Your Money Talks But Are You Listening?
November 05, 2015
Passion does not equal profit. If expecting to make money, we need to separate our love for creative making from the down to earth reality of selling.
The caution is to not let our creative passions cloud the realities of marketing, selling, generating profits, and avoiding loss.
I will always encourage makers to make the best work possible. No holds barred. BE PASSIONATE. Work hard. Spend countless hours doing what you love. But when it comes to making money and selling for a profit, that is when business principles apply.
Read the post I wrote for Artsy Shark: "I Covered My Expenses” and Other Forms of Delusion & Denial and see if "I covered my expenses" really means I lost more money faster than ever before and four days of my time.
Have you asked yourself what is the "opportunity cost" when spending weeks making low cost sell-able, bread & butter items to prepare for a show? What if you had spent that time making your most inspiring, most creative work without thinking about who might be shopping at a show and what their budget might be?
What about scheduling fewer art/craft festivals? This interview with Carrol Swayze is makes a lot of sense when you read "How a Hard Look at Business Changed an Artist’s Life."
After adding up all the true costs on your calculator for profit and loss, you might be saving yourself money doing fewer shows.
Harriete
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This post was updated on December 11th, 2021.