FOCUS: Balancing ‘craft consumerism’ and running a sustainable craft business

Today, we are pleased to bring you some great critical commentary from Lisa Margreet Payne, designer-maker, crafty tutor and one of the founding members of East London Craft Guerilla. 

I have a confession to make. Even though I identify myself as an "independent designer-maker" I have a difficult time around the notions of consumerism and its links to capitalism; this has lead me to rethink my entire craft business.

I am the first to admit that I'm not the most political of animals, so I am cautious about throwing terms and concepts around of which I only have a little understanding. However, during the couple of years that I spent actively selling my handmade items at various craft markets and online, I noticed a trend which disturbed me. As the concept of buying handmade items has become more popular and crafting has made its way into the mainstream, people have started to treat it as they would any other consumable. Indeed, some people have opted to buy handmade as a move towards ethical consumerism. I'm sure that you're wondering what's wrong with that? Surely as designer-makers we want people to buy our handmade products and buy lots of them! Well, that is why I said it was a confession and I think I may be going slightly against the grain here but I find myself questioning the sustainability of many of our craft businesses.

I have struggled over this article because, although I know instinctively what I mean when I refer to "craft consumerism", I have a tough time translating it into a clearly understood definition. Additionally, as noted earlier, I am aware that the phrase has connotations to much larger political and ethical concerns, so for the purpose of this article, I will define what I mean.

When I think about craft consumerism I see two issues:

1. how "craft" and "handmade" are being treated as another commodity to mindlessly consume (I recently wrote about my concerns about this mindless consumerism on my blog); and
2. our responsibilities as designer-makers and creators of the handmade products which are being consumed. 

I am disturbed by mainstream society's adoption of craft and handmade items as just another means of consuming. Buying handmade items is seen as guilt-free consumption, people can still indulge their need to endlessly consume and procure items but because they're consuming handmade items then they feel they're doing a “good thing”. They are not necessarily thinking "Do I need this item?". Often the consumption is a means of passing the time, shopping for leisure and the accumulation of items. After all, in a capitalist society we are all encouraged to be consumers. 

In a related issue, although one which may seem contrary at first, as the makers of these items I am concerned at how resources (time, money, materials etc) are often wasted creating items which don't sell, adding to the plethora of "things" which are cluttering up our homes and our lives. Buying handmade may be better than buying "mass-produced tat", but are we sometimes guilty of producing piles of "handmade tat" instead? Many designer-makers are concerned with issues of sustainability, but how sustainable is it to be wasting your time, money and energy creating products which don't sell? Obviously this doesn't apply across the board and there are many talented designer-makers out there who have successful businesses selling their items, but in my experience there are also many talented individuals who have problems selling their items in a way which makes their business sustainable. 

What accounts for this dichotomy between people buying more handmade (and desiring more handmade items as evidenced by mainstream society's adoption of all things crafty and handmade) and talented makers not being able to sell their items? It would seem that:

• the market is becoming saturated with people trying selling handmade goods; and
• there are issues around the value of handmade goods (both the perceived value as "worth" and the monetary value).

As designer-makers, many of us struggle with the correct pricing of our goods - if we priced goods at what they actually cost us to produce, then most people wouldn't pay the price when buying from us in a craft market or online (although they probably would if that same handmade product was on the shelf in Liberty). However, by pricing our products too low we not only make it unsustainable for our own businesses to survive and support us but we also undermine the perceived value of handmade goods across the board. People equate low prices with low value thereby undermining the worth of handmade goods as a whole.

A common argument for low pricing is, "I'm only doing this as a hobby and I don't need to earn my living from it so I can price my items however I like". However, this comes back to our responsibility as designer-makers to make decisions in our own businesses which support the crafting community. But then, if by under-pricing we shift a few units at a market and cover the cost of our stall then surely, we argue, it's OK? It's a dilemma and one that doesn't have any easy answers, but these are questions which are worth thinking about when considering the sustainability of your business. 

Personally, I decided that the world could live without the particular products I was producing and that my skills and interests lay in teaching craft skills and writing about craft. I am moving away from identifying myself as a designer-maker and moving towards becoming a "craft educator and writer". For me that is much more sustainable for myself and for the people that I teach. In my opinion, it is much more empowering to have the skills to knit your own scarf, sew your own dress, darn your own tights and bake your own bread than it is to buy these items. As such, I would rather sell my ability to teach these skills rather than spend my time creating and selling the finished items. I no longer worry about having piles of unsold items gathering dust in boxes in my flat, taking up room and reminding me of all the wasted time, money and energy which could have been better spent elsewhere. By teaching people the skills to create items for themselves I am enabling them to be active creators rather than passive consumers - and that really is a good thing.

Here are a few steps you can take towards creating a more sustainable business:

• Think about what you could do differently in your business to make it more sustainable. I found the website Crafting an MBA by Megan Auman to be really inspiring when rethinking my business. Her free ebook ‘The best of crafting an MBA' is full of sensible and practical tips.
• Check your prices! If you want help to rethink your pricing then this article on CRAFT blog has some solid advice.
• Think about teaching workshops in your chosen craft to supplement your income. Many craft shops run workshops so approach them about being a tutor.
• Consider writing a book on your subject. If you like creating tutorials then you don’t have to limit yourself to giving them away for free on your blog or website. Have a look at some of your favourite craft books and see who publishes them. Make a list of the publishers who produce these books and then have a look at their websites to see who is accepting submissions. Write a proposal for your book and then approach them with your ideas.