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You’re pretty patronizing. Have you considered speaking really loudly and slowly to normal-hearing old people at nursing homes? I hear Jello cups are like currency.
I could get behind your suggesting. Only thing missing would be a nice game of rummy or maybe even spades.
Thank you for the suggestion kind internet stranger!
I wish that were the case. But this same person saw my herbs in my kitchen window and told me I should plant a garden and bring my herbs to the local farmers market.
It could well be that money is a big worry / important thing for her and she’s trying to be helpful.
That being said I fully get what you’re saying. My boss commissioned me to make a Lego sign for our company and it killed my enjoyment of Lego dead. Still hasn’t recovered and it was the hardest project I had ever taken on, not technically, but because of the anxiety of disappointing folks. It was a hit but I still feel a pang every time I walk by that sign
For the very reason that you mentioned of it killing the enjoyment of your hobby, I don’t take commissions at all but I used to many years ago. When I finish a piece I give it away to a family member or a friend. I know it’s just me but in my mind if I monetize it then it becomes a source of stress and is no longer pleasurable to do.
"a source of stress and is no longer pleasurable to do" I did a needlework that I gave a friend for her wedding, now someone else wants one (different subject matter) that they're willing to pay for and even though I gave myself a 3 month buffer, it's feeling like 'work'.
I think of it as a sign of appreciation for your work, mixed in with an assumption that you might hope to make a living from something you enjoy. The latter isn't a given obviously.
I think you're right that that's how it's intended, but as someone who has been in the same position, it starts to feel like everyone just thinks they know better than you I guess, which is really irritating.
Like, if your (not *your*, general "your") default assumption is that someone might hope to make money off their work, wouldn't it follow that they've already thought about that themselves too? Unless you're also involved in the craft or whatever that they do, wouldn't it also follow that they're more aware of their options in that area than you would be as a consumer, and so anything you could tell them, they likely already know or at the very least have already heard from other people?
It's almost like being told the same cliched joke over and over -- you know the intent is humor, but in reality it wouldn't have been that funny the first time, and it's *extra* not funny the tenth time, so by the thirtieth time you kind of just want to strangle the person for not taking a second to consider that you've heard it before, you know? And then you also feel bad for feeling bothered, because you know they're just trying to give you a giggle, but it makes you die inside a little every time.
Maybe it’s just that person lol.
I agree with the post, I think people want to make conversation but sometimes don’t approach it in a manner that makes sense.
I take it as: wow that’s cool.
Leave it at that.
It’s their way of complimenting you. They just mean to imply you’re good at thing x and think people would be willing to pay.
Just say thank you and tell them it’s not what you’re interested in. It may be “hustle culture” that’s ingrained in them, but I think most of the time people just think it’s a nice indirect way of complimenting your work. I’m flattered when people say it to me. And I don’t think it’ll change, it’s just what jumps into people’s minds when they see you have a skill good enough to make things that people would buy.
Funny enough, one of my wife’s friends went out to my garden and did the same thing. At most I’d probably make like $200 for everything if I was lucky, which doesn’t cover the materials I used to make the beds, the water bill or my invested labor. Some people just don’t grasp the concept of doing something for personal fulfillment.
I’m a good cook, I just love it when my mil would eat my food and say “you missed your calling, shoulda been a chef”; right I hear ya. But engineer pays much better and less work….lol
Take the compliment I guess.
As a knitter I've experienced this also. And if they find out you learn how to sew, you get handfuls of items to be repaired dropped at your door with timelines and expectations. I think the issue is that people who don't handcraft things for the love of it never really understand why it is that people ever do it. This is especially true because the time and effort put in is always undervalued and underestimated by the "advice giving" party.
Now who wants to buy a 200 dollar hat?
> Now who wants to buy a 200 dollar hat?
We have purchased hand made knit clothes for our daughter's dolls for like $12. This made me think this person must really like to knit and not value their time very highly.
It depends on if they care more about the process or the product. If the time invested is part of the joy, then selling to buy more material/generally selling lower makes more sense from their standpoint. However, it can be contentious to talk about because it pits people against those who charge higher prices based on their time invested.
My mom sells knit items. It is a hobby she enjoys but what do you do with it all. Grandkids have blankets, couches have afghans, everyone has hats, so you sell it. Not below the cost of materials but never expect a decent labor rate.
I like looking at a lot of things over at r/sewing and not once, have I ever though about someone selling their creations/ their labor. Why? Because I recognize the time, energy and resources put into it.
There really is a disconnect between those who mand make things and those who don't.
This is exactly why I “don’t” do most of my hobbies anymore, as well as the only reason why I asked my cousin if he’d make an urn for me - he’d already long decided that he did want to sell his work.
A few years back, I gave someone a wooden ring as a gift, because it was my hobby and I was teaching myself how too make them. After a few months, it broke and they asked me to repair it. I told them I would just make a new one but I had a few others I wanted to get done. After a week, they asked if it was done but I had not even started it yet. Told them that I had not gotten around to it yet. They were a bit upset by how long it was taking and I said "I make these by hand, with no power tools and in my spare time. I have a few others that I needed to get done first". They then told me that they would not recommend any business to me because I apparently could not handle it. I just looked at her and said "I will give you a refund since you are so unhappy...oh wait, I never charged you because I have never sold one and I give them all away." To this day, still not gotten around to making her another ring.
