Originating in the 19th century, Basotho blankets were inspired by a gift of a woolen shawl from a British official to King Moshoeshoe I, the first King of Lesotho and the founder of the tiny landlocked nation. And in that pivotal cross cultural exchange, what began as an adaptation of European textile became a hallmark of Basotho identity. 

Last week I began the Living the Rice Cycle course with Astungkara Way - a three and a half month agricultural journey for visitors to Bali to experience seed to harvest alongside Balinese farmers. Our first class was a beautiful immersion into the cultural wisdom, challenges, and future dreams of local rice farmers. And we got to get our hands and feet dirty in the mud, which is always fun.

Can we create a world in which less stuff creates more impact?

For centuries, creative entrepreneurs have been told that they can earn according to a 1:1 ratio. In other words, in order to earn, let’s say, $2, they would have to create one unit. If they want to earn $4, they would have to create two units. So on and so forth.

At Proud Mary, we believe that true wealth is built when your income no longer depends solely on your time. 

While a Proud Mary fine art print, created on demand through our partner, family-owned print shop in the US, is certainly an ideal gift to do more with less, it’s also not the only way to embody that maxim.

Below, we share just a few of the other businesses and business models that are inspiring us to buy better, do better and live better.

At Proud Mary, we believe that true wealth is built when your income no longer depends solely on your time. It’s created when artisans are given the opportunity to earn passive income from authenticated reproductions of their work.

We’ve spent the larger part of our careers designing, co-creating and marketing products from artisans. And throughout the journey, we had the same goal - to create products that also create a positive social impact.