I remember having a heated conversation one time (or one too many times) with an anti-currency, anti-government… sort of anti-order in general, friend of mine. (I’m getting a migraine just thinking about our conversations). Anyway, our little chat was centered around the concept of currency. I argued that even if the U.S. dollar was diminished, citizens would quickly establish a new form of currency in order to exchange goods and services. He disagreed and claimed that currency was entirely unnecessary – that civilization could function without any sort of exchange. I don’t know about that. I think those living in his Utopian “civilization” would have to be very open and trusting, maybe like Burning Man-goers. But I don’t think that way of living could last very long. People would start coming down from their happy drugs and bogarting the town’s supply of chicken nuggets and NOT sharing. I know I would.
That being said, I don’t think a civilization could run smoothly solely on a bartering system, but I DO think that a mixture of the two can work. So, we come back to reality. In the world of Etsy, bartering is very much a possibility AND totally awesome.
Pascalle Ballard (aka fabricalchemist) contacted me on Etsy and wanted to exchange something from her shop for a pair of custom red slippers (seen above). I didn’t see anything in her shop that went with the decor in my room, so I asked her if I could possibly request a custom illustration… and she said yes!
The Wasp Duchess, by Pascalle Ballard (5.5″ x 8″)
And OH MY GOD it came out amazing. I can’t wait to frame it. I asked her to draw something Gothic Lolita inspired, using yellow and a dash of lace and what she created was even cooler than I had imagined. The result is this amazing piece. What a wonderful way to collect art! Be sure to check out her shop for her many unique and beautiful pieces.