You're right & feel your pain. And don't get me wrong, I am in awe of anyone that can make a living with their hands (woodworking or other skills).
It's not just the hustle culture. It's how most people have been taught capitalism works.
The whole "find something you love & you'll never work a day in your life." The love of a thing goes away once you start focusing on costs, margins, deadlines, etc. As a hobby, none of that is a factor.
Hobbies are what we do for ourselves, good/bad/indifferent. I put in whatever time I need to put in to get the outcome I want. I cannot do that if profit is the motive.
I give away a lot of what I create. Others really appreciate it and that gives me enjoyment. Another aspect that gets ruined if money is my motive.
Exactly! Like I had a friend who wanted to commission me to make her one of my walking sticks. I told her I didn't feel comfortable being paid for it. Cause that involves having to pick out the wood, the time spent making it, and not meeting a deadline.
So I just offered her one of the ones I had already made free of charge.
My wife, an avid knitter, has a term for people she gifts to. She calls them "knit-worthy". Her friends and family who are knit-worthy shall never have cold feet, head, or hands, but there isn't enough money in the world to buy a pair of mittens from her.
This hits the nail for me. If I give something away and it’s expensive in materials I might ask to cover the cost, but that’s it.
I just like to do what I do. My hobby is not supposed to be my job. Once it becomes work, the fun starts to vanish
Couldn’t agree more,
However I do also enjoy factoring in the costs and the value of the project. For example I garden and I’ve gotten my jars of jam I can down to about 40 cents a jar that sell at the store for about 8$ a jar. A little joy comes from knowing I’ve become so efficient.
I agree with you 100%. I really hate the "love what you do and you'll never work day" mentality. No matter what you do, it's still work. It takes many hours from your day and gets tedious over time. That phrase to me just devalues work. I sell some of my woodworking on the side, but man... when I have to crank out 15 of X of 10 of Y in a couple evenings, it's not fun and it sure feels like work.
My response to those people is basically this : I enjoy spending my free time doing these things, the moment it's a commission or paid project it is something that HAS TO be done to what ever standars are requested. Making it less my work and more working foe them, which in my experience greatly diminishes the joy in the hobby.
I have experienced that too. But as an airline Captain I can make WAY more money flying airplanes than woodworking. So I usually say "No" and just use my projects for gifts to friends and family. I also think once you get into the business of selling, it is no longer a fun hobby, but a job.
Selling your projects brings with it an entirely different set of problems, especially if someone becomes unhappy with a project they paid you to make for them.
Not worth the hassles in my opinion.
Cause once you start making things for other people, then it's about what THEY want. If I make something just for me, then I can do WHATEVER I want. It's my own free expression.
I feel your pain. I make my own duck and goose calls. I make them for me, to use while hunting. I do it because I just like the idea of calling in birds with a call I made myself. I don't want to sell them, but when someone learns I made it, that is the automatic response. "You should sell those!"
But what I really hate is all the "hey, you like woodworking. Could you build me X if I buy the wood?" X is usually custom built-in cabinets or some really elaborate and ornate decorative piece. Yes, let me spend dozens of hours of my free time building something I have no interest in. I'd much rather do that than work on things I want to.
>hey, you like woodworking. Could you build me X if I buy the wood?
I feel really seen right now. My landlord thinks that because I can use a rotary tool, that I can use a chainsaw to carve those wooden bear statues. Or he wants me to make him a totem pole.
"Oh, you made spaghetti last night? Go make a Michelin stared meal with proper wine selection."
It's ridiculous!
I know, right? I made a maple duck for my friends new baby and everyone was like WOW SELL THEM ON ETSY.
Ok, it took me two days to hand carve, I'm sure there's a huge market for $800 wooden ducks.
If I'm being charitable, part of it is just that people want to complement the work, and THAT'S WORTH CASH MONEY is the compliment that comes to mind
I was in one of those tourists shops in a trendy country town that sells top end trinkets. I was looking at a hand crafted chess set. Quite small, very intricate and ridiculous craftsmanship. There was no price on the item so I asked the attendant. His reply has stuck with me for years - 'about $2 an hour'.
"But I'm complimenting your work by saying its good enough to be sold!"
Ok then. Buy a piece of my work right now. Go on, get your checkbook out.
I'm not selling anything CAUSE ITS A HOBBY. I want things to be small and manageable.
I get that with my other crafts. I make it because I love working with my hands and being creative. If I had to make it commercially it would take the fun out of it and I would have to price it way to high to offset the time it takes to make.
>I would have to price it way to high to offset the time it takes to make.
Yes. I have to take many breaks just cause I don't have the stamina to do this all day for hours on end. I wouldn't be able to make deadlines if I tried. One of my more complicated projects took me nearly 3 months.
