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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

“Don’t Undervalue Your Labor”

I picked up a the November issue of  Martha Stewart Living while at Hobby Lobby yesterday. I was drawn in by all the pie on the cover. I am a huge fan of pumpkin and I  am always looking for new ways to eat it.  Sometimes I think that is why I am shaped like one..ha. I did not get a chance to look at it until this morning. I read it pretty much cover to cover. The dog section was so enjoyable,Martha Stewart November issue


The one section I enjoyed  the most is called  Follow  Your Art in the Dreamers into Doers-small business section, page 102. How to turn crafts into a career and three women who dared to do it. Since being laid off in June I am very interested in doing my craft full time. Can you imagine crocheting for a living?  I am a sponge for all the knowledge I can get on how to make this happen. Jane D’Arensbourg, one of the featured artists, when asked her best advice answered, Don’t undervalue your labor,

“I want everything to be really great,” she says. “If it takes a long time and has to be expensive, then so be it.”

It goes on to say she offers a range of prices by creating simpler pieces , rather than cutting corners to make items faster and cheaper.

Good for you Jane! I have said this for years. Artists and crafters do not charge enough for labor. I was talking to the girls at Hank of Yarn last week about this very subject. Hank shook her head and sadly agreed that we never get our labor in dollars. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to make hand crafts so expensive they do not sell. I want to get a fair price for what I have created.
51DX6VTK7PL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_In the book “Crocheting For Fun and Profit” I was quoted as saying,
“Customers do not care how many hours it took for you to make your product, and they don’t realize your time is as valuable as your time. Standard formulas do not work for me”
This was true then and sadly it is true now. I think we can change that if we change it together. The next time you buy a handmade product think about what it took to bring that product to market. I have seen items on Etsy and other sites and wanted so badly to email the crafter and ask, “Can you really make a profit selling this low?”  Something to think about.