Last week, a new website spread across the crafts community. this is handmade features 5 minute videos of crafters engaged in some very tedious activities.
In addition to the videos, the site features the following text:
“IF YOU CAN’T SIT THROUGH 5 MINUTES OF MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING ASS HANDWORK, THEN YOU DON’T GET TO WHINE ABOUT HOW MUCH IT COSTS. IT’S JUST AS TEDIOUS FOR US AS IT FOR THE VIEWER. IT REALLY IS. AND WE DON’T GET HEALTH INSURANCE.”
Now, I’m all for crafters getting paid a fair wage. And I’m all for raising awareness that what we do takes time. But something about this rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps it’s the negativity of the message at the top of the page. Perhaps it’s the need to scream it in all caps. But whatever it is, I’m just not convinced that this is the best way to promote what we do.
But since I know that lots of people have been going crazy over this thing, I thought I’d throw it out to the group:
Does this kind of marketing help or hurt our field?
PS. Just an update to let you guys know that I’ve closed comments on the post. I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts. I always want this site to be a positive dialogue, and the tone of the comments was getting away from that. Thanks to everyone who joined in on the discussion!
Customers do not whine. Customers that think my prices are too high just need to be educated about the cost of virgin wool fabric, leather, and the time it takes to make a high-quality bag. Oh… and I have health insurance, thank you very much.
So yes, I get your point. 🙂
Hugs from Hamburg,
Gila
I have to admit, I was pretty tickled by this. I think it is the irreverence of it, and the fact that yes, while we love our work, it can get pretty damn tedious doing the same thing over and over again (especially when you make production pieces). And of course I totally support charging what you’re worth – and this stuff takes *time*! People who don’t do craft themselves may not really get that… then again – are people who don’t make craft actually going to watch any of the videos on this site?
I agree! I think it’s important that others see what it takes to make something lovely and handmade, but the cranky message at the top turned me off too. They need to re-brand this site as a “behind the scenes” look into an artist’s work – that actually DOES get people interested. Instead they are perpetuating the stereotype of artists as snotty elitists! Besides I don’t think my work is boring while I’m doing it – I love it! I wouldn’t want my customers to think I hated what I do!
Umm, yeah, to call it boring seems the wrong approach to me.
Also, if people don’t understand why my prices are the way they are, then those people are not my customers. I don’t think caps and profanity is going to help them see it any clearer.
Sounds like an entitlement complex to me. My response would be that if you find it so tedious, why bother doing it? It’s not like someone’s forcing you to. By that logic, to enjoy *anything* we’d have to sit through hours/days/months/years of the process – you can relate the same information through more concise means, y’know.
I think to really comment on the message of this site you have to consider who the audience really is… Do you think it’s been visited by anyone who wasn’t already a crafter themselves? I don’t. Well, not substantially anyhow.
I think the site is more a reminder to everyone that they can’t & shouldn’t compete with buy-it-quick prices. If you can’t make it quick, you can’t price it that way.
It’s a response to all the anger & negativity that’s already out there concerning prices. And it’s in your face. So, if as a maker, that makes you uncomfortable, perhaps you should look at your bottom line.
Personally I think it just sounds arrogant. The message does not read well at all.
I personally don’t think it would encourage new customers.
If you put an ad like this together talking about third world slave labor then yes, maybe it would work…
How about this instead:
““IF YOU CAN’T SIT THROUGH 5 MINUTES OF MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING ASS HANDWORK, THEN THINK ABOUT SLAVE LABOUR AND THEN REALISE HOW LUCKY YOU HAVE IT”.
Tiara the Merch Girl – got it in one…it’s sound like an “entitlement complex”.
This rubbed me the wrong way also. What a shame that it was done in this manner when it could have been something great. The idea of showing our customers how much care and attention to detail goes into our work is a good one and I think I’ll be doing some of this in the future. But presented in the way this site did, it is confrontational and sarcastic.
I hope its popularity wanes soon.
Ha! I know what you mean. I got exactly the same feeling but didn’t really think of it. Now that you’ve mentioned, yeah I don’t feel that this is a good way to promote handmade.
