Is your art/ craft business your only income?

Shop Talk
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Inspired by something said in another thread, I was wondering how you run your business.

Is it your main income source and your only job or is it something you do alongside another job? Maybe it’s your hobby? Do you have anyone else working with you in your business?

What are your main outlets? Do you sell in more than one online marketplace? Do you sell through galleries, markets, shops? Do you offer online tutorials or even workshops from home?

Just curious really!

My business is my only source of income. I sell mostly online through Folksy and to a very lesser extent one other online marketplace. Folksy is my main source of income that’s why all my social media is directed here.
I do the occassional market at Christmas - I used to do a lot more before Covid but seem to have lost my momentum since I had to focus entirely on online sales.
I find it very difficult to stock and promote more than one online shop at once.

I used to sell though galleries and craft shops a lot but find it easier and more profitable to sell my work myself now. If I was to go back to making higher value work, I would definitely consider selling through galleries again.

I get asked about holding workshops quite frequently but I feel too shy to stand up in front of people!

I promote myself mainly on Facebook and Instagram as often as I can (so that people don’t forget about me!)

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I have a part time day job - this covers the bills my craft business provides money for the extras in life like holidays, paying for Christmas etc

I would much rather sit on the sofa of an eveing and crochet, than sit in an office all day Monday to Friday.

My main sales come from Etsy - I would love to get that amount of sales elsewhere or 50% of them elsewhere, which is why I tried so hard to make here work. But for me sales here have been very hard to gain.

If I stopped selling my crochet I would have to consider a full time day job!!

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I was a stay at home Mum from 1972…My hubby did awkward shifts and there was no one to look after the kids. I had always made and sold items that I made and for years that was with my knitting and crochet.
I even designed and sold patterns to magazines and when able to get a baby sitter I taught classes at adult education centres in London in the evenings. I also sold my items to local shops on a sale or return basis.
I also got onto the craft fair circuit fitting in with Hubby’s shifts and regularly did the craft market at the local shopping centre.
My hubby took early retirement and we moved to Wales where I continued to do lots of craft fairs.
Then we got a computer and I joined online groups and found E By…I came across a lady who was selling paintings and as I had always wanted to be an art teacher, I thought…I can do that…so I started painting…cartoons…landscapes…flowers…
I got introduced to E and set up a shop there and then someone told me about Folksy…I think I have been here for about 13 years now ( not exactly sure)…Last year I decided to close my shop on the dark side as it is so much nicer here.
Any income tops up my basic widow’s pension and helps to buy an occasional treat…so …over the years any sales have just been to help pay the bills and now it is the same…plus as a pensioner it brings a lot of happiness to each day. Not only do I sell my work, but I have made a lot of lovely friends too.
As long as I can I will continue to paint and hopefully sell.

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I am retired and have both state and a private pension, as does my DH. I do not consider a hobby as work tireless creating and like to earn the money when have a sale.

Love what I do and now only sell on Folksy. Done the craft fair circuit but since COVID gave it up. Too much prep work and do not like going out much, miserable old woman, I know, lol.

Must admit good job do not need to earn money as not sure would cope as sales are certainly not enough to live on, keeps me out of mischief.

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My jewellery and beads are my only income.

I only sell my jewellery on here as my beads never really sold so I stopped listing them. I sell both jewellery and beads on the E other side and my website. I stock a local gallery with my jewellery and a local makers shop which I work in one day a month (each maker takes it in turns to do a day).

I don’t do workshops on how to make my beads as the idea scares the life out of me ( I’m not a people person).

I promote on FB and Instagram.

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@dotterypottery How about doing You Tube tutorials and monetising them? Also, if this is your only income do you have your own website? If not, you should.

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I’m retired, was apicture framer, did alot online selling mounts, now I’m drawing my state pension, but I still need to keep busy, so I sell only on Folksy, did eb-y and et-y, eb-y was fine, et-y was bad hardly had any sells. Now only doing Folksy, started to do a bit of bookbinding, which is new to me, but enjoying it a lot, going to do a craft fair later in the year.