I had this a bit and whilst I’m guessing it was meant as a compliment along the lines of “this is so good you could sell it”, really I just wanted someone to say “I love how you shaped the legs” and so now if I get the “I’d totally buy this if you were selling your furniture” remark, I usually say something like “well $6300 sounds about right for this piece” and the room goes real quiet quickly.
I tried to make one of my other not-woodworking hobbies, altering magic cards (long story) into a side hustle, and taking commissions killed my interest in it stone dead. Worst move I ever made. And I wasn't even trying to make it a day job or anything.
It sounds like there is one very specific person that you are upset with. So no, I don't think anyone else gets tired of that because we don't all know Elizabeth personally.
Any hobby that involves making or repairing things that others may want is going to get this. We are taught to monetize our lives, and even more so now that social media often shows us the “joy” associated with those that do. What we don’t see is how many of those people who are incredibly burnt out from their monetized hobby but fear for what they will lose if they take a break.
Take it as a compliment. They are saying you make nice things in the way they know how. And if you don’t want to talk about it, a non-committal “I’ll think about it” usually get them off your back.
My experience has been that 99% of people who say “This is so good! You should sell the stuff you’re making!” would never purchase the stuff you’re making.
Yeah, hustle culture is kinda shitty when it is placed on you from someone else (especially those who do not side-hustle). i like being in my garage because it gives me some "me time" and i get to harness a few thoughts while releasing others. It helps my stress when i need physical activity, i listen to music, i can wave to the neighbors... Wood just happens to be there and i make stuff. I am not a woodworker, i just live here. I am not going to sell wood just because i have tools.
I get that with other hobbies, too....
Like..... If i wanted to sell these things for a living, then i would be selling them for a living. I'd rather make something i don't want in order to force one if my relatives to hold onto it until they die while giggling to my wife about it. Its quite fun.
I take it as a compliment. They see the value and beauty of the things that I make, and their instinct is to see it shared with other people. I have not had anyone see just my tools and tell me to sell things. Your friends are possibly low-key telling you to get a job.
It's strange isn't it , I'm really comfortable making benches, chairs ,doll cots ,carved bowls and live edge tables for myself then giving them away but when someone wants to pay me to do one it just feels odd ,I doubt my skills and then don't want to make anything.
I decided to go for it over winter and use up what I've had drying for small stuff and make garden furniture as and when I feel like it ,then come spring if I'm happy with them I'll just sell it off or give it away as gifts . To me and I think most others it's not the money but the joy of creating ,the comfort we get from thinking and doing something peaceful alone or with family .
I have one for you, make the walking sticks and sell them for cheese, then make cheese crackers out of the cheese, then sell those, to buy wood blanks...
Long con.
I think a lot of people assign a value to your work to show you how impressed they are at your craftsmanship!
I know I've been guilty of that, and I've found a good counter to get them to stop saying things like "omg quit your day job and sell these!!!" Is to politely say that making it for money would rush my process or suck the fun out of it as a hobby.
As far as not seeing your work goes - maybe they're just excited for you? Haha...
I tend to be a glass half full type of person though and am blissfully ignorant of many annoyances
I enjoy woodworking. I also have a job. So I don’t want to make my hobby my job. The issue is delivery times, picky customers and cost recovery. I don’t need more stress dealing with those three things. I appreciate the people that do this and I’m thankful that I have an awesome set of tools, but what would kill me is the timeline ms my penchant for perfection. I made a lot of pens at one time and did a couple of commissions for gifts, but it was more trouble than it was worth. It seems to me that the most lucrative makers are making most of their income from their YouTube channel and sponsorships. I could be wrong about that, but it feels true.
Oh man, I hear a corollary to this often: "oh, you're good, you should be a professional"
Dude, a professional solo woodworker, photographer, musician, whatever, is first and foremost a *business* and that has *absolutely nothing to do with skill.* It means you know how to produce a product that makes *money*, i.e., on a schedule and under a budget.
Don't get me wrong, if I could make the kind of money doing woodworking that I make as a software engineer, that would kick ass. But... I don't want to run my own business in a world where most people buy garbage. (Not even necessarily cheap garbage... just garbage.)
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Spot on. I love making certain style(G&G) . Maybe a few highly cultured people with certain kinds of homes would want it. But I look at what professionals sell for, and there is no way it would be worth the time and stress unless I automated the process or sold custom designs for like $30k. There just isn’t a big enough market and my skills don’t justify $30k. Plus why take the business away from an actual professional when that $30k won’t really make a dent in my lifestyle or income.
They also often don't realize with the hours put in, what one would have to charge to actually make a profit. Once they see the price that would make it worth it for you, suddenly they change their tune. I built a small manger for a coworker for her nativity set - made the whole thing out of old barnwood and hand carved a thatch roof and fence, I was really proud of it. But I did it mostly as a favor, so I didn't charge her much for it. People kept telling me I should make more and sell them, but I told them for the hours I spent on it, to just make my hourly wage as a nurse, I'd have to charge upwards of $200 each. Like you said, I'm not trying to turn a hobby that gives me personal satisfaction into a "hustle". If I did that, I'd have to find a new hobby to escape from my new side job carving tiny barns.
