The Crafts Report - Leading the Crafts Industry for 35 years

The creative aspects of glass master Robert Held’s work may be what drives his art, but he is never far removed from the bottom-line realities of running a business. He offers the following advice for fledgling craft businesses.

Multiple selling options make a business successful and offer unique opportunities to craft artists. Retailing, wholesaling or selling in both manners provides artists with the option of working at a volume level with which they’re comfortable and with the income and lifestyle they want.

Company branding, making sure customers have a good image of you instead of a bad one, is an important element of craft marketing. Here’s a quick way to positively influence people’s attitude of your work: Make sure you have some items that are out of most customers’ price range. This does the following four things.

Why price isn't the most important factor when it comes to selling crafts.

Like much of the American economy, the crafts industry has been profoundly impacted by low-cost labor based in developing countries.

Large retailers like Pier 1 Imports and Pottery Barn have capitalized on the growing trend toward outsourcing, allowing them to flood the market with low-end craft imports. American and European designers, meanwhile, have also begun taking advantage of the overseas labor market, having their goods produced at a lower cost in Asia or Central America.

So in an era of falling prices and fierce competition among large retailers, craftspeople may be wondering: Is it possible to compete against the retail giants, and when it comes to price point, how low can you go?

Is the price right? That’s the million-dollar question. Overvalue your work, and you can price yourself out of the market. Undercut your competition and you might jeopardize a mortgage payment.

“If I had known then what I know now, I would have done things a lot differently.” Have you ever said this to yourself? Imagine you could send yourself a message from the future, giving yourself advice on what mistakes to avoid in your craft business. The advice would save you a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and maybe even your business. Of course you can’t talk to your future self. But the odds are that if you could, you would warn yourself of one or more of these ten common mistakes.

When an artist takes a photograph, paints a picture or molds a piece of clay, it can feel natural, magical and instinctive. However, when forced to execute the business side of art, it’s often not so effortless. Whether dealing with complex inventory management or Internet marketing, so many facets to the business of art can seem cold.

Thefts are an occasional, sometimes regular, nuisance for artists and craftspeople who sell their work at fairs and festivals, despite the sincere efforts of the event sponsors and the artists themselves to stop them. They take place at night, when the artists aren’t around, and during the day, when the artists are busy making sales and talking to potential buyers.

As artists, we don’t often see ourselves as businesspeople. But the fact is, even if you’re creative by nature, you still need a plan to get to the next level, whatever that level may be. A well-developed business plan should be an essential element of your business.

If you’re thinking of packing up samples of your handmade creations and taking them downtown to the eyes of local gallery owners, some retailers have this not-so-subtle suggestion: Don’t do it! Stopping in unannounced is easily the biggest pet peeve gallery owners have when it comes to dealing with eager artists. That doesn’t necessarily mean retailers aren’t interested in your work. But it does mean that to improve your odds of getting a second glance, you first need to consider what approaches work well from the perspective of successful gallery owners.

Where is the line between handmade and high-tech?

When inspiration strikes, jewelry artist Rona Fisher reaches out for the trusted tools of her trade. Like so many of her peers, the Philadelphia-based Fisher is intimately familiar with the traditional tools and techniques that can help turn her ideas into works of art crafted from precious metal and gemstones.

The opportunity for commissioned work arises at least once in a professional craft artist’s career. As in all business ventures, what you know can make the difference between success and failure. A commission could be a piece of jewelry custom designed for an individual, a sculptural installation for a corporate office or a stained glass window for a public building. If done successfully, commissions can catapult an artist’s career to another level both artistically and financially.