This Digital Life

The last time I posted on this blog, Bryan and I were relative newcomers to Catskill. Small-town life is a lot more familiar to us now. I return to this spot to examine my digital life. Right after the new year in 2014 I posted about my intentions to leave Facebook and well, that never happened. My dad used to say that my generation lacked discipline. As a kid I never understood why his criticisms were pointed at me, since I had nothing to do with the way my habits were forming in the face of popular culture, and it wasn't my choice to grow up in the suburbs. But I can't help thinking that if my dad believed there was too much opportunity for distraction in the 70's, he would really be a critic of culture today. Social media does encourage constant distraction, and to fight its allure requires discipline and vigilance.

If I do a simple inventory of the various blogging, sharing or social media websites I engage in, the list looks like this, in order of when I joined. I am including websites such as etsy that didn't initially start out as social media sites, but eventually acquired a social element.

etsy
flickr
Blogspot
Twitter (inactive)
Facebook
Tumblr
Pinterest
Instagram

There are several reasons I am thinking about this now, beyond a general feeling of uneasiness with the amount of time I spend mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. And yes, the social media giant continues to be my biggest problem. From a business standpoint, I am thinking about the amount of time I put into marketing my work, versus the amount of sales I am making. While social media can be fun, such as the case with Instagram, it is not generating the business I would hope for. I know that it works for some people. And I know that there are things I can be doing outside the web to draw people in. But for where I am right now, I am putting too much time into posting content that doesn't result in a whole lot of sales.

If I have to consider what I would like my digital life to look and feel like it would be more streamlined, more user-generated (less controlled by a behemoth like Facebook) easier to navigate, and more reflective of who I am. I want to feel good about not only the content I present, but the interface through which I present it. And I suppose this is why I return to blogspot at this moment, because it asks very little of me. I am able to write what I want without distraction. The challenge and the tradeoff for all that distraction is that almost everyone is on Facebook. Being able to release it means having the faith to believe that people will find me if I leave. And perhaps things will follow their own natural course if I do. Last night while clicking through the sidebar of links on this blog, I discovered how many people are still using blogspot. It's not a dead platform by any means, but switching my attention from all-consuming Facebook to doing things the old-fashioned way requires a bit more work. And maybe that's okay and that's exactly what I need.

I have more thoughts on this but I will leave it here for now.

saturday stroll

our first second saturday stroll!

everbrite's tent will be in front of magpie bookshop, at 392 main street in catskill.

the central part of main street will be blocked off to car traffic, and I hear there will be a vietnamese food truck.

other great establishments surrounding magpie include lovely, a shop for local and regionally made gifts, artisan goods and homemade bread and open studio, the gallery of artists dina bursztyn and julie chase, whose work includes ceramic sculpture, found object compositions, embroidered photo portraits, ink and watercolor drawings, and children's books. the found objects are assembled and presented as artifacts, within their own little museum! also on the block is tuki world, vintage clothing, furniture and housewares, and greene co. council on the arts, whose gallery shows the work of local member artists and school kids.

everbrite in august

FAHRENHEIT 451 pop-up
451 main street
catskill, ny
august 2 & 3

catskill 2nd saturday stroll
main st. location tbt
august 9

Last One

The various markets and events we've been participating in this summer have been going great! After a year and three quarters of cleaning, restoring and organizing our remaining inventory, it's starting to leave our hands. We have a few odds and ends I'd like you to know about and one of them is the Anna Romper swimsuit from Wintercheck Factory. This is a swimsuit of exceptional quality and functionality, from the craftsmanship to the fabric to the hidden, zippered stash pocket. And it was made in Brooklyn! Take her away for $31, half off the original retail price.

everbrite live

upcoming events

Catskill Yard Sale Day
Saturday, June 14
9am - whenever
Village-wide yard sale in our home town. Find us at 28 New Street.

Barn Raiser Upper
Saturday, June 21: 8pm
Fahrenheit 451
451 Main Street in Catskill.
An evening of performances plus an everbrite pop-up shop. Celebrate the Summer Solstice and construction progress on Catskill's newest venue.

Hudson River Exchange
Sat. June 28: 10-6
Sun. June 29: 11-4
Henry Hudson Park
Hudson, New York
The unleashing of my new collection of *knotted cord things*, alongside mOLLIEdASH repurposed jewelry.

tumblr

I have started a tumblelog! Check it out here at everbrite.tumblr.com

mollieDASH jewelry at EBmerc

free form necklace
Repurposed pewter pendant, gold tone rope chain, hand made copper links.


1945 necklace
Mao Era medallion, gunmetal curb chain, hand made copper links.

copper weave bracelet
Repurposed mid-century copper bracelet section, brass chain, sterling clasp, hand made copper links.

today

new vintage

Deer Vase, made in Bavaria. $28.


Lotus Platter, made in Minnesota by the Red Wing Pottery Co. $25.


Speckle Ashtray, made in USA. $44.

catskill mill

On the north bank of the Catskill Creek here in the village sits the Union Mills building, a former textile factory. The building is connected via a sky bridge to a smaller one which faces Main Street. After the site's various uses through the years, ending in a furniture store, plans were underway in 2010 for a condo conversion. The project never materialized and the building was later sold to Etsy founder Rob Kalin and a partner.

Mr. Kalin's plan is to turn the property into a crafting ecosystem, with a nod to the village's industrial past. The larger Water Street building will house a restaurant and teaching kitchen, a brewery, condos for resident artists and a small number of hotel rooms. The Main Street building will contain crafting studios for wood, glass, metal, textiles and ceramics. The idea is that everything used to outfit the restaurant's dining room will be made on site. The storefront will contain a general store where the same wares will be sold to the public, along with raw materials.