I am overjoyed that Make Something Month is happening again for 2014! I am a wholehearted participant. I hope a reblog of this post turns you on to something that has the potential to make your holiday season full of love and creativity.
As ‘Black Friday’ hits the UK encouraging us to rush out and spend to prop up retailers like Amazon, famous for aggressive tax avoidance, appalling working conditions and zero-hours contracts, why not do something different this year? Once you’ve boycotted Amazon, why not pledge to make something this month, too?
Evidence shows that making a difference makes us happy, but making things is good for us, too. The wellbeing benefits of making things are striking. Studies suggest that learning gardening and cookery raises self-esteem and a sense of autonomy, and leads to an increase in life satisfaction equivalent to what could be expected if someone’s income were to triple.
This doesn’t, of course, mean we shouldn’t fight for fair pay and better working conditions, but remembering how much we can do for ourselves has multiple benefits that could help us live better and play a more active role in shaping the world…
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Verum Factum 
Isn’t it crazy? All this consumer madness for things that will be discarded so soon. I am avoiding like the plague…. 🙂
I’m glad to hear that 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful Friday!
Same here!
I was heartened to hear of at least one retailer, Antiform, taking a stand. Not only is this online shop not participating in this nonsense. It is closing its shop for the day. Glad to see that the band of people chipping away at this consumer frenzy is growing all the time 😉
That is so good to hear. When I see companies I usually admire invoking “Black Friday” I really do pause.
Exactly! I have spent nothing today – though I don’t rule out a drink later – and this evening I shall be working on the man of the house’s Aran sweater.
That sounds like a lovely Friday (drink included!)! I knitted a cozy for my stainless steel water bottle today so that the condensation does not wet my bag from some yarn I had on hand. I’ve been meaning to do that since I got the bottle (in 2008!)!