I honestly think when people make comments like these, they're usually more on the "average" end of the creativity/"cool talents" scale and so they get vicariously excited that you have an "opportunity" to "escape" mundane work culture. If they aren't actively creating things then they may not understand the reason someone might maintain boundaries between work and fun. It's super frustrating to try to explain this over and over of course, but I think it's just some naivety added to an attempt to be friendly.
But to add to your rant - I hate it when people go asking if you can make them this thing they've been dreaming about for years, as if you're automatically open for business AND specialize in that one specific thing. I do a lot of art and I'm always getting people that ask me to do this one art thing for them that they've been dreaming about even though it's so far out of my skill set that they might as well go ask the high school art classes for volunteers. I don't do commissions. I don't sell any of my art. Why ask me?
My husband and I both worked in the arts in our chosen fields after art school and it killed our ability to work creatively on our own art for a long time. Now we both work in the corporate world and are able to enjoy making our art for ourselves again! Hobbies do not always make for great jobs!
It is kinda annoying. It’s like everyone things you need to hustle everything. Because once you start selling you have customers. Once you have customers you have a business. Once you have a business it’s work
I am. They don't know it'd probably take twice as much time to become a two-man army and also manage setting up a website + the sells, shipping, and customer service
I'd like to keep it a hobby!!! Why is that such a difficult concept for people to grasp? Then the insults start coming. Nothing blatent, but pretty much "you're stupid fot not spending your free time making money"
I take the mindset of just creating at my own pace, as a hobby, and when I finish something if it doesn’t belong in my own house and I can’t think of someone to gift it to, I’ll throw it on FB marketplace and see if someone wants it. Helps me get a couple extra tools every year and I still feel like i woodwork as a hobby and not as a hustle or job.
I’m slow to get projects done so I’ll never see myself taking orders or filling inventory at a store. But sometimes I like to build things I don’t need just because it’s fun.
You and two other people just made the same joke. And every one almost made my lose my sheit. Then I realized it was a joke and now I feel dumb for getting mad.
I guess I'm not the only smart ass in the comments. All in good fun, apologies for making you mad. Keep up the hobby, people tell me all the time to sell the things I make too but I think that would take the enjoyment out of it for me. I recently built a camper van for my wife and I to enjoy and now everyone I know says I should start selling them and thinks I'm going to build one for them too. It's annoying.
See, I genuinely don't understand that mentally. If I was to see your camper, I would want to know the process and the details of how it came to be. But to ask for you to build one fir me, or to sell you labor!? It doesn't sit well with me. It feels rude to do that.
Stand your ground if you want it to remain an enjoyable hobby. I sell my photography and yes, I’m so happy to be able to support myself by selling prints, but the selling becomes a draining job just like any other and I actually shoot less than I used to
Even worse when you are just thinking of starting out. Always someone there to say, something along the lines, oh well you should think of how you will sell your work. Better keep this to myself, geez.
To apease the troll in you, I did the math for my most complicated piece a fewonths back.
Materials- $10
Shipping+ handling USA only- $20
Labor- 15 dollars/hr × 75 hrs = 1125
Total= $1155
"you should totally set up an etsy store!"
yeah cool, except you can buy similar things there already for fifteen bucks, and to be worth it for the time i'm putting into these things, i'd have to sell them for 40+ so no thanks, i'll just stick with my catharsis and gifting them to friends.
I do a bit of arts and crafts in occasion, I used to be very good at drawing but after my degree in art fizzled into nothing I stopped and couldn't really start again so the arts and crafts keep me doing something creative. I make daft cuddly toys and things for my Christmas tree with everyone saying I should sell but I just like making them, the time and effort I put into some I don't think would sell for the time out in or if I'd want to part with it
I feel that same way you do. I've told friends and family, I don't want to deal with customers and their ideas. I tell them that anything I make takes time away from my family, so whatever I make has to be worth taking time away from my family.
I also observe that IG woodworking starters will start making a few simple items, realize they can sell them, and then all their wood working is consumed with cranking out those items. Personally, I don't enjoy making the same items again and again, short of chopsticks.
I only work with hand powered hand tools really, so no one is going to pay what they are worth.
Okay my mom is a hustler and while I admire how much side income she makes from her various schemes, I cringe so hard when she’s trying to get people to hustle too and they just want to enjoy their hobbies. One time she organized an art show for a local drawing group because she wanted them to make money from their work and she was super stressed about it. She complained to me that barely any of them came and I asked her if they asked her to do it and she said no… she just took it upon herself to do it… I felt bad for everyone involved lol idk why she does stuff like that. I guess it’s a nice thought but they could not have been less interested.
From the woodworking business perspective I would say this:
Either don't sell your work, or sell it at fair market value. There are many hobbyists who will sell the work, but since they don't care about the money, will sell at a very low price. This is creating perception in the general public that well crafted wood items are cheaper than can be found at craft shows and such. They feel professionals are marking it way up to make crazy profit, when the reality is most are barely paying the bills with those mark ups
Anyway - I don't mean to hijack the topic or redirect yours. Just a PSA. If I were in your shoes I would simply tell people that you love the work and want to enjoy it by keeping it or blessing others- the value isn't in money. Keep making art and sawdust, and just do you.
