authentic imby

So I've managed to clean (a bit ) of the studio. Still piles of fabric and tea towels and crap everywhere but 3 very full vacuum cleaner loads of dust and threads and fluff later and the floor looks a little shinier. I've moved tables around and can see a lot more of my cutting table. I still need to re-attach the cutting table top after the Great Flood of 2008.

And today I had the enjoyment of studio visits and cups of tea with Max and Beck and Nikki. I sometimes forget how nice it is to sit around and chat and become awash with milky tea. Especially when things are little slower in January and you don't feel so pressed for time. Nice.

On Saturday in The Australian there was an article titled 'Return to self-reliance', a list compiled by future trend adviser Richard Watson about the 10 ways in which he believes our lives will be different in 2009. The list had subject headings of Eco-cynics, Seriousness, Unplugging, Ditch the Debt,  We not Me, Delayed Gratification, Fear and Loathing and Anger- all of which I am sure you can take a guess at but the one I think most important to me as a maker is IMBYs.

'IMBYs: Nimbys are people who object to things happening in their local area (not in my backyard), Imbys (in my backyard) are the opposite. They want things to happen locally because they support local production and consumption, and they will campaign to get their way.

Their motives are social, economic, ethical and environmental. They're interested in anything made by hand, and will support a small family business or village shop rather than a national or global brand. Expect a renaissance in arts and crafts, home-based hobbies, do-it-yourself and self -assembly kits. The litmus test for this trend will be how much space big supermarket chains give to local producers.

Good news for farmers' markets and local manufacturers: Imbys won't by Chinese.'

And to make you smile a little- Authenticity. Thankfully I didn't over do the restoration on my Borgward Isabella ( I wish- my dream car! I think Captain Slow would approve of my car of choice) and cancelled the appointment with Smile!.

'Authenticity: When life around us is uncertain, we want authenticity to give us a sense of safety and control. Authentic people, authentic, uncomplicated products, tradition and nothing flash. Forget designer water, it's tap or, if you must, local. Showing off is dead, provenance and patina are cool; flawed doesn't mean imperfect, it means interesting.

It will be acceptable to drive around in a car with scratches and dents because you don't want it to stand out. If you have a really old car, don't over restore it; cracked leather speaks of it's history and will give it a higher value than an old car made pristine. If you have a new Lamborghini, you'll need to keep it in the garage. It's not the sort of signal you want to send out. At home you will lust after an original. Edwardian fireplace, things that show their age and character.

The same goes for faces. Cover images of celebrities whose eyes are too tight to smile will no longer sell magazines. The taste will be for being true to yourself, rather than the same as everyone else; crinkly like Paul Newman, with lines that tell a story, rather than stiff with Botox and impossibly white toothed like American newsreaders. As the population ages and money is tight, interest in plastic surgery will wane.'