Carolina Caycedo Bartering out of her Van
This might be kind of convoluted, so just try and stay with me here…
The other day, my mom was having tea with a friend of hers and talking about her recent furniture facelifts. Her couch which she loved so much was getting lumpy looking. My mom works producing instructional sewing videos with this amazing lady Sandra Betzina. Sandra came over one day and said “I must fix your lumpy couch!”. My mom had recently been trading videos with Sandra’s daughter for interior decorating tips. Sandra knew someone who needed an industrial sewing machine, and someone else who had one she wasn’t using.. With the new industrial sewing machine, this lady (who was taking upholstery classes) restuffed and trimmed my mom’s couch to repay Sandra! It was a complete network of goodwill bartering and trading amongst a chain of friends.Now whenever I visit my mom there’s a new pillow or facelifted piece of furniture in her living room.
This bartering idea has always been around in little pockets, but with the economy like it is, it has been gaining steam. That day, as my mom was walking her friend to her car, when she offered the giant refinished room in her basement for me and my boo to live in. We made a big list of all of our skills, and in exchange for helping her however we can, we get an amazing place to be in an amazing location for a ridiculously low rent.
I just read this amazing article about this art project about bartering. Carolina Caycedo drove her van across the country, bartering goods and services for goods and services, and using art galleries as venues for initiating this process. Weeks went by where she did not have to use money, and she met tons of people and had many noteworthy and enlightening experiences. Bartering builds community and helps everyone get what they need. A world with more bartering means that you don’t have to spend all your time working at a job to make money to buy what you like. Instead, you form relationships, do what you love and what you’re good at, and you receive what you need at little expense to those around you. You avoid stressful boss/client/money issues, and you use resources more efficiently.
I think we have to learn to barter more. Craigslist has a barter section. Talk to your friends about what they need. Connect people you know. Look into three way trades. Make a list of skills you have. Be open. Listen. When you’re walking down the street, don’t be so blind about the needs of others around you. This morning, we walked into a coffee shop where the owner and someone else were trying to figure out what was wrong with the front door. My handyman boo, without hesitation, jumped on a chair, evaluated the situation, went and got a tool from our place, made some adjustments, and even started looking up places that would get the door fixed for cheap. By the time we left, the owner had talked my ear off about how amazing he was, gave him a free cookie, and told us that if we ever needed anything we should come to her. On the way to work we saw someone fixing the front door of the building, asked him if he could help and got his card. Now she can hopefully replace a part that costs $10 instead of spending 2k on new doors for her storefront.
The universe flows, and if you open your eyes you can flow along with it. Don’t just take care of you and yours, let’s take care of everyone. Take care of the village.
With that, here is a list of skills we have to barter. If you’re interested, you can contact me at arianna [dot] davalos [at] gmail [dot] com, or comment here. I’m located in San Francisco, and am open to what might come my way.
From Us to You:
Gutters
Window Washing
Painting
Mr. Fix-It
Fix Up Garage
Vehicle Maintenance/Repair
Website Design
Graphic Artist
Online Research
Housesitting
Pet sitting
Administrative Assistant
Copywriter
Video Editing
Video Production
Online Business Strategies
Website Analytics
Cooking
Baking
Art- Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking, Happenings
Decorating
Party Planning
Event Decor
Bad Jokes
Shenanigans
Plant Care
Trained Listener
Music Mixes
Writing
Ideas for From You To Me:
Meals
Muni Fast Passes
Food
Fresh fruit
Tattoo
Massage
Movie, concert or theater tickets
Wine
Books
Invite to a party
Artwork