Our increasingly commercialized society encourages us to treat all manufactures as impersonal commodities, whose provenance is irrelevant (and sometimes disallowed) when choosing a supplier. The buying or commissioning of work directly from artist-makers is therefore a viable and an important socio-economic alternative.

There is empowerment for both participants in the face-to-face dialogue between 'consumer' and maker. As a consumer, knowing the person who makes the products with which you live, not simply their retail price, connects you with your environment at a deeper and more meaningful level. As a maker, to know the person for whom you create is to understand the 'why' as well as the 'what' and the 'how' of your craft.