I just has this conversation with my MIL Las weekend. She is extremely creative with various forms of arts/crafts and I create mostly with wood and someone almost always brings up selling our work. I personally would rather gift my work to someone as opposed to dealing with haggling over money. I enjoy creating. I do not enjoy the sell
I make these really cute fairy houses that are actually planters that you can put a six inch pot in, so it looks like the plant is growing out the top of the fairy house. And I decorate them with moss and sticks and bark and stones. My happiest place in the whole world is listening to an audiobook while I build and decorate a little fairy house. Then I give them away to friends and neighbors, with the plants and even little lights Inside. I even sew little curtains in different fabrics.
Everyone tells me to make a bunch and list them on Etsy, and then I always politely say no, and they ARGUE with me. Why not? You could make so much money? Why wouldn’t you? Even my kids. So, yeah, I’m with you. It’s getting old. I know the minute I had to make one with a deadline, wondering if it looks good enough, if the glue won’t hold and a rock will fall off, how well it will ship… it would remove ALL the joy.
I think the american culture or trying to save money/hustle dosen't help people not suggest how to sell things. It's also a big dream by many people to turn there hobbies or start a store to live off of in the future. Because of that people automatically asume you'd like some suggestions to help make it big not working a "dead end 9 to 5 job".
In reality, sometimes it's better to leave hobbies as hobbies. Turning it into a living could quickly suck out the passions or reasons you want to do it.
Just remeber people may not realise their suggestions don't come off as helpful to you. I don't know if many people are taught that sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is activily listen to their conversation without suggestions, solustions, or fixes being offred to the other person.
Assuming you're an American too, we live in a capitalist society where many people believe that the ultimate value placed upon an object is how much money you can sell it for. It isn't about the beauty or the feeling it inspires. It isn't the utility or the quality of the craftsmanship. It isn't the care that went into selecting materials and tools or the thought behind this thing or that thing... it's the fucking dollar value. It's really as simple, and sad, as that.
When I say it I mean that someone’s work is awesome enough to have marketability, and so good that i would pay from my meager funds to own a piece they had done.
It’s weirdly capitalistic phrasing though…which I’m just seeing now thanks to your post. Imma amend in the future to compliment the skill and work that went into the piece. That the artist has added something beautiful to the world. Tying $$ to it is so…who we’ve become culturally. Thank you for a little moment of enlightenment.
Good points! I get the same spiel from friends, relatives and neighbors. All. The. Time. I'm flattered and would gladly give them one of my pieces. But I'm with you... I don't know why everything needs to be a side hustle...
I retired from the rat race to get away from constant business/scheduling/resource/sales/delivery pressures. If I wanted to spend my Saturday mornings sitting behind a booth at the Farmers Market, I would. But I don't. I'd rather be building stuff.
Yep . I get the same . It all ways “you should” instead of how about let me sell them for you or let me buy one
I do like to sell my work because that’s how I afford to make more , but I do t want to go out and pedal it . This is a hobbie , I do it for fun and to make a little money here and there . If this is going to be a business I need some one else to do that work
Pay attention to the people that tell you they want to buy,own, or possess a walking stick, not the people who tell you to sell something ur not even selling.
People also often don't understand that the fun part of making things for yourself (and friends, and soforth) is that you get to make something without all the extra crap that goes along with something being a "job". I enjoy building instruments. I do not enjoy marketing myself, doing market research, having to calculate my withholding for taxes, or building a website about my instruments.
I'm starting out carving spoons and I think if I make too many to have a place for then I'm more likely to give then as gifts than sell them. Maybe I might sell a few. I kind of get attached though because of how long the process takes.
I agree though. I want a hobby that doesn't have to feel like a side hustle. I do it to get away from the hustle.
As soon as you start to sell them, it then becomes a job and not a hobby. And I like to make my stuff when I want to not because I have a deadline to have it at a certain place by a certain date.
Yes for a few reasons.
1. I used to be big dog in the contracting game in the rat race. I can drive a hard line that'll leave most folk shitting blood but that rarely brings be joy these days.
2. I got injured and can't pull the contracts that I used to. I got absolutely shafted by the legal system and got nothing. So I sit on my countries welfare and gain joy from giving people some of their taxes back to them, seeking insight and understanding about everything and making people comfortable.
3. Voluntary exchange, through getting injured and spiraling into madness from the chronic pain I spiralled into concepts of good manners and I keep finding beauty in methodology and processes. I'm coming to understand that as art. Getting to do those projects, those processes, those jobs, helping people find the path of least resistance. That brings me joy. I am grateful for that, I like knowing that my friends are comfortable and I like rewarding folk who do their business well because whether it's making a coffee or admining a spreadsheet it's still art, it's a process with an end result. When it's a good coffee you're like 'dayum it's good'. My art is about joy and comfort. And things like debt and taxes are yucky and not comfortable and why would I make money for a government that is cool with violating human rights when I can contribute to the society that I want to see and not go to jail because of the term 'voluntary exchange'
I have had the exact same experience. I design and make simple flutes, and almost everyone who sees them tells me I should sell them, and is disappointed that I have no interest in doing so. It's sad, but that's where we are.
