This is an article I've been thinking about writing for a while. It is purely my own thoughts (many of which change from day to day). I'm really hoping to enter into some dialogue here and hope people will contribute. I don't have all the answers or any particular visions of the future, just wondering aloud...
I've been involved in crafting since I was young but it's only the last couple of years that I decided to take the advice of people who said 'you could sell that' and go for it. Since then crafting as a creative outlet has extended into selling. It's been an interesting ride. I'd had some things sell really well, whilst some things have been dissmal failures. I've received some great positive feedback but also had some which was not so good, even to the extent of having some stock returned unsold from a stockist interstate as it was considered unsuitable. I've had some things copied and sold by others. I've learnt alot. It's a different creative process when what is made is judged in terms of whether people will buy it or not.
What sells vs what emergesI was thinking the other day that if I saw another fabric covered button hair band or laser cut brooch I'd scream.... I went to visit some of my lovely stockists and saw that some of them were selling the same stuff. There's nothing at all wrong with this, but I wonder if the desire to sell our goodies can stiffle our creative processes? What we create often seems to sit in different spheres:
Frankie friendly, kooky, clever hipster design, pastel wearing or what have you.....seeing things that relate a bit to ours can be like a kind of validation. This of course, is influenced at some level by craft blogs, shops, magazines etc. We fit the market. We receive a nod. It's easy to get a bit stuck in this groove.
I find selling things means that I have to make the same things more than once (no brainer obviously). Retailing requires repitition unless you are making some kind of one off goodies which are costed enough to warrant the creative process (time, labour, materials) which each entails. Repitition is not necessarily conducive to creativity in my experience. It can be quite stifling, like wearing a old jumper which was a favourite but not is a bit too small and uncomfortable but you keep it for sentimental reasons...
I have a gocco machine I haven't even got around to unpacking and a shelf few of crockery waiting to be upcycled into something wonderful. Most of my 'craft time' is spent working on current stock. I rarely get time anymore to just create for the sake of creating. This depresses me incredibly! I'm making some changes in my time to give me more time next year, but it's a few weeks away yet.
Money changes everythingThe realities of a small time crafter is that small successes can be more stressful than no successes when faced with the tyranny of time. Leisure time is not necessarily relaxing when it's spent working to deadlines trying to get orders and consignments done. I spend alot of time afterwork saying no to various social invitations, spending my time crafting in front of the telly (with a glass of wine). It can be wonderful getting a plug or positive press but then stressful when you actually have to find the time to make things (let alone source materials which can take even longer). It's hard when you aren't at the stage when you could work full time in creative pursuits. It does impact on your relationships. I've met quite a few crafters lately who 'outsource' for want of a better term, designing their products and getting other people to make them before they are retailed. I'm not sure how this sits with me as it seems kinda removed from the handmade ethos. But of course there are only so many hours in the day and there's enough of us working like one person craft sweatshops to know that there must be a better way somehow.
I make enough funds for an overseas trip each year and a little spending money, but not enough for a consistent part time wage where I can claim expenses. Of course, any money made that covers costs or beyond is a bonus when it could have been spent on other activities like gigs and booze or whatever your fancy. But it's hard when so many people measure success with money. Seeing yourself through a monied lens is not always a pleasant or positive experience and can make you feel positively dismal! If I liken this to IT or Design work (both very valuable pursuits) the crafting economy looks a little vulnerable. I wonder how much of this is because the primary creators of craft are female, and prone to underselling their work and undervaluing their skills? Plus, I know I don't really like the idea of competing for sales and I think some sectors of the craft community tend to work this way( etsy anyone?), even some of the markets...
To market to marketI'm going to risk raising the ire and admit that I'm starting to wonder if there are too many markets in Melbourne. Of course, not all markets are equal. Some like, Northside Maker's Market are facilitated by fellow crafters genuinely interested in crafting as an expressive act in itself rather than merely a profit generator. Others are more aiming at the big bucks. I'm not trying to proportion judgement here (as I do believe people should be paid for their labours), but craft materials+ labour + Stall fee + sitting time + food and drink-sales -/- does not always equal an experience leaving you feeling valued and your creative efforts validated.
So where to from here?I'm intent on spending my christmas holidays relaxing and crafting for crafts' sake. Making things to make me happy (I really don't make enough things for myself in reality!). Trying new things. Failing and trying again. Maybe selling some new successes and abandoning old ones... who knows, that's part of the appeal...
You can see other creative spaces here
Posts
