Recently, I’ve had the great opportunity to meet several local business owners and it’s been interesting to hear all of their own individual stories behind their brands. One common theme that I saw between all of them was the amount of hard work and passion that they put into serving their local community and helping others through their products and services. In our current world of mass-production and cheap, overseas labor, it’s really difficult for any maker to be able to survive off of their handmade business. When I first started doing craft fairs years ago, one visitor at my booth actually argued with me that she shouldn’t have to pay $20 for a pair of my handmade earrings when she could go to a big box store and buy something for $5. Since I had just started my business and I was still naive and inexperienced, I went home and cried that day because I took it as a personal blow that my items were not worth spending much money on. This was especially shocking to me since at that time, I was greatly underpricing each piece and was barely making any money to cover the material expenses because I hadn’t learned about pricing structure yet.
It is true that most times, when you go to a big box store, you’ll be able to find much more affordable items than you would from a local artist. So why is it worth it to pay the higher price?
When you buy from artisans, you’re not just purchasing a functional item. For example, when you purchase a painting that was created by a local artist, you’re not just buying a piece of canvas in a frame. You’re paying for everything that it took for that artist to make that painting possible. That can include all of the years of practice and labor that it might have taken to be able to paint something beautiful. It can also include the costs of all of the education and training that it took to gain the skills needed to be able to paint. Furthermore, no two artists are exactly alike, so you are paying for the creativity of that individual especially if the piece is one of a kind. Machines make it possible for us to mass produce items cheaply, but no machine can ever substitute human creativity!
In addition to supporting the arts, you’re also helping to support the artist in a practical way as well. It can take a lot of time and energy for the artist to be able to create a piece for you to enjoy and that time and energy can be very difficult to come by if they’re not able to make the revenue needed in order to satisfy their living expenses. For the first several years after I started my company, I continued to work full time at multiple jobs while making jewelry after work, often only getting three to four hours of sleep each night. In the beginning, I thought that it was fine since I loved what I was doing and was more than happy to sacrifice some sleep over it. However, after a few years, I found that it was not sustainable and I was exhausted all of the time. This had a negative impact on my creativity and I had a hard time producing quality pieces. Some successful business owners suggested that I do what they did and have my jewelry pieces mass produced in foreign countries, so that I could sell them cheaply without having to make them myself. However, I decided not to do that because I strongly believed in the idea of every single one of my pieces being handmade by me in order to give my customers the highest quality jewelry. Thanks to the support of my wonderful followers, I’ve been able to focus more on my jewelry business, so that I can continue to develop my skills and creativity and bring everyone more original designs. I am truly appreciative for the opportunity to serve others with my creations and hope that I can continue to do so for many many more years to come!
When you choose to buy from an artist rather than a big box store, you’re supporting another human being and becoming a part of their journey of expression. At the same time, you’re allowing them to become a part of your life as well as they try to enrich your life through their art. Usually, artists are so appreciative to have the opportunity to serve you that they will go above and beyond to make sure that you’re happy! Personally, the greatest reward from my jewelry business is when I get to hear about how happy everyone is when they get to wear my pieces. Thank you to all of you out there who have been supporting and will continue to support small business artists and makers!
