It’s very easy for people that don’t make things with their hands to forget or just not realize how long handmade things take.
Regardless of the media being used, be it knitting, woodworking, sewing, crochet, or any number of other art forms. It all takes time and skill.
It has happened to me, unfortunately more than once, where I have been questioned about my prices. “It’s just yarn” and “Why does it cost so much, it doesn’t look that hard!” Comments like these are incredibly insulting.
Sure, it may SEEM easy, but I can assure you it’s not. I have been honing my skills for YEARS. I’m always learning new things, tips, tricks. So many things that I still don’t know even with how advanced I am in my craft.
Yes, my business isn’t anything close to a “normal” 9-5 job, and that’s OK! It doesn’t make what I do worth any less.
Those with “real” jobs expect to be paid for their time, so why not handmade artists? Especially those artists that are doing custom work? Is their time and skill not worth a normal wage?
Now I personally, as I’ve discussed before, don’t charge a full hourly minimum wage. Though I know, and have been told that I should. However, I know handmade isn’t always affordable for everyone and I like to be affordable as possible while keeping in mind that yes…handmade is also a luxury.
But could you imagine going to your day job for 40+ hours a week and not getting paid for it? No… as you shouldn’t. So please help me in spreading awareness that handmade, especially custom items, should be held to the same standards. We don’t work for free either.
This Falcor I’m working on being my current and best example.
I wouldn’t be making him if he wasn’t requested. This is my job. Just because it doesn’t look the way a job “should” look, doesn’t make it any less true or my time any less valuable.
This is where I’m currently at with this journey creating Falkor, and how much time I’ve already put into it (when I’ve remembered to start the timer.) At this point, I have no idea how much time it’s going to take me to finish him.
I’m creating him from scratch, totally free handed with ZERO pattern. These things take Time!
Be like my customer! “Handmade items are costly for a reason. Lot of time, love, and product go into them! I’m all about paying their worth!”
If you made it this far…THANK YOU! I am lucky enough I don’t get too much push back when it comes to what I do. But I know plenty others that aren’t as lucky to have the support that I do. Helping spread the support for handmade and their artists is super important. So please, if you have the same mind as many of my customers, if you hear someone dogging on handmade items and not being worth it…Correct Them!
C3Fiberarts 
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