Wow! Seems fairly angry and negative. *I* would *never* call what I do tedious or boring – although it may seem that way to others I suppose. In fact, a lot of times I find the repetitive work therapeutic. {great comments too!}
I didn’t see this as marketing. I think it was geared toward crafters, not buyers. The same crafters who put on a smile during a show, but at the end of the day chat with each other about how it went. I got a kick out of the title, and thought a few of the videos were interesting. And I didn’t get the sense that any of the artisans DIDN’T like what they were doing. Not sure I understand the negative reaction.
* except for one glass person who was so dang slow she should consider another line of work, everything out there was hand-stitching which I agree is mind-numbing work
* I do what I do becuz I love it so NO I do not want to shout to the world that it’s boring
* just becuz something is dull to watch doesn’t mean it’s dull to do
* I do get tired of people saying it costs too much but I know it’s mainly cuz they don’t know. So my approach is to wish them luck making it themselves and give them my biz card so they can call me if they have any questions. That alone shuts them up.
* The number two reason people think my hand-made is too expensive is that there is always someone doing it for less – we need to get other crafters to value their time
I realized I sounded arrogant myself in my first bullet point and I apologize for that – who am I to comment on someone else’s method? and I know that one person’s mind-numbing is another person’s relaxation.
Again sorry for sounding mean as it was not my intent
I’m in complete agreement with you. This is not marketing, it’s browbeating the public for being uneducated about the value of handcrafted work. It will only serve to alienate artists/crafters from the public. If the audience the site is meant for even sees it which I doubt they will.
There is no obvious way for the public to respond or have any discourse with the artisans. I clicked a link to a blog that said something about “no tutorials, no explanations, just 5 minutes of boring work”. So, it’s not even about educating those who don’t understand the value of our work. It’s seems the artists/crafters hate their work and the time it takes to make it….and that’s gonna sell it??? It’s really just a “blank” you sign in all caps.
I absolutely understand their frustration and anger. I’ve done art fairs and other shows for 12 years. It’s tiresome to listen to all the excuses people have for not buying. What I’ve learned is: not to waste time on the shows where most people don’t get it; find the shows where people get it and buy it; talk to everyone who walks in my booth about what I do and the value they get for the price. Seriously, if you’re not working your booth like you’re on stage don’t waste your time making silly passive/aggresive websites lamenting how the world doesn’t understand you. That’s so high school, folks.
Thanks as always for an interesting post, Megan!
– Rachael Brooke
This is so funny. The comments on ReadyMade are the opposite of what people are writing here. I think it’s just one person trying to make a point (or blow off some steam). Nothing more. Do I think it will hurt the “handmade community”? Nope. There is so much of this kind of stuff on the internet. Maybe it isn’t videos, but it comes in rants in blog posts, rants on facebook and tweets. What’s the difference???
There’s such a good message hidden in this website. It’s so important to educated people about handmade goods, but this is just going about it in such a negative way. Whining about not having health insurance or bitching about the work isn’t the way to promote handmade. So sad.
@ Tara:
I see where you are coming from and I appreciate you stating your take on the site. Your thoughts certainly gave me pause and made me think again about my own reaction. However, I still don’t like that this message is out there for non-crafters to see. When I buy something from the handmade community I want to think I am helping someone make a living doing what they love. I want my money to help make and keep people happy. I don’t want to think of my hard-earned money going towards something that resembles sweat shop labor. More importantly, I don’t want my customers and potential customers to think I view sell them as grudgingly made in an environment of sad tedium. Despite your having doubts that non-crafters are taking a look, I am uncomfortable thinking they can see and interpret such a message as an angry retort to complaining customers, and them attribute that attitude to all handmade businesses.
This totally turns me off. Utterly and completely. I would not want to have anything to do with any of these people! How awful.
I didn’t really get what they were trying to say at first.
Work is work is work. Ok, point made. Now charge what you think that time working is worth, and if you can sell your product, then you can say with certainty that the work is worth your time. If not, you can’t expect to use “it’s work” as an excuse for charging what you do.
