Smash the Patriarchy

Whenever we ask "what can I do to make a positive change in this world?" we are told to speak up. Make your values known to the world to influence the culture around you.

But many of us know that speaking isn't our thing. No matter how much we believe in a cause, we probably won't show up at the protests, we're not gonna wear the t-shirts, that bumper sticker ain't gonna be stuck to our cars, and we're just not going to confront our horrible uncle at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Liberal Rocks are a tool to help you speak your mind within your comfort zone. Dropping these rocks around your neighborhood is a way to get your message out there in a way that's non-confrontational, takes almost no effort, and can actually be a fun activity as you go about your day.

The messages on these rocks are seeds of democracy. Our goal is to plant them as far and as wide as we can.

It's very simple - you get some rocks and leave them out in the world to be found. Where you leave them or how you distribute them is entirely up to you. The possibilities are endless!

Some project participants are seeing people in their community post about finding gifts from "The Neighborhood Rock Fairy!"

We've seen rock fairies leaving rocks in tourist locations, on tables at parks, tucked into tree roots along walking trails, and placed out in a dish on their porch for delivery drivers. Any place that you think someone will enjoy finding a rock, leave one there for them to find!

Some of our more extroverted rock fairies are even giving them out as gifts as a way to break the ice and begin conversations.

Imagine that kid living in a "don't say gay" state coming across a rock with a message of love and acceptance of who they are. A tangible affirmation that they can put in their pocket and look at whenever they need that support that has been taken away from them. Finding that rock is going to make a difference to that kid.

We are all very social creatures and we want a sense of belonging. By telling the world that people believe in these values, we nudge them towards believing in those values themselves. If they know that there is community in kindness, that they won't be all alone if they reject right wing propoganda, they will feel more able to do so. Remember the 1970's Wonder Woman theme song - change their minds and you change the world!

I'm a mom of twin girls who works as an office drone during the day and enjoys doing pottery in her laundry room in the evenings. While I live in the liberal land that is the Pacific Northwest, I was reading so many stories of people in other parts of the country who don't feel safe speaking out in their MAGA neighborhoods. I wanted to find a way to help them take part in activism, but in a way that would be safe and comfortable. I thought about how everything we know of ancient cultures is from the pottery that was left behind and decided that message pottery was a way I could contribute to making this world a better place.

Every rock is made by me, sitting here, watching Netflix, and then glazed and fired in the kiln in my backyard.

This project is funded by the contributions made via the "Pay What You Want" pricing as you order, supplemented by my own funds. The time and money to keep this project going is my donation to supporting liberal causes, and your financial assistance is appreciated.

You can do that. But here are some design considerations that went into Liberal Rocks:

They are small and lightweight. This means they can't be used for vandalism. The last thing our cause needs is to have a bunch of rocks with liberal messages found amongst the broken glass of a shop window.

They're pretty! People will be more likely to pick them up and enjoy them because they are so different and attractive.

They can be used as jewelry by the person who finds one. There is a hole that runs through them so they can be turned into keychains, or bracelets, or worn as pendants.

They are environmentally friendly. Pottery does no harm to the nature around it, whereas paint might leach chemicals into the soil.

They are darn near indestructible.

1. The shape of them and their small size makes it nearly impossible to break them. You simply can't get enough leverage to do so. Even smashing them with a hammer is unlikely to destroy the message they bear.
2. The messages can't be painted over or erased. The colorant is chemically fused to the clay and because the messages are impressed into it, even painting over it will leave the message visible.
3. The only thing anyone can do to these rocks is move them to somewhere else. That just means they leave it for someone else to find!

It's Pay What You Want pricing! The point is to make these widely available to anyone who wants to participate, but the suggested price is $20 per box to help cover the costs of production. Enter the amount you wish to pay (before shipping), or select one of the pricing suggestions offered. There is a minimum of $10 to prevent abuse of the pay what you want system, but we have ways to get around that. If you want rocks, I will send you rocks regardless of your ability to pay.

The main page located at www.liberalrocks.com offers 2 monthly coupons. You may use each 1 time.

1. 2 dozen rocks at half the minimum price with free shipping
2. One dozen rocks completely and totally free

Shipping for an order of 1 dozen rocks is $6.75. For orders of 2-6 dozen, it's a flat rate of $10.

To place an order, go to order form on this page and work your way from top to bottom.

Select the messages you want in your variety pack by assigning a message to each rock in the drop down menus.

Enter the quantity you wish to order and "Add to Cart". You can order up to 6 dozen at a time.

If you would like to order a wider variety of messages, you can make your selections for an order, add it to cart, and then come back to this page to create another dozen.

If you would like to order more than 6 dozen, please contact liberalrocks@gmail.com to make arrangements for a bulk order.

We're all hanging out on the Liberal Rocks facebook group. The shortcut to get there is LiberalRocks.org. Please join us to share pictures of where you left your rocks! It's a group of great people who might actually restore your faith in humanity.

All notices about the project are posted in that group. That's where I'll let you know if there are any shipping delays, and where I go to ask for your opinions about how to make this project better. I also do a bit of a blog post on Fridays and try to send you off into the weekend with a link to a song on youtube.

Yes! We've just launched a subscription model so you can have a dozen rocks automatically sent to you every month. Go check it out!

We are currently experiencing some growing pains so custom rocks are not available at this time. It will be announced in the facebook group at liberalrocks.org when we can offer them.

Email me at liberalrocks@gmail.com or message the Liberal Rocks page on Facebook. On days that I work from home, I'm almost immediately responsive, otherwise I will respond within a day.

Please whitelist liberalrocks@gmail.com to ensure you receive any emails about your order.