I've come across this discussion a good number of times in my life as a crafter.
"Once you take your time into consideration it's not earning you anything"
"When you add in your petrol money you made no profit at all"
"You'd be better off getting a part time job if you wanted the money"
I think most people who sell items they make can get this argument thrown at them from time to time and it makes me angry.
The berater may be happy with their life, but some of us think along different lines.
It may be so that you feel like you are fulfilled in your career instead of clocking in and clocking out every day
It may be the idea of being "Uncaged" in our choice of career
It may be to feel the appreciation of people liking what we make enough to buy it
It could be to give us extra options in life. To be able to pay for extra things or save for something special.
It could be to give someone the opportunity to work from home for childcare reasons
There are many reasons that people use craft to earn money. To rebuke their ideas doesn't help anyone.
Instead, why not ask how you can help them? Or ask about their motivations?
I know for myself that crafting has helped my earn money whilst doing my A levels, and a degree in fashion. It has helped my earn money by working at my own speed in times when lectures meant set working hours were not a viable option. And also meant that after University I had no debt and still came out with a good qualification.
How has being a crafter helped you to further yourself in life?
It's opened doors that never would have been available to me before. It's allowed me to be a stay-at-home mom. And it's allowed me not to get an ulcer from the "real" job I had. Sometimes there's not enough money in the world when you hate what you do.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDelete"Once you take your time into consideration it's not earning you anything"
ReplyDelete"When you add in your petrol money you made no profit at all"
"You'd be better off getting a part time job if you wanted the money"
I've seen people on a board about living below your means say the same sort of things about allotments. They don't see the enjoyment or (for gardening) the increased fitness and better tasting food, or the fact that you would probably only be using that time for watching tv or something equally pointless, as being of any benefit. Apparently none of that counts and they get really irate about it for some reason : )
Yes. Quality of life matters.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just about money. You can't put a price on quality of life.
ReplyDelete