It actually sounds a bit like an advocacy for a Crafter’s Union…
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Someone can argue that lots of jobs out there are boring and tedious and don’t provide health insurance. I think the key to getting customers to understand your prices is to get them to really trust you as an artist, and how is bitching about how long it takes to do your job and how much you hate it going to do that?
Hmmmm. I’m all for showing noncrafters how much time it takes to create our work. I make chainmaille jewelry, among other things, and I find that people really “get” why my items are priced as they are when they see me weaving those little rings together one ring at a time.
But I don’t think I like the tone of the message here. Sure, we all have at least one aspect of our craft that might not be our favorite thing to do, but I think that one reason why people buy handmade is because they like supporting someone who’s making a living doing what they love. Not by doing something they find “boring ass.”
I think there’s some good intent behind this, but what a horribile execution. Using the same videos but different copy on their page, they could convey the same concept (Hey, detailed work to create beautiful pieces by hand TAKES TIME, and that’s why our pieces cost more) without being condescending and rude. If I was a potential customer for someone who had written that on their website, I would basically think, “Oh, who’s whining now?” and take my business to someone else who is working just as hard and not throwing a tantrum about it.
I agree with Scoutie Girl that the primary audience for this is most likely other crafters, but still… The message is directed at consumers and I wouldn’t want to buy something from someone with such a chip on their shoulder even though I do understand the work involved and behind the pricing. I get the intent and even understand the frustration that is so apparent, but why not be welcoming in an attempt to educate?
I guess I saw this as a funny thing for crafters to share more so than something you’d actually show potential customers. I don’t think whining will get you many sales, but I did chuckle when I saw it.
Yikes! I, for one, am very grateful for the opportunity to craft, and I enjoy it. Some things at times are tedious, but I certainly don’t want my customers to feel like I grudgingly make everything. What a bad vibe! Who wants to support an entitled crafter who whines about how hard their craft is? Very negative energy there. I want my customer to appreciate the hard work, not feel guilty about it.
I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it’s a good idea to show the world the hard work that goes into the products that crafters make. And even if the primary audience is other crafters, it’s a pretty safe bet that any non-crafters who stumble across this site will promptly be turned off from buying handmade as soon as they read that cranky-sounding message. So I’m going to have to agree with the previous folks who judged this site as “good idea, but bad execution.”
This has got to be tongue-in-cheek. I mean, I make fun of myself (or sometimes artists) by going on long-winded rants about how much I BLEEEEEEED to make clothes and how they’re all terrible anyway and don’t actually represent my “artistic vision” (whatever the hell that is, anyway), so maybe I’m just looking for a kindred spirit of humor in here.
No, it really is real. Wow! Yeah, I think that the text, although passionate, misses the point. Unless it’s being ironic.
Showing the general public some of the work that goes into our creations so that they can see the time and effort that it takes is always a good idea – shouting in capital letters just makes things worse!
Maybe the site was just intended as a way of some people letting off steam? The problem is that anything that goes on the internet can be seen by anyone and it doesn’t go away!!
ridiculous.
while someone may find my work tedious, i enjoy it and lose track of time.
so to these people, i say, you are the whiner. find something else to do.
and while tara of scoutie girl may be right – that mostly crafters are visiting the site – it’s still a sad picture that anyone can see. do i have to remind everyone that we live in a fishbowl? everything we do, say, comment upon, tweet or facebook is out there for the world to see.
as a crafter/designer/artist, i believe that clients and customers would rather purchase from someone who enjoys their work than from someone so bitter.
I have to agree with everyone here – good intention, good idea to educate the buying public, but wow, poor, poor execution.
It’s important to educate people on all that is involved with making something by hand. But, I think this has been approached in a negative way. The negativity comes off as “bitchy” and not constructive. If we’re going to educate buyers as to what it takes, bitching at them isn’t going to make them feel better about spending their hard-earned cash on said thing. I think that would be my perspective as a buyer.
Besides, if it’s “MIND-NUMBINGLY BORING ASS HANDWORK” then why do they do it?
I don’t like this. I don’t like that the work is called boring. I don’t find what I do to be boring….
Education occurs when we invite someone in, show something new, and share our perspective. Selling handmade is about creating a connection with the buyer, the maker, the item, and the story. This should be a beautiful process, not a berating one.
