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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wish that i could make money ouy of arts and crafts?

43 replies

malificent7 · 23/12/2018 11:15

I think i have posted about this before but i love arts and crafts.
I have done an Art course but it didn't lead anywhere as i was i a very bad place at the time . I was also concerned thag it couldn't pay the bills.
I am now retraing in a science subject with a big chance of getting a job as there are a shortage in my field. It is facinating but it us not creative.
Whilst watching Kirstie's handmade Christmas it us full of artists and craft people making a living from their field. They seem succesful etc.
I just dont get how they manage to pay the bills. I think i might resent it if i had to make stuff to pay rent, gas and electric etc so i want to make money on the side.
I tried selling at craft shows but only made a couple of pounds and i do not want to end up on a Facebook Christmas craft tat thread on here!

OP posts:
DippyDiplodocus · 23/12/2018 11:18

I feel EXACTLY the same. I'm a vet nurse by trace but I've always loved art and crafting. I'm not a bad artist, I tend to do pop art portraits of people's pets, which have turned out great but of course the time it takes vs the payout doesn't make it a very lucrative business, unfortunately.

I would love nothing more than to paint all day for a living but I just don't know how to make it pay 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ifailed · 23/12/2018 11:21

I'm sorry, but very few people make money out of Art. My son has a fine art degree and he knows of no one who is using to earn a living (unless you count working in an art supply shop). You either need to be exceptional, lucky or have connections.

RoboticSealpup · 23/12/2018 11:26

They seem succesful etc.

They're probably married to investment bankers and preventing their hobby is a lucrative career?

SilverApples · 23/12/2018 11:28

Most of the art/craft/musician crowd that constitute the majority of my friends have it as a second job. I only know a few that have it as their profession, and they make around £20,000 pa or less.

ScreamingBadSanta · 23/12/2018 11:32

Unless they are exceptional, I don't think many people make their entire living from this kind of thing. The people you see in the Sunday supplements tend either to have 'family money' or a partner with a lucrative conventional career.

Skyejuly · 23/12/2018 11:35

It's a shame but all the ones I know have put huge money behind it :(

prettywhiteguitar · 23/12/2018 11:35

Unfortunately lots of artists who are successful come from money, that way they can invest the thousands of pounds it takes to get anywhere.

Craft can be different, if you have something that stands out and is great quality for cheap !

LifeofClimb · 23/12/2018 11:44

It’s not easy, most who are successful have multiple income streams - galleries, books, demos, workshops, teaching, writing articles, holidays, even tv shows / merchandise / dvds.

And you have to build a brand to generate half of those streams.

It’s possible but it doesn’t happen over night and it takes a long long time to generate 6 figure p.a.

The4thSandersonSister · 23/12/2018 11:46

Try Etsy. The truly amazing stuff will always sell, but nobody will pay top dollar for something they could do themselves or buy in a shop cheaper. There are lots of would-be crafters who get lots of compliments from friend/family, but the paying customer is a tougher nut to crack.

Theweasleytwins · 23/12/2018 11:49

I used to work in a craft supply shop- my boss worked so so hard (and i think her husband helped start it up) she worked long hours and was successful its hard

I make crochet toys- everyone tells me to sell them but it isnt that easy.
Id need to ce test every different design, make sure they werent copyright and have insurance

delilahbucket · 23/12/2018 11:57

I make my entire living out of crafts. Started part time seven years ago and went full time four years ago. I don't have a rich husband (we both earn about the same but no childcare costs as I work at home) but I have a comfortable lifestyle/nice house/holiday a few times a year. It's the hardest job I've ever done, particularly between October and January when I don't stop working other than a couple of days at Christmas. Be under no illusion that money can be made easily, it can't, and it is definitely not a hobby, I'm in it to make money. It is possible though if you know what products sell and constantly keep moving forward.

Beautifulseren · 23/12/2018 11:59

I have a small jewellery business in a specialist field. I have a Facebook page and get business through that as well as through recommendations. I also have a full time normal job. When my order book is busy I can make around £100 a week, but even though this is my creative hobby it does get boring and repetitive just like a normal job when it gets busy. I see it really as a hobby that pays for itself but also allows me to have some cash for treats. Day dreaming and planning for new designs gets me through my normal job working day but I'm sure if my jewellery was my main income it would be far too stressful to be enjoyable l.

