My dad tried the art fair, flea market path with his cutting boards and turned wooden bowls. He managed to sell enough to buy new tools, but it never paid for his time. They’d always compare them to mass produced items and ask why he couldn’t sell the wooden bowl that took him 8 hours to make for $10.
If you can find something that’s cheap, easy to make, and people want to buy for $10 then that path might not be so hellish.
Hmmm I don’t understand it at all(
My wife has dragged me to numerous farmers’ markets over the years. You definitely get a feel for which ones are in more affluent areas and which ones support more craft booths.
Im down in Santa Cruz, so id like to believe I could make it down here at markets! maybe ocean themed things
Which brings me to a point that Id like to contribute to the thread:
I have had good luck offering products that apply to my area.
For example, here in Watsonville is home to Driscolls Berry HQ, and there are hundreds and hundreds of acres of berry production here.
My strawberry/blackberry/raspberry stuff sells, my farm theme stuff sells, my tractor stuff sells, etc…
find whats going on in your area and capitalize on it, even if its a theme that doesnt particularly interest you.
-my 2 cents
I love that area! I looked at living in Felton when I was trying to get a job with West Marine corporate. Yes, I would definitely go with the “Keep Santa Cruz Weird” theme. I used to love launching my Hobie Cat off the beach there.
I work next door the West Marine corporate. They offer their “galley” to neighbors in the complex, so I go their for lunch a couple times a month. Love this area, but my rent is more than most peoples mortgages.
Be creative!! There are so many tutorials online to help you develop your own style and techniques of creating art or products you can sell. You can mix and match materials and the techniques you study to create something of your own. Fan art is awesome, but infringing on someone’s intellectual property is stealing point blank. I own a few copyrights and trademarks, and to be honest, if someone recreates any of my designs that I’ve worked so hard on and invested time and money to protect, without a doubt a lawsuit will be filed immediately, no mercy. Congratulations and welcome to journey of enturpernuership!! Good luck! Be creative.
Also, look around at things you use everyday, what’s missing? How can you improve that? What does this thing need? How can I make this different for anyone else’s? These are some questions to ask yourself while developing your product. Dont give up, but don’t take the easy way, it’s always harder, then the hard way.
Thank you for your post i totally agree.
If you want to do art stuff, check royalty free sites. Pay a small fee once and you are free to use it as much as you like in most cases. Read the TOS.
Second, I don’t go by an hourly rate. I do a per job rate. Mostly what i do now are speaker boxes and the like.
O cool thanks i just ordered an currently putting together the 1000x1000 version…whts a typical fair price?if i do time pricing fair price?
the bay is not northern cal