I agree with @Molly that a “behind the scenes” look would achieve more than what is being presented. A positive tone will encourage, a complaint will cause more disengagement.
I can take both sides on this, but I tend toward seeing it as harmless and rather humorous. I have been many times been victim of the uneducated questioning the cost of what I do. People seem to think if we have a creative talent we just crank things out with no effort. That said I agree with Tara that it is probably mostly crafters seeing this and thus no harm done. As a strategy to inspire buyers to the hand made world, not such a good idea in my mind.
This is an interesting discussion. To me, it seems as though the makers of this think that people don’t want to pay higher prices from someone who loves what they do. It seems like they are saying, “see, its not that fun and this crafter is working really hard at something that takes a lot of time” so therefore you should feel better about paying more for it. I personally love work that is slow, meticulous and painstaking because I find it deeply meditative, not tedious. And, as a consumer, I want to buy things from people who love what they are doing and have put time and care into something because they loved doing it. I wouldn’t deny that there are some parts of being a crafter/creative small business that are tedious and really hard, but I wouldn’t want that to be the reason someone would buy something from me. I would want them to buy because of the love part.
It’s not cool to crap all over someone else’s marketing stategy when you aren’t offering one of your own. I don’t think ALL CAPS is marketing strategy.
Those of us participating in Penny’s campaign consider ourselves artists, not crafters. I’m not being paid for my “hobby time.” I’m being paid for my artistic vision and creativity.
Hi Alex – Thanks for your feedback. I’m fairly certain that I offer up marketing strategy over here all the time. It’s kinda the point of this site. (Ok, the point of this site is all business strategy, but marketing falls into that.)
I too consider myself someone who gets paid for my artistic vision and creativity, but I would never call the time I spend making product “hobby time”. It’s production time, and it’s a necessary part of running a crafts business. That said, if you don’t like the making aspect of your business, I highly encourage you to consider outsourcing. I wrote a post a while back that might help get you started – http://www.craftmba.com/2010/04/20/outsourcing-to-help-grow-your-business/
Oh my, the scorn and judgmental tone! Do you people not have a sense of humor? I seriously doubt the author intended it as a marketing device. She was probably just blowing off steam. Yes, the tone is sarcastic and in your face but I thought it was hilarious, brilliant and very effective.
And how can you talk about her promoting what “we” do? I doubt she intended to speak for the entire crafting community.
I wonder if any of you have bothered to have a dialogue with the author of the site? Or is it easier to hide out over here and talk about what she has done without including her in the conversation?
Hi Heather – I really think that if you call something “this is handmade” that there is an implication that you are trying to speak for an entire community.
That said, you are correct in that I did not contact the creator of the site directly. Though I would say I’m hardly hiding out over here, since I did link back to the site in my post.
Hi Megan. Sorry, still don’t think she speaks for me and the entire handmade community. I read it as this is one aspect, one persons momentary experience and sentiment, among many others.
Linking back is not really including. I bet she still feels like we are all over here talking about this thing she did. An invitation to the conversation is much more polite and potentially enlightening:)
I agree with a lot of what of other commenters have said about this site. While the concept is kind of cool, a behind the scenes glance at what really goes into making those fabulous hand-crafted items we all love so much, the angry tone is definitely a turn-off. I mean, if making crafts makes you so hateful and angry, you really should consider another field! Isn’t the point of being an artisan to be doing what you love and making a living from it?
I might spend hours making the tiny collages that make up my favorite jewelry projects, but I consider that time well spent. I find exactly that tediousness relaxing. I zone out in crafts the same way a lot of people zone out in front of the television. The people who buy hand-crafted work already appreciate the fact that someone actually took the time to make it. This site isn’t going to change anyone’s minds.
I feel like the crafters involved in this might be the same crafters I always see at the end of sales looking sour-faced because they didn’t reach their sale goals. I certainly wouldn’t want to be associated with the negative tone of this website, and I won’t be rushing to buy anything from these crafters anytime soon. I’d rather buy from someone who loves what they are doing, as many others have mentioned.
