Educating the Non-Crafty

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>I just came back from a two-week
holiday. Given the fact that the sun has been ever-so elusive where
I live, my dear Muggle and I decided to make the 12+ hour car ride to
Virginia Beach, VA. We had a lovely time there, with the sun and the
heat as our constant companions.

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>While we were there, we went
into the traditional souvenir shops. We needed a parasol for the beach,
and as I had broken my sunglasses the previous week, I also wanted to
buy a new pair. While we were there, I couldn’t help but notice the
craftiness of some of the souvenirs for sale there. Jewelry boxes covered
in seashells, cute little bracelets, you name it. They were all very
cute and you had to resist not to buy them.

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>So, why am I writing about
those, you say? Because I was shocked by how low they cost! To any crafter,
it’s clear that items like these take hours to make, yet they go and
sell the jewelry box for USD10 or 15¦ And at that price the merchant
makes a profit, has paid for shipping from the manufacturer to his shop,
maybe customs, etc. Of course, most of these items are made in China,
where workers receive about 2 dollars per week for 60+ hours of work.
However, the impact of such low prices on us crafters is greater than
we think.

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>First, there’s the line of
thought that my dear Muggle has adopted as his own, which is “Why
do you spend hours making this when you could just pay 20 bucks and
get one at the store?” Some people will buy instead of make because
it’s the quick and easy way to go.

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>Also, it gives people the misleading
impression that handmade things either aren’t worth much or clearly
don’t take too long to make, given that stores sell them for such
a cheap price. As crafters, we obviously know nothing could be farther
from the truth. Sometimes, just the supplies for a particular project
will cost more than what the store is selling the finished piece for.
However, non-crafters usually aren’t aware of those facts, which can
lead to serious misunderstandings when people ask for a handmade something,
with them thinking they are being ripped off by getting charged so much,
when that’s clearly not the case.

face=”Times New Roman” size=”3″>Is there really a way out of
this situation? I think so, though it does involve patience¦ which
thankfully crafters usually have plenty of. We just need to educate
people, one person at a time. The education process itself can take
many forms. You can choose to explain how much supplies really costs
and how long it will take you to make the item. You can also further
explain about items made in underdeveloped or developing country. Or
even better, you can offer to teach the person how to craft the item
by him or herself. That way, the person gets his or her craft, will
probably end up being very proud of him or herself to boot and the crafting
community will likely welcome another addict to its ranks. Seriously,
what could be better than that?

—

Crafty Witch Josée