Johnny's is one such story that we recall with joy. Novica founders, Roberto Milk and Mina Olivera, searched high and low, trying to track down an artisan whose work they had seen in a local market. They remember the suspicion and hesitation on Johnny’s face as he peered out at them. Two strangers on his doorstep, holding a statue that he had carved. It was an “Ekeko,” which is a common good luck charm in Peru. But Johnny’s version of it was different. It was crafted more beautifully than any they had ever seen.
At first, he was worried they were like the other middlemen he had dealt with in the past, who paid so little that he often couldn’t afford to buy clothing for his little daughter. When he learned, however, that their intentions were different — that they wanted him to sell his work on Novica, set his own price, and reach a worldwide market of art lovers — he cried tears of joy. They cried right there with him.
This holiday season, we share Johnny’s story, along with those of other artisans who bring warmth and happiness to the season, because we need to remember moments like this. Moments that unite us, that remind us of our connectedness. We may be spread out across the globe, but we are all in it together. This holiday season, we have the power to change lives. |