Also, to the people behind This Is Handmade, isn’t it possible that people don’t want to pay the high prices because they really are just too high? I don’t care if you spend hours on something, if I don’t like it, I don’t like it. And if you are constantly having people say the prices are too high, perhaps instead of getting angry about it, you could think about why people are saying it, after all, if you are at a show for hand-crafted goods, your audience already knows it’s handmade, so if they say it’s too high, maybe it really is.
And if you aren’t at a marketplace specifically for hand-crafted merchandise, what do you expect? Artisans can never compete with corporate machines in prices, so you have to make up for that with spectacularly cool and unique stuff. So maybe a different market is in order. Just saying.
It would be a terrible shame to assume that the crafters involved in these videos are “the same crafters I always see at the end of sales looking sour-faced because they didn’t reach their sale goals”. I’m certainly not one of those people, and I know that all of the other crafters on there are people who truly love the work they do and are happy to capture five minutes of their craft time to share with others.
You may not necessarily favour the approach used in delivering the message but, given the relentless marketing machines that the big corporations use to brainwash us into buying cheap, mass produced garbage, sometimes it’s good to get a bit loud and angry so that people can hear you. It’s pretty cathartic. 🙂
This is the first time I saw the site…so please take my comments with a grain of salt. To me, the shortcoming of the approach isn’t necessarily in the sarcasm or all caps. It’s the implication that just because something takes time, it has value. As someone who is not much of a maker, but buys handmade anyway, it’s not the time I’m willing to pay top dollar for — it’s the originality and quality and a feeling of connection to the creative individual who designed the item.
I could spend hour upon hour sewing products up for you, but you certainly wouldn’t want to buy them.
There’s way more offensive things we do to get pissed about. Cursory research for this article would have useful.
http://www.sloppyworld.com/Khole
I just noticed your “Work With Megan” packages. No wonder my project rubs you the wrong way. Shocker.
If we’ve done anything to damage the crafter movement, mission accomplished! We’ll be over here having a blast working on our fall openings. I look forward to seeing everyone’s videos.
What I think hurts the integrity of handmade is not a tongue and cheek website actually showing artists hard at work, it’s links like yours about outsourcing implying that YOU STILL can be part of the handmade community.
What’s real about this website is that people do have tedious work in craft. It’s not just as easy as having a digital camera and a dream. Just like any job, people get frustrated, people get burned out and have to let off steam.
This site looks like it was made by artists for artists. The thought that it was a marketing strategy is beyond ridiculous. As an artist and a crafter, I can appreciate the irony.
In answer to your question, I don’t think it was intended to be marketing. It’s irreverent, funny and at times true.
I am a jewelry designer and make my living this way. What I have come to know is that hand crafted goods are amazing. But the great majority of the buying public and a large percentage of my customers want goods of excellent quality. Hand made is a bonus, not their primary tipping point.
Educating the public about hand made is great, but don’t discount the consumer who just wants your work because it’s awesome.
I think we should lighten up. As more makers outsource parts of their business the line gets blurry anyway.
sorry, I left a bad link in my previous post
Quite honestly, I don’t like the site. Maybe I’m a dinosaur, but I feel that the point could have been made with respect for the dignity of the uneducated customer. I do think the 5-minute videos are a great way to educate, but the header is crass and coarse. I guess I’m a priss. Even if my customers don’t quite appreciate the time and effort it takes to do what I do, they still provide my my paycheck and for that I’m grateful. And… I do have health insurance.
Like so many things in life, I have mixed feelings about this site. As a maker, I DO often feel the frustration that people in general don’t realize what goes into creating something handmade. I think these videos are a great way to get insight into the hard work that goes into a piece. That being said, I think the way that it’s presented is too confrontational and quite frankly, I resent the creative process being referred to as “boring-ass handiwork”. While they’re attempting to educate people on why they should be willing to pay the extra money for the work that goes into handmade, they’re simultaneously cheapening handmade work and making it sound like painstaking drudgery. Yes it’s hard work. Yes it can be repetitive, but for many of us it’s a labor of love and rather than bullying or shaming people into appreciating what it is we do, I think it’s enough to try to educate.
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