PlatypusPie · 23/12/2018 12:01

I went to a very good craft show recently ie very strictly curated in terms of must be actual creators, no bought in items, very high aesthetic standard. Beautiful things, with the artists and crafters on the stand, very happy to discuss process and techniques.

I was looking for a special present for a friend and did find something lovely but also felt a bit guilty about how reasonably priced it was when I knew, from my own amateur work, how many hours of skilled work must have gone into it plus the cost of materials etc.,

NameChangeOhNameChange1 · 23/12/2018 12:04

When a hobby becomes a job it becomes less enjoyable. That's why it's called work!

Asdf12345 · 23/12/2018 12:30

Everyone I know who does it has a separate income, the craft stuff essentially subsidises a hobby. Once mortgages and workshop costs are paid off and pensions are coming in they all reckon it will support retirement but is essentially fun until then.

That said I do often look at things for sale and make my own, there have been a few things over the years I would have readily paid good money for if I wasn’t handy in the workshop myself. With the right niche I suspect you could make a modest living.

Original poster
malificent7 · 23/12/2018 13:25

Thanks for the helpful replies.I guess im not alone feeling like this!
I think it's also about finding a niche which is tricky.

OP posts:
Ifailed · 23/12/2018 14:33

When my order book is busy I can make around £100 a week

Out of interest, how many hours do you need to put in to make £100?

Redcrayons · 23/12/2018 14:39

I know a few people who do this for a job but all of them have a DH earning a conventional income. I think it must be really hard to make a living wage out of it, hats off to anyone who does.

KeysHairbandNotepad · 23/12/2018 14:41

It's really hard , I opened an Etsy account years ago as I was making some really good quality stuff for fun and thought I'd try selling. I didn't sell a single thing on there.

I did sell a few pieces on ebay but made about £3 after costs.

I buy lots of handmade things on ebay but struggle to see how the seller makes any profit. The main person I buy from knits baby wear and after materials and labour she must only be paying herself around 50p per hour.

clairethewitch70 · 23/12/2018 14:45

I was a craft designer. I designed and manufactured craft kits which I sold in Lakeland and on 3 shopping channels. The pressure was intense I burnt out and managed to do it for about 6 years. The money was ok but I have a garage full of returns. The money back guarantee is shouldered by the supplier and I never want to do craft again.

KeysHairbandNotepad · 23/12/2018 14:58

'After materials and labour' I just read that back and it makes no sense. Either way , it's hard to make profit from knitting cardigans.

ReducedF00d1 · 23/12/2018 15:00

I know a couple of people who have set up selling employed for making things. They spent most of their time promoting their wares on social media, they didn't make much profit and stopped. If you sell yourself at craft fairs you normally have to pay to have a stall. If you sell in a shop or gallery, they normally take a percentage. You could try Etsy. I tried for a short time and realized that it's better to get a normal job and do craft and art part time.

ReducedF00d1 · 23/12/2018 15:00

*selling self employed

NettleTea · 23/12/2018 15:03

I go to a number of designer guild type fairs, where they are pretty strict on the level of skill of the crafters.
AS others say, pretty much all of them have an extra income within the family, or come from money. Someone I know who recently has got into magazines and promoted in style forums has done it off the back of the parent's names and contacts. Its seems to be the way unfortunately. I turn my hand to things now, but am stockpiling equipment/space to, as others have said, suppliment my pension as and when!

bridgetreilly · 23/12/2018 15:10

The thing is that craft is fundamentally not a money-making kind of work. Craft developed for people who needed to make things to use in their own lives. So it tends to be extremely labour-intensive, even if the raw materials are cheap. Which is perfectly fine if you are making one or two of the things for your own use or as a gift. It's not fine if you are trying to make a living from it. To sell well-made handcrafted items even at minimum wage usually makes them prohibitively expensive. So you either need to make quick and easy things that, to be honest, anyone could do. Or you need to make things that will command a price of hundreds of pounds. Which is risky and hard, but worth it if you can pull it off.

Where I think it is possible to make reasonable money is in selling craft supplies/kits/instructions. For example, I know people who sell hand-dyed yarn, or pdf knitting patterns, who have managed to establish good, long-term businesses. But I also know plenty of others who sank without trace, or who can only manage hobby money from it too.