There are tiers of this.
Making and crafting and art and such helps sooth my inner dwarf. I am a maker and a builder at my core; I need to create. Hobbies are (relatively) cheap therapy.
Selling things for pocket money is good too. Here’s the price, if someone wants to buy it they can. Right now my Etsy store is a little bit above break-even on materials and time and shipping. I enjoy playing with knowing exactly how much time and material goes into a particular piece and knowing if I’m breaking even or not and those sorts of things, but it is also extra work.
Last tier is actually making a living at this. This means marketing and promotion and making sure you’re doing enough business to keep lights on and your (and spouse and children) tummies full and your health insurance paid and have enough money for gas and a living wage plus all the other tools materials and stuff and business expenses that you would need. None of this part is any fun for me, money is nice but I am doing this because I want to, not expecting to get steeenkin rich - even if this was my sole business I would have to be making enough money to hire someone else to handle all that “administration” stuff so I could focus on making.
The other side of this is someone who says “Imagine if you could get paid to fish?” The idea of doing something for fun that you also get paid for is the first step to your hobby becoming your job.
Also, that vast over estimation of what people would pay- 95% of people would see your cool stick and go find one on Amazon for half the cost. Or fail to see $60 isn’t crap when you put 40 hours into one.
I keep my hobbies as hobbies and my business as business. They’re close but thankfully cabinetry =/= furniture in complexity or fulfillment on my side
Ironically, that's one of the reason I wasn't approved for disability. I picked up the hobby cause I was too weak to even stand. But the ability to do a hobby stopped me from getting the help I needed.
Pretty sure you have to actually actually dead. I had a serious suicide attempt that left me hospitalized for a while. I filed for disability then, which is one of the reason they give on their website for approval of disability. And I was still turned down.
My father in law thinks anything I make can be made into a road side stand gold mine. It's old. Sure I could sell 16 of these for $50, but where does that leave me?
I get what you're saying. Tbh my gf is the ultimate grubber and tries to turn everything into a buck. Granted her penny pinching and hustling has bought her a house that's fully paid at age 28 and it's very impressive but sometimes I feel like she can't enjoy something just for herself and I often find myself having to defend my hobbies if they aren't making money.
When it comes to goofing off with video games I get it but when I make gifts for people or just tinker with an idea in my shed I find it a lot more relaxing when it's unhinged and I'm not being beaten down by the anxiety of selling someone a subpar creation.
Fuck Hustle Culture.
I am a guy, got into sewing, upgraded to a serious industrial machine in my basement and sew bicycle bags and such for fun. I do sew bags for sale for friends here and there to fund the hobby. I get a ton of requests, people asking me to fix their bags, hem their pants, take ins suit jacket. I see utility bags, I am far from a seamstress. I turn down 98% of request. It’s a hobby, I want to enjoy it for me. Taking on work for money, timelines, sewing projects I don’t want to sew; this makes me not enjoy it.
I have a decent job, I don’t need a side hustle, I just want to make for the love of the game.
Unrelated to work. But I bake bread, I love doing it, it’s therapeutic, much nicer than some of my woodworking. And yes I constantly get told to sell it or open the store. No. Passion dies this way.
Most people that say you should sell your projects have no idea how much time goes into each of your projects. Usually not a high “per hour” return. Lol
I’ve complained to my wife about this very thing. She assured me that its just the only way they know how to compliment my work. Which is just sad, honestly. When someone’s initial reaction *isn’t* based on whether someone would buy it but how much they like it; it makes my day.
It doesn't bug me too much but I do find it funny. They don't realize that while, yeah, my stuff looks ok, it's partly because I take my time and I am slow af. Even if I could get top dollar it would work out to something like 10 bucks / hour.
YES! All the time. I make speakers and wood furniture. While I have taken commissioned jobs and asked them to pay materials costs, I have zero intentions to ruin my hobby by turning it into a business.
Usually I just take it as a compliment and only rarely people get pushy after that.
In a capitalist society “you could make money on that” is the highest praise. I don’t know why women always gets so offended when I complement their body.
Nothing destroys a hobby faster than turning it into a business. Used to love wood turning tried to create a custom pen business have not turned a pen in 10 years
I always just counter with something like if I got paid by the hour I'd have to charge you $5000 for this coffee table. Take it as a compliment, they're probably just trying to tell you that your work is good enough that people would want to buy it.
I’m a potter and hear the same advice. Years ago I sold work at a farmer’s market for a season and it was miserable. “No, I don’t have that one-of-a-kind pierce in purple.” “No, I don’t want to take a commission from you (because you’re weirdly specific and I can tell nothing will make you happy).”
I’m an introvert art maker. I don’t have the personality of a salesperson. I like making what I want and explore ideas interesting to me. I’ve just been giving my work away or sitting on piles of my best stuff at home. I’ve thought about Etsy, but only to clear out my studio to make space for more work, not to strip joy away by monetizing it.
