The Meaning of VALUE to me.
I have given this a lot of thought throughout my life. As a single mother of three boys, the idea of value has morphed as my education has increased. And being transparent, as my budget has allowed. When my boys were young, I sought out the least expensive way to feed them. I looked for durable but replaceable plates, glasses and rugs. I needed to ensure that I had my budget on lockdown so I could continue to afford to take care of my boys. Micro plastics, disposable economic concerns, mass production in foreign countries and sustainability was not part of my budget nor focus for many years.
This slowly started to shift as I read more about growing landfills, plastic being absorbed into foods, recalls becoming a normal occurrence in life and the mass production of everything! The more that my sons brought home handmade gifts, my concept of value shifted. More recently we have the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) shifting the concept of human value in a new direction. I believe the value of people cannot be calculated by AI. It cannot be replaced by our disposable society. It cannot be replicated in any mass production market. This is most specifically evident in handcrafted items.
While I watch my friend individually iron each fold on a dog bandana to then run through her sewing machine, unpick messy lines and do it again, I see value. While I sit and marvel at my brother’s ability to take sterling wire and wrap it around sea glass, he carefully matched to make earrings, I see value. As I hear stories about shucking oysters pulling out pearls to painstakingly match them to metal trinkets that make my heart soar, I see value.
I see people judge value by unrealistic measurements. I did not take the time to wash, iron, cut, iron and sew. I did not look at stones or glass side by side to find their close match for symmetry. I did not learn how to shuck and clean gleaming pearls. They did. I cannot measure the amount of time it has taken them to become so apt at the process to make it look easy. I cannot measure their passion in comparison to what I did not attempt to do.
Is the value that they took the time where you did not? Or the value that they had the skills honed over years of passionate attention where you do not? The value is that they DID.
I know for me, the concept of value has shifted away from my snap judgement of what I think something ‘should’ cost and has taken root in the concept uniqueness. I find value in the not quite perfect stitch. I find value in the story behind the craft. I find value in the human that is offering their hard work to me for my judgement and care.
Do I still search for the least expensive tissue paper to wrap a gift? Yes. Do I still scrutinize each seem for durability? Yes. However, I recognize that when I am looking for something that is handmade, I see value well past the concept that a sweatshop or production line can create a knockoff item for pennies on the dollar.
Handmade is heart-made and that is near priceless to me. There is where I find value.
What does value mean to you?
