Handmade Harmonies

I've always considered myself as a lover of art, but even more as a talented waster of time.  Staring at items I have no intentions of purchasing is my nearly perfected hobby.  (Alas, if only I never needed to take bathroom breaks.)  With the discovery of Etsy, my "place to buy and sell all things homemade," my skills are being refined, sharpened, and tested in ways that other websites could never inspire.  I visit Etsy to stare at things, but also to support independent artisans who make stuff purely for creation's sake.  Etsy’s more questionable craftspeople refuse to be deterred by lack of talent or, in some cases, probable blindness, and this determined artistic spirit thrives in all categories of Etsy’s community.

Though the taxidermy section is most enchanting, the music section of Etsy is worth perusing. True, many items for sale are nothing more than poorly Photoshopped fan art. However, if you happen to have a few hundred dollars lying around, cluttering your cabinets and causing slips on stairways, a trip to the instrument section will easily remedy the problem. No room for that baby grand in your studio apartment? Then check out this thumb piano! OK, maybe it won’t suffice as a piano replacement, but I’m sure it sounds cool, and check out that sublime splattered paint job on top.

Maybe you’re longing for a Vegemite-flavored adventure. Summon the Outback with this hand carved didgeridoo. Beware; the warranty will not cover any damage caused by captivated marsupials.

Of course, your life may already be filled with instruments, and you certainly don’t want to cause any instrument-sibling rivalry. In this case, why not outfit one of your guitars with a hideously hippie-ish guitar case cover? Even if your gig gets pretty rowdy, the vomit stains will never show!

Don’t get me wrong: some of these products may be hideous, but I’m grateful to those who craft them. After all, where would music be (and all art, really) without desperate attempts at innovation?