Made Here
Elijah Godfrey
Many of you already know the above image and where it leads. The amount of support shown to me in the Martha Stewart American Made contest was above and beyond anything I ever expected when signing up. When my artist friend sent me the link to sign up, I never imagined myself as even having a chance. And maybe, in reality I didn't, but one thing that signing up confirmed, yet again...is that I have amazing fans, family, friends and clients that support me and love my work. Despite having one of the highest totals for Social Media shares/likes in my category, it just wasn't in the cards for this one. Not really sure how the finalists were chosen, but I guess those shares weren't really a factor anyway. But they mattered to me. And I will also say, that even being considered for this contest, up against absolutely amazing artisans all across this country, was very humbling. I lost out to some talented creatives.
So, I want to say...thank you. Thank you for clicking on the link. Thank you for sharing my profile on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. Thank you for voting for me with your clicks. Thank you for taking a second out of your day to support me. Thank you for sharing my work with your friends...and your friend's friends. It means a lot. So, thank you.
Okay, now a sales pitch attempt...ready? Here goes!
To be honest, I'm not a salesman. I never have been. I never really will be. It's not a strength of mine...especially when it comes to selling myself. I cringe a little at the thought of having to do that to keep my business running. But I'm not going to throw you a typical "Buy from me" sales pitch here. Because the reality is...many of you won't buy from me. And that's okay. Many of you are going to end up going to a big furniture store like Ashley Furniture or you will run to Wal-Mart to pick up something cheap that you can lean your iPad against or even to save money at Ikea to buy a chef's knife and mass produced cutting board to chop your veggies on. And you will do that mostly likely to either (1) save money or (2) because it's more convenient. But I'd like to ask you to do something before you go those places, or an equivalent. This might something that's extremely small to some of you. It may be something revolutionary to others. But for all, it's simple...and amazingly impactful.
Buy from people you know.
Buy from someone that you know of.
Buy from someone that lives near you.
Buy from a person, not a machine.
Buy from the small guy/girl, not the corporation.
If you decide not to buy your next piece of furniture or cutting board or piece of art from me, that's okay. At least, if nothing else, make a decision to support a small, little, no name artisan, who is just trying to make it while following his/her passion. Think of the impact you will make with your purchase. Not only will you receive (I know from me at least) a high quality, sustainable and beautiful piece of art, but you're directly making an impact on a person, maybe a few people, right in your backyard. Not overseas. Not someone that you will never speak to or know. Someone here. Someone that you share a city/town with. Make that important decision to shop small and local and check out the artisans and artists near you.
With that said, when you buy something from me, please know that sweat and sometimes blood go into your piece...and it's made by us. With most of my pieces, there's a story lying in each grain of wood and ready for new stories and memories to be made. You will get a beautiful work of art that you can show off in your home. Check out my store and see if there's anything in there you need or would to have on your countertop or rest your iPad (tablet) on.
And as always, it's MADE HERE.