What's in a Name?
by Bernadette Finnerty

Craftsman ... crafter ... craft artist ... handcraft ... handicraft ... craft project ... arts and crafts ... American craft ... imported crafts ... contemporary craft ... country craft.

With so many applications of the word "craft" in the English language, it's no wonder that the perception of craft in the eyes of the public seems a bit diluted at times.

We often encounter people who don't define craft the way we define it -- so often, that we decided to do an informal Internet survey asking the "general public" to define craft. We asked professionals, mostly over the age of 30, to participate in the survey. The results were quite surprising.

On hiring employees

One of the most challenging aspects of running a business is finding and keeping good employees. But once you've faced the fact that you need to bring on extra help, you also realize that in order to find and keep good people, you need to pay them well and provide benefits.

This month, leather worker Patti Dowse draws from her experience as a business owner and employer of eight people to address the difference between using "independent contractors" and hiring employees. She also explores some of the details involved in adding people to your payroll.

Business writer Tol Broome answers the 10 most commonly asked questions about providing employee benefits, such as health care, dental care and retirement plans.

We've also got a special resource section on finding health insurance for yourself and/or your employees.

TCR Book Club

This is the last issue in which our TCR Book Club will appear. While most of the books are sold out, some are still available for sale at reduced prices. However, we will continue to make available "Photographing Your Craftwork," "The Law in Plain English for Craftspeople" and "Business Forms and Contracts for Craftspeople." Click here for details.

As another summer comes to a close, and another busy show season winds down, new experiences have probably prompted new questions and/or ideas about making a living as a craft artist. As always, we encourage you to share them with us and the thousands of other people who read The Crafts Report.


Bernadette Finnerty is editor of The Crafts Report.

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