“Marci’s Etsy shop has been a wonderful experience for her. She’s learned responsibilities, creative skills, business skills, and also communication skills. It also shows colleges that she has abilities beyond what the SAT and ACT test for, and makes her application unique. I’d like to see more talented and entrepreneurial teens on Etsy. It’s a perfect place to test out young ideas, and to gain experience that can be used all through one’s life. I’ve also learned much by mentoring a young person. Working side by side with all that exuberance has helped me to lighten up and become more playful. I’m more aware of what drew me in to pottery so many years ago.”

It is time to teach my students about micro-industry and perhaps ETSY will be the perfect place to develop their knowledge and empower them as they sell their own crafts.

The Urban Dictionary defines micro-industry as:

“n. a way of producing items and selling goods which is from the home and accessible to the public as either handi-crafts or value-enhanced natural resources n. pulling off a living in a small way through local commodity n. homeboy networks that service the community as both for-profit and not-for-profit venture.”

As art therapy at KLASS embarks on the next push for Operation Sock Monkey we celebrate the latest update from founder Lindsey Hodgson:

“Progress is slow but steady in South Africa, the group of 12 ladies that I trained on my trip are celebrating a year in business and were thrilled to receive an order of 40 monkeys for Christmas to be sold in a shop in Capetown that specializes in handcrafts made by PLWA’s ( ‘People Living With Aids’).  Indeed, this type of handcraft has become an industry there and I think with the right type of planning and strategy, OSM could take off in a major way.” -Lindsey Hodgson

Photo by Lindsey Hodgson, South Africa, 2009

Photo by Lindsey Hodgson, South Africa, 2009

Photo from Lindsey Hodgson, South Africa, 2009