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I had to give up my full time health and safety and accounts position 10 years ago when my first spine op failed and i could no longer sit at a desk… My craft business is more than full time, I work until midnight every night to ensure I can make enough. I only have a Folksy shop snd sell direct still to my local customers.
I have PIP for my disabilities and my earnings from my bears pay for Whitby Goth holidays in April and November, luxuries, presents, clothing etc.
I sold on Etsy for a short while but left when i joined Folksy, have also sold on ebay but jow just use it for selling other bits such as clothing.
I went to college and did a teaching course not long before my life changed and am qualified to teach workshops etc but havn’t planned any as yet, have thought about hiring the village hall or institute for such things.

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I was full time, “outside regular work” but then part time as I took on more of the jewellery business and set it up officially. I finished regular work early as I could take a pension - I felt if I didn’t do something to make it at 56, it would be too late. 10 years later, I still do more hours than I’ve ever done in a regular job and now have a state pension too. Just as well really, the jewellery business doesn’t pay - my main income from it are the craft fairs, then galleries, then facebook which is really only actual friends and previous craft fair customers. After that at the very bottom are Folksy (a few sales a year) and instagram (2 in my whole 10 year history on there, one a craft fair aquaintance and another from a cousin!) But, it really is the most enjoyable job I’ve ever had - and I’ve had quite a few in what Ireally was qualified for.

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Sewing, knitting and crochet have always been a hobby for me. I opened up my Folksy shop (about 10 years ago) to help cover the cost of my hobby and but also to try and earn a little extra for treats. I had a part time job at the time which helped pay the bills.
A couple of years ago my anxiety was getting bad and thankfully my hubby started receiving a work pension from a previous employer, so I was able to leave work.
I still have anxiety issues but my crafting helps…My Folksy shop is stiil just a way of covering the cost of my hobby, and a few treats. I only sell on Folksy.

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When I started Knittingtopia I had a full time job and this was just a hobby.
I then became ill and now work part time. With hubby’s wage, we are still comfortable so I still see this as a hobby but any profits certainly help for those luxuries.
I only sell online, here and etsy. Putting myself ‘out there’ among people for craft fairs just isn’t my thing, I’m a bit of a hermit. I get most of my sales on Etsy (even when I have all promo directed here) but in recent months it has really quietened down so many look at pushing this shop again.

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I’m self employed as a custom dressmaker and alterations specialist (don’t know if I’m allowed to do this but my business website is bluebell-design.com, if anyone wants a nosy). I sew anything, from curtains, cushions and roman blinds, all the way to designing and hand embroidering one of a kind wedding gowns. I also teach others to sew and really enjoy that.

This Folksy stuff is linked in. I often use the scraps and cuttings from my dressmaking work to make new fabrics to then make my bags from. I don’t do craft fairs any more, nor will I supply shops on a sale or return basis as I find there’s no care taken with my bags and items come back to me damaged and stained. Stuff that. Selling online here works for me, especially as it’s not that big of a deal for me if my shop is quiet - my main income is elsewhere.

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I do my art alongside a part time job (…which may be obvious as that’s Folksy support).

Folksy is my only online platform, although I sold on Etsy for around 10 years before I tried here (sales there were slow for me, their changes were frustrating and it was getting expensive so I was looking for somewhere to switch to). I also get commissions through my website/socials, sell through a couple of local shops and sometimes do the odd exhibition or very rarely an art/craft fair.

I haven’t been focusing on my art as much as normal the past couple of years though, not creating as much new work and certainly not promoting properly. I’ve just lost my motivation a bit… it used to be that when I was lacking inspiration I’d take a trip to Ukraine and come back with a head full of ideas, but now my source of inspiration is suffering, it seems my creativity is too. It makes me very glad I’m not solely relying on my art income at the moment so I don’t have to force it when I’m not feeling it.

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I have a part-time job as a bilingual teacher and I am also self-employed as an interpreter and translator and I love my day jobs. Creating and selling my art is a side husstle and I sell just enough to cover my expenses. I never made any profit from it but I am not at a loss either. I am grateful to have other sources of income so I don’t have to rely on selling my art. I would like to be able to do it full-time, but apart from creating and selling on various platforms, I don’t think I am up for doing craft fairs or workshops (I am too shy) so I will just keep going with my current situation which works for me. I sell on E…y and online galleries and I make the occasional sell but I am not very consistent with creating new art or new products. Promoting myself is hard as in my culture, this is perceived as showing-off and it’s hard for me to think like a business person. So I am just listing my makes and hoping for the best.

