Nicolette’s Design Diary

I got some great comments on my Why Artists Hate Buy/Sell post…like I said, the topic of buy/sell hits a nerve!

I got one really interesting email comment from a reader called Karo who described an effort they undertook to educate buyers about handmade crafts…

…I set up a little exhibit with a cheap plastic stretchy bracelet from Walmart beside a very similar (but beautiful, according to the other gals from the beadshop where I work) bracelet that I had made with sterling silver, freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals, and my own hand-woven netted beads. Behind the two bracelets I had placed a laminated sign titled “Buy from American Artisans: Here’s Why” which very simply stated, with easy-to-read bullet points, the reasons why handmade artisan jewelry is preferable to cheap mass-produced junk…

…During the course of the show, there were maybe seven or eight people who commented that they liked the exhibit and several wanted to buy my exhibit bracelet. However, to my dismay, at least half a dozen people totally ignored the exhibit’s sign, picked up the cheap junk bracelet (which as part of the exhibit had its original price tag of $3.99 on it) and wanted to buy it! When I explained to one woman why it was not for sale and she took the time to read the exhibit’s sign, she literally threw the cheap bracelet back on the table, and complained that “arts and crafts shows are supposed to have bargains” and “have gotten too snobby and expensive”…

The most fascinating part of Karo’s comment was the customer’s complaint that “arts and craft shows are supposed to have bargains” and that they “have gotten too snobby and expensive”. What does that mean? Why are crafts “supposed” to be cheap? Why is charging for an artist’s time and overhead as well as materials considered “snobby”? I’ve only been in the biz for about 14 years, but after reading some history listening to the experiences of fellow artists who have been in the industry for 30 or more years, I’ve developed a couple of theories.

A lot of people don’t realize that crafts has a very deep tradition in America starting at the very founding of the country. Settlers came to this country with practically nothing and anything they needed, they had to produce themselves. Everyone had to be a craftsman to survive. As the country grew, crafts and craftsmanship become more sophisticated and specialized. The local artisan was a “service professional” in the colonial days. If you wanted a book, you first had the pages printed at the local printer, you then took the printed pages to the local bookbinder to have them bound to your specifications. The same went for clothing. Either you made it yourself, or you went to local dressmaker or tailor. For shoes you went to the town cobbler or shoemaker. All of these artisans knew their customers and served generations of entire families. And these services weren’t cheap! Only the rich or well-to-do could afford the best and most talented artisans for these services.

Everything changed with the advent of industrialization and cheaper mass-produced goods. As the price of store bought goods went down and the popularity went up, things that were handmade were seen as less desirable. Making things yourself was seen as something you did if you couldn’t afford to go to the store. Crafts were relegated to something for a “hobby”…something to do in your spare time. The idea of craft shows and making a living doing crafts didn’t really resurface until sometime during the 60’s.

According to my colleagues, craft shows really had their heyday in the late 70’s on through the 80’s and early 90’s. Craft shows were well-attended, sales were great, and the audience was eager to buy. Things began to change in the 90’s as craft shows became oversaturated with artists selling the same things year in and year out, markets becoming oversaturated with more and more craft shows, and with competition from a flood of foreign imports. Artists who have never had a problem with sales began to struggle to keep their businesses open, competition to get into show became stiffer, and cheap buy/sell items began to crop up even in some of the best shows.

So what conclusions did I come up with from this brief history lesson?

1. There was a time in which craft and craftsmanship was respected…and prices were paid accordingly to those who were the most skilled.

2. Craft gained a negative connotation with the advent of industrialization…you only made something if you couldn’t afford to buy it.

3. There’s currently a resurgence in crafting and do-it-yourself these days. This turns out to be somewhat of a double-edged sword. While it’s good for the general public to know what it’s like to make things with their hands because they usually have a better appreciation for the time and effort that goes into handmade objects, you also get the attitude of “So what? I can make this myself and save money”…or “My aunt/friend/mother/grandmother can make that!”

4. The idea of crafting as an actual business or profession that’s every bit as legitimate as an accountant or a doctor is still relatively foreign to most people. If you’re a crafter, people assume that it’s your hobby and you’re just selling it in order to earn a bit of pocket change. Most people don’t realize that there’s a difference between their Aunt Ida making a half a dozen handmade items for birthday or Christmas gifts and a professional crafter or artist making enough product cover expenses and make a living.

5. Even though there’s a resurgence in crafting, there isn’t as much publicity about the masters of craft. There’s a world of difference between the skill it takes to make ceramic item at your local “Color Me Mine” and the skill of a master ceramist like Ruth Duckworth. I’ll bet that most people who are aware of “Color Me Mine” probably have never even heard of Ruth Duckworth.

…thus you get the attitude that crafts are to be a source for cheap products.

Perhaps the idea, the attitude that people should realize that there’s more to handmade things than just the price tag is “snobby”. I don’t know…there are a lot of other things in life to worry about than craft and art. Maybe my “semi-historical” analysis is a pile of bull. And not everything that artists and crafters make can be considered a work of art…or even good craft. Some craft definitely deserves it’s “cheap, bargain-basement” label. Perhaps that’s thing that’s most disturbing of all. It’s the fact that a lot of people can’t sense the difference between something that’s cheap and something of quality. It’s even more disturbing that even when they are shown the difference…they don’t care beyond the $3.99 price tag. Not that they understand and acknowledge the difference and for whatever reason the $3.99 item suits them better, but that it’s “The Lowest Price…Always…damn the quality.

What do you think?