4 Replies

I feel like making kandi is a symbol of friendship, even if you trade someone you've just met for a second. It's like, "Hey, I spent time out of my day making this, and I like you, and I want you to have it." I used to sell kandi, but I would never sell singles, and I would only charge for the price of the beads and that was it. I feel like as a raver, it's your job to make your singles or other trader pieces. If you just buy a bunch of singles and give them away, it's kind of like cheating. You didn't spend the same amount of time/energy on the piece as the person trading with you did. When I sold kandi, I would only sell 3D's, epics, large cuffs, masks and the more elaborate, because I know that some people don't know how to make kandi. Whatever I charged was whatever it costed me to buy the beads, I never charged for labor. I had quite a bit of business, mostly from people I knew and trusted, and even almost 2 years after I've made them pieces, they still have them and treasure them. I always specified, however, that my pieces were NOT made to be traded away, that what I made for them was a piece that was supposed to be treasured. I stopped selling kandi when someone who placed an order with me said (on twitter, to someone else, I just happened to find the conversation) that she didn't 'understand kandi' and just wanted it because 'everyone else has it and I don't want to feel like a loser without kandi' and that she'd probably end up trading them away anyways. I understand that it is her choice to do what she wants once she has my pieces but I was still really upset because I feel like that's taking a cheaters way out. I contacted her and cancelled the order and then took my facebook page down and reconstructed it into a page celebrating kandi/rave life. I know I might get raked over the coals by some people who have a differing opinion from mine (because I still make and sell pieces to my friends who want them) but I don't care, everyone is allowed their own opinion and I feel like a healthy debate is good. In regards to WHY I make kandi, I do it because that is what first got me into raving. I had always liked EDM but I'd never actually been to an event. When I got there, a girl walked up and asked to trade kandi. But since I didn't have any, she got really excited and taught me how to PLUR trade and gave me my first piece of kandi, and I still have it 4 years later. I feel like kandi is kindness, it opens doors to new conversations (I traded someone a MLP themed kandi, and she understood the reference right away and we talked for quite a while!) and new friends. I've encountered my fair share of rude 'kandi' kids, who won't trade you something because your kandi isn't pretty enough or you don't know how to make big epic cuffs or whatever, and I feel like they're totally missing the point of kandi and raving. I always try to make a couple of cuffs specifically to trade at events, and I try to find someone who doesn't have a lot of kandi, or a cuff and give it to them, to help start their collection. I can honestly say that the kindness of the first girl who traded kandi with me (and EDM) saved my life and gave me something to love. I do agree though, I get incredibly happy when I see a kandi with toys or references to my childhood. I have a bunch of Animaniacs, Transformers, TMNT and Pokemon toys to put on kandi, and I always love getting kandi that reminds me of my childhood. Thanks for posting this, it's an incredible way of getting to know more people who are seriously interested in what I am. Namaste!

Every minute goes by so fast...thats why you have to make it count. (Random quote I thought would be good for this topic. XD)