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I’m retired and only started crafting in the last couple of years, my job in the NHS was so busy and stressful with very long hours it left little time for anything else.

When I retired I started looking for something to fill the void and tried various crafts and found paper crafting the most enjoyable.
I opened my Folksy shop just over a year ago and it’s the only place I sell other than the odd neighbour that pops in for a card! Recently my hubby, who is a carpenter and semiretired, has now joined me and is turning his hand to slate engraving and making wooden items. I guess first and foremost this is a hobby and a way to raise some money for a local charity, but also a way to keep my brain active. I use instagram and FB, both very badly :joy:, to advertise.
I enjoy what I do but sometimes I get paranoid about sales and focus too much on the stats and end up not making. I usually give myself a good talking to which helps as does the support of the Folksy community because there are so many lovely, kind and helpful people here.

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I know longer look at any stats. Makes me feel better not knowing, so do not stress about it.

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I don’t look at the stats very often either, it doesnt really make a difference to the amount of sales coming through whether someone has visited a page or item or where in the world they live, I’m more interested in who has favourited :heart: an item.

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I am more interested in the sales, must admit flat lined this month. I blame the Easter holidays. It can only get better.

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I started my business after taking voluntary redundancy from a high pressure job in financial services that had made me feel severely battered and having forgotten who on earth I really was. At that point, knit, crochet and sewing were all hobbies.

It’s been my only source of income for 10 years now but I couldn’t live on it. My husband’s salary covers all our main bills and my income pays for food every week. I also very carefully managed my redundancy money so that has supported us well with everything over and above the every day for the last 10 years.

When I started, I honestly thought I would just be taking a sabbatical for a few years until I’d worked out what I wanted to do next, but I loved it so much that I soon realised that I couldn’t bear to go back to working for other people and certainly not any sort of job that wasn’t creative at its core. Delighted to say that I’ve made it work so far and I’m now less than 8 years from having a pension, so hoping to keep it going until then!

My Etsy shop is my main outlet and I’ve been running Folksy alongside for a few years now, but it’s super slow. Most of my customers are from the US and very few of them know about Folksy, although I do promote it more than Etsy on my social media, trying to spread the word.

I briefly had my own shop on my web site in the early years but quickly realised that it wouldn’t be a practical proposition until I got some experience and customer base built up. My plan is to go back to this at some point, but I feel like many people prefer the peace of mind of buying on a marketplace, even when they know you well. I think that you probably have to have a substantial turnover to make the work of your own platform worthwhile.

I looked at markets and other outlets early on and dismissed them both as not being cost or time effective and I’ve never changed my mind about that. Part of my employment in my old life was in Operations, which helps me really focus on efficiency and axe anything that doesn’t look sensible - LOL. Outlets do seem like a good idea if you can build enough profit margin into your work to make the seller’s cut work and your pieces aren’t easily made grubby by handling (I certainly can’t and mine would be).

I was happily chugging along on Etsy until the last couple of years when they’ve made all the changes to search and now I’m hoping that I’m finally getting back somewhat to where I was, but it’s super slow and frustrating.

I do also design knit and crochet patterns and sell those on Etsy and Ravelry - that’s something I should certainly do more of. I’ve done a few workshops for charity events and enjoyed them, but they’re not terribly profitable as a business proposition unless you gear yourself up properly to do lots of them, I think. I reckon Maddie’s @VioletFlameGlassArt idea about you doing workshops on YouTube is a great one - hope you try it! :smiley:

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I’ve really enjoyed reading all your posts about your businesses. There are such a diverse range of people selling here for lots of different reasons.

Yes, You Tube tutorials could be an option.

I’ve been purchasing two domain names for my business for the last 12 years and still haven’t got round to setting up my own website. I know it would be so useful but I just don’t know where to start!

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