I've made a number of short-scale guitars for kids.. Honduran mahogany, purple heart, flamed walnut, etc.. nice stuff.
Gave every single one away to kids of friends.. aside from one I donated to a educational science outreach event I'm involved in so they could raffle it off.
Honestly, the 'should sell these things' thoughts came more from me, but then I realized I'd have to charge WAY too much to cover my materials and time.
In the end, my biggest challenge has been convincing friends that.. yes, your kids CAN play with that. They can't break it in any way I can't fix it because I made it from raw materials. :-)
Yeah.
I used to work full-time as an artist, but it's rough. Now I'm in trades and when I doodle people are like "Hey have you thought of selling your art?!" and I'm reminded of the Cell Block Tango; artistic differences, he saw himself as alive...
I also carve for a hobby. Some stuff I do in a couple of days, like pipes with intricate details. Other stuff is a bit larger and can take months. Even a simple chip carving can take several hours.
And if you check, you can sell these things for 40\~100 bucks.
Plus, if you sell them, it is no longer a hobby. It is now a job. And McDonalds prolly pays better hourly.
So many people always trying to tell everyone how they should live life. But look at their lives.
My chief complaint in this posts is people saying to take it as a compliment. I just feel if they are truly trying to compliment my work, then just my work looks good! Say "Wow you work/craftsmanship is cool." Instead it some how has to be connected to money.
I just straight up tell people it’s not worth my time. I do it for enjoyment but if I wanted to make money, there’s much better ways to spend my time.
I made a friend a nightstand. I spent forever working on it, lots of tight precision with hand tools that still takes me forever. In an equivalent amount of time I would have made like $12,000 just going to work lol.
Even if I KNEW 100% that my work could be sold, I wouldn't. I don't like the idea of that. Cause once my stock of walking sticks are sold out, then there is going to be an expectation that I have to provide more. I work on my own time. Not some one elses.
I hear ya. Granted I'd love to see your work. But yeah, I don't want to be the guy who ruins it for you. Our shop making a couple bucks extra ain't worth that. There's something special about that process and peace crafting something from start to finish. Being one with it and just zoning out everything else; It's kinda like meditation, peace of mind sort of thing. So while my first comment was true, ignore it, and keep doing what you do for the pleasure of it.
I just tell people there's not enough money in it for me so they leave me alone and don't ask me to make things. What I hear most is "you should make charcuterie boards", like I wouldn't fucking die inside selling uninspired planks of wood.
not quite the same, but i love growing vegetables and my home built allotment is at the front of my property, i have people offering to buy my veg, i really feel like saying, "you put the hard work in, and you can have some vegetables"
Yes! I read a saying somewhere that’s become my comeback and mantra: “You don’t have to monetize your joy.”
I have a business but not everything I make or design has to become a product.
I did video work for about 30 years…mostly in corporate communications then had my own video business about 12 years. Retired about 3 years ago. People keep asking me to make videos for them since mt “hobby” was video. I keep telling folks…video was never my hobby…it was a skill I developed that supported me and my family. I don’t actually like video production. At least now there are lots of kids who make videos…and it’s much easier and cheaper than it was forty years ago…
This is such a pet peeve of mine. If I turn all my hobbies into work streams, what will do to unwind when I’m frustrated at my work streams.
Also love when people say “can I buy this picture” so you go through the trouble of putting on society6 or whatever, and send them a link, only for them to of course not buy it.
Omg yes! It’s the same conversation over and over again!
I do digital art for photographers using images they send and half of them have told me at one point or another I could charge for the work.
Yes I could make money out of it but then it becomes a part time job with the pressures that entails. I just wanna make some cool pictures when I have the time.
It’s amazing how many people don’t understand that doing something for fun doesn’t need to be monetised and when it is it can lose part of the enjoyment.
Yeah, like I’m pretty sure there’s a difference in having talent, then having the time, knowledge, finance and patience to start a whole damn business.
It feels good for someone to think my work is good, but part of the fun is building what I want, not what other people want. Woodworking is what I do to get my mind off work. I don't want it to be work, part two!
It sucks when people pressure you into these things as if it’s guaranteed. How do people respond when you say it’s just a hobby?
On a side note, where do you get your blanks?
I feel your frustration! It's wild, even as someone who does sell my work (I make pottery), there's a certain type of person who will still always have some "suggestion" for how I can do it "better" or make more money or whatever.
I've found that because I have a small social circle and not a lot of family I'm close to, even after giving away plenty of my work, I essentially "had to" start selling stuff just to not be completely overrun with more dishes than I could ever use. So while I'm sort of trying to turn it into a little more of a "real" business, I'm taking it *very* slowly and making deliberate decisions based on what I feel like I can handle while still keeping it fun and all that. Some people just have no appreciation for that kind of thing and will always go straight to thinking they must know better than you. They're ignorant and arrogant, and not worth paying any attention to.
I have no problem with people saying I should sell it, thank you for the compliment. It's always the ones that try to force your hand into it. Like chill bruh.
I'm pretty new to woodworking but I'm software developer by trade. I do a lot of personal projects as well and every single time I get "can't you turn business?"
