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April's
Articles for Giftware News:
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Cult Of Good Things
When my customer contacts me and tells me how she bought a colorful
tablecloth, a cotton child’s dress or a piece of jewelry
that lies like a talisman on her neck, when she tells me how her
life was changed because she bought these things, I feel like
I belong to a cult. A cult of good things.
I study bowls, inspect candlesticks and breathe the scent of lavender
water. I smell cotton in a tea towel, think the texture of a woven
throw and imagine the slippery catch of silk. I study these items
and their characteristics searching for their authenticity—I
inspect them for their integrity. I peel back their layers of
history, the people who designed them, the company that made them,
the employee that embroidered it and the working conditions that
nurtured it. I unfold their beauty with respect. Like the petals
of a rose, I see the quality of colors, the beauty of the shape,
the layers of the art, the particularness of the piece. I touch,
and my hands tell me how many times a fabric was washed, a wood
polished, the number of stitches that hold a bead in place—I
see the tinyness of the needle used, the quality and color of
the polish, and the water tank where the cloth was washed before
my eyes. I touch the cotton and find the cotton field, I feel
the warmth of wool and see a sheep—dense with thick wool
in a field dense with green. A cotton doll tells me the tale of
childhood and little girls’ lives through a stretch of time—but
it also tells me how the doll was made—the eyes embroidered
and the cotton shoes that came from a tiny pattern—the professionalism
in small things.
I know that I am in a maelstrom of essential integrity. I am caught
in something huge, big and full of small steps. I am part of a
complex cult. Filled with detail, but incredibly simple.
I look at all of these beautiful things and I see the cult of
good things. How design and manufacturing, craft and distribution,
sales and service must all respect the cult of good things. I
understand why my customer calls me—why she needs to tell
me that her day got better, her life changed or a small miracle
happened.
Because it emanates, pulsates and proliferates this cult of good
things—it changes the world by nurturing values in our activities.
If you want to belong to a cult—why not join the cult of
good things?
Burlington, Vermont
April |
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