Seasonal Deals*

*that have (mostly) nothing to do with sales.

Last year for Black Friday, I made some “Seasonal Deals” graphics. Since I have strong feelings about Black Friday and this season of consumption, particularly as they relate to creatives and small businesses, I decided I would carry on the tradition. But since this is a newsletter and not just Instagram, I ended up writing some words too. Scroll down if you just want the “deals”!

In my dark humor moments, I often joke with friends that this is “make money season.” It’s a way of pretending to be a kind of thick-skinned capitalist who feels no emotion or connection to the world around me (you know, taking on a personality I have zero connection to or affinity for). But really, it’s trying to make light of a situation that feels very unsustainable.

It has almost started to feel cliché to say “support small business” or “shop small” this time of year. A rallying cry that has lost its power. However, this is not just a marketing plea. For a lot of people, it’s a matter of livelihood.

Data from Quickbooks shows that in 2022 up to 65% of small businesses’ annual revenue came during the holiday season. That’s almost two thirds of an entire year’s income dependent on a seasonal shopping frenzy.

I read Julie Cloutier’s newsletter this past week and I really resonated with the tension and contradictions that she described. A lot of us who work for ourselves probably do. There is so much happening right now, the world is so heavy.

Like many of my friends, I make a living from selling my creative work—whether that’s writing or art—so I am always feeling a tension between create/sell/consume, and it skyrockets this time of year. I’m feeling it particularly this time around.

isabellemcallister

A post shared by @isabellemcallister

“Buy what you need, want what you have.”

Isabelle McAllister who writes Chunks Of Change med Isabelle(if any of you are Swedish speakers, I highly recommend) shared this photo on Instagram this week.

I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. What we buy and how much we buy is part of a larger conversation on sustainability—economic, environmental, and human—and we need to change our consumer habits.

Boycotting Black Friday is one way, for a variety of reasons whether it’s environmental, political, or social—or all of the above, since everything is connected. There are calls to action this year in support of Palestine.

Other ways to change the consumer narrative: learning how to mend instead of buying something new, buying second hand, sharing resources, using money to support causes and movements instead of more things. And of course, when we do buy things, support our local small businesses—the places and people that create and sustain a community.

We don’t need art and culture in the physical way that we need things like a place to live a rain jacket or a meal, but we do need art and culture in an emotional way. We need it to learn, we need it to hope, we need it to connect, we need it to make change, we need it to inspire.

Art and creativity are vehicles for emotional sustenance, they are catalysts of change. By engaging with them, we take part in building a different kind of economy, a network of ideas, a constellation of connections.

Maybe I’ll add a line to this:

Buy what you need.

Want what you have.

Support what you love.

It takes all of us to challenge the status quo, to stand up for what we believe in, to figure out how we live and engage in this world.

And with that, here are some top notch seasonal deals.

REMINDER: 24 Days of Making, Doing, and Being starts on December 1st. Become a paid subscriber to take part in this seasonal offering.

Like what’s happening in this newsletter? You can support my work by becoming a paid subscriber, ordering something in my shop, attending one of my workshops or retreats, coming to a Creative Fuel Collective workshop, or buying one of my books. High fives and notes of inspiration are also accepted, or you can share this newsletter with a friend.