· By Phoebe Carpenter Eells
What an election!
November 6, 2026
Filled With Hope
Holy smokes we did it! What an election! I hope you're feeling excited and proud as we process all of the election returns. I'm enjoying analyzing the human behavior side of the data as it's released. What an amazing swing left for young men and young people as a whole. The rest of the data is fascinating too with every group moving left. See more here if you're interested. And did you see that we have the potential to move away from the antiquated Electoral College system and have one person one vote popular voting for our presidential race!? Details here.
It seems to me that all of the candidates who won had one thing in common- authenticity. You can see a vast difference in temperament and style between Talarico and El-Sayed for example but you can feel the authenticity with both of them. They are showing up as themselves, they are even having a little fun with it. My take is that in a world that has become drenched in personal brands, AI writing, and one size fits all strategy, we are seeing a pull towards anything real, true, and human.
I'm here for valuing all things authentic and think maybe it's an unexpected result of the robot revolution. A silver lining perhaps? My guess is that we will see it in the art and craft world as well. Will we be valuing handmade, human crafted goods at a higher level? I have heard countless people say that they are tired of shopping online- is the next big thing real stores!? I sure hope so and we will be right here waiting for you when you're ready to shop where you can touch things, feel the energy, and have a conversation with the artist. We will keep producing Valley Made Market and providing opportunities to connect with artisan made goods. AND I will keep showing up authentically and speaking on politics even when people tell me it's bad for business. Because the big picture here is being part of a society that I want to live in and want my kids to thrive in.
With that, you should know that we're pumped for the holiday season this year and planning all kinds of fun. You can see the November events line up here and join us tomorrow for a pop up. There's a soothing quality to IRL experiences these days. It's one way that we build community and honor our nervous systems. Connecting with people in real spaces is a subtle but powerful thing.
We hope to see you soon!
xo,
Phoebe
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