How did I not know of Uncommon Goods before now? I am so very glad they contacted me, as I love finding new ways to help artists and designers to sell their work!
Uncommon Goods is a platform for artists and designers from around the world to sell their work through, and is based in Brooklyn, New York. They offer a huge variety of homewares, wall art, stationery, jewellery and more. There’s a large range of categories, and the site is super easy to navigate. (How fun are these upcycled shark slippers I found in the handmade section here?)
shark slippers – josh title
Their point of difference is this: beyond their core purpose which is to support artists and designers, their mission is to impact the world in a positive way.
So, besides ensuring that emerging and established artists get paid fairly for what they do, they encourage ethical and environmentally friendly goods – all of their products are produced without harm to animals, and around a third of what they offer is upcycled or recycled goods. AND they have connected with a number of non-profit organisations – for every item that is purchased, they donate to the organisation of your choice, such as Reach out and Read (a literacy program for school kids).
So, already they’re an awesome company in my books.
And it gets better (for both artists and buyers!). It’s a curated site, so that means the quality is consistently high – if you wish to sell your work through them, you need to apply. And when you submit your work for their assessment, you can also allow it to be voted on by the public so you can get immediate feedback on whether your item is a viable product! So if you’re feeling a bit shy or hesitant about putting it out there in the big wide world, here’s a very quick and easy solution to your dilemma. Uncommon Goods also have a calendar of Design Challenge competitions and encourage new and existing artists to enter their work for kudos AND a variety of prizes, including money and ongoing royalties It all adds up to helping you improve your own work, by encouraging design excellence throughout the whole site.
I love the clarity of this necklace; it’s reminiscent of mid-C atomic style, and I can’t go past the paired colours of aqua and coral (I found it in the handmade jewelry section here).
lotus on wire necklace – ronni kappos
AND there is also a section for personalised items – posters, wall art, bottle labels… and embroidered portraits (found here).
personalised cross stitch family portrait – elizabeth dabczynski
If you’d like to apply to become one of their artist/designers, you can do so here.
I urge you, go ahead and do it!! And good luck!!
Julie X
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Disclaimer : This post was written in collaboration with and supported by UncommonGoods.com. But rest absolutely assured I only ever share things that I believe in, and that I think will be genuinely useful for you.