order, and I'd take it away from there. But I feel like the sort of person to want a scrapbook will be happier making their own.
Otherwise, I haven't been as active, creatively or marketing-wise. Mine and my husband's financial situation has changed and I'm looking for work, part-time or full-time. Updating the 5ish variations of my resume/CV was surprisingly time consuming. Some are more art-oriented, some service, and the formatting varies a bit. I am a little discouraged. I know from experience that I'm not great at balancing a standard job with my creative work and it's obvious which will suffer. For now though, I plan to continue blogging here, sharing my work on the relevant social media pages, and selling art at First Friday in downtown Bryan. I have also opened a Facebook Marketplace store to sell my work. I don't like the idea of selling barely-used clothing through the same outlet as my art, from the same account, so for now, I'm ~only~ using Facebook Marketplace professionally. We'll see how that goes.
I meant to jump back into editing Soul Walker this past week but that went by the wayside with the news that I needed to be job-hunting. Maybe this week I'll get back into the thick of it.
I also didn't read this past week. I'm always a little glum leading up to mother's day so that's probably a factor. I expect my next read to be the sequel to Soulmates: A Metaphysical Love Story, which is Fated Tides, by Sarah Faeth Sanders. I have it on my Kindle. I just don't know yet if I'm feeling a romance novel this week.
Anyway, thanks for stopping by! I drop a new newsletter every Monday. Toodles!
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