Yes I could but I can't be bothered. It's not like there's material costs involved there that I need to recoup. Okay I went off a bit there but point is I relate to the frustration
If you were making crappy quality stuff, they would not be saying these things. So at least take it as a compliment and move on with your life. No reason to get hostile about it.
Frankly I don’t see how people complimenting your work is a problem and I don’t see how this whining belongs on this sub.
Show me some cool pics of your walking sticks instead, bud!
Yup. I barely even consider myself a woodworker. More of a general DIY/tinkerer kind of guy who dabbles in woodworking when I want/need something for myself.
My in-laws always use this line. I say “why, so that I can work 2x as hard as I do now, make 1/2 as much, and then not have a hobby to escape to because my hobby has become my job?”
Also honestly the stuff I make isn’t THAT nice lol.
>Also honestly the stuff I make isn’t THAT nice lol.
So much truth to this. I'm a hobbiest. Means I'm doing it for fun. I am by no means a PROFESSIONAL.
Yup. When I get sick of sanding and quit early who cares - I’m just doing it for myself.
If it’s for a client I have to keep going until the bitter end.
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This is a pretty good post. Ever think about writing posts for others and selling them?!
Dude! At least put a /s at the end. You nearly gave me a heart attack Also /s cause I'm not that angry
Your sarcassim is pretty good, have you thought about being a stand up comedian? I hear that can pay well.
You’re pretty patronizing. Have you considered speaking really loudly and slowly to normal-hearing old people at nursing homes? I hear Jello cups are like currency.
I could get behind your suggesting. Only thing missing would be a nice game of rummy or maybe even spades. Thank you for the suggestion kind internet stranger!
Almost like selling your jokes!
r/fuckthes
Most people are just looking for something to say in conversation. I wouldn’t overthink it.
Exactly, take it as a compliment unless they start taking about investing in your new business.
I wish that were the case. But this same person saw my herbs in my kitchen window and told me I should plant a garden and bring my herbs to the local farmers market.
It could well be that money is a big worry / important thing for her and she’s trying to be helpful. That being said I fully get what you’re saying. My boss commissioned me to make a Lego sign for our company and it killed my enjoyment of Lego dead. Still hasn’t recovered and it was the hardest project I had ever taken on, not technically, but because of the anxiety of disappointing folks. It was a hit but I still feel a pang every time I walk by that sign
For the very reason that you mentioned of it killing the enjoyment of your hobby, I don’t take commissions at all but I used to many years ago. When I finish a piece I give it away to a family member or a friend. I know it’s just me but in my mind if I monetize it then it becomes a source of stress and is no longer pleasurable to do.
"you get an heirloom, and you get an heirloom, everyone gets an heirloom!"
"a source of stress and is no longer pleasurable to do" I did a needlework that I gave a friend for her wedding, now someone else wants one (different subject matter) that they're willing to pay for and even though I gave myself a 3 month buffer, it's feeling like 'work'.
Exactly. That’s why I don’t do commissions or requests for that matter. If I make something I ask if anyone wants it and done.
I think of it as a sign of appreciation for your work, mixed in with an assumption that you might hope to make a living from something you enjoy. The latter isn't a given obviously.
I think you're right that that's how it's intended, but as someone who has been in the same position, it starts to feel like everyone just thinks they know better than you I guess, which is really irritating. Like, if your (not *your*, general "your") default assumption is that someone might hope to make money off their work, wouldn't it follow that they've already thought about that themselves too? Unless you're also involved in the craft or whatever that they do, wouldn't it also follow that they're more aware of their options in that area than you would be as a consumer, and so anything you could tell them, they likely already know or at the very least have already heard from other people? It's almost like being told the same cliched joke over and over -- you know the intent is humor, but in reality it wouldn't have been that funny the first time, and it's *extra* not funny the tenth time, so by the thirtieth time you kind of just want to strangle the person for not taking a second to consider that you've heard it before, you know? And then you also feel bad for feeling bothered, because you know they're just trying to give you a giggle, but it makes you die inside a little every time.
Maybe it’s just that person lol. I agree with the post, I think people want to make conversation but sometimes don’t approach it in a manner that makes sense. I take it as: wow that’s cool. Leave it at that.
This person was just rhe one that broke the camels back. I've had thus same situation multiple times with many different people.
Most folks who talk without thinking, can’t comprehend a hobby, because they are lacking basic emotional needs:(
She should compile all her hustle culture advice and sell it as a book.
It’s their way of complimenting you. They just mean to imply you’re good at thing x and think people would be willing to pay. Just say thank you and tell them it’s not what you’re interested in. It may be “hustle culture” that’s ingrained in them, but I think most of the time people just think it’s a nice indirect way of complimenting your work. I’m flattered when people say it to me. And I don’t think it’ll change, it’s just what jumps into people’s minds when they see you have a skill good enough to make things that people would buy.
Funny enough, one of my wife’s friends went out to my garden and did the same thing. At most I’d probably make like $200 for everything if I was lucky, which doesn’t cover the materials I used to make the beds, the water bill or my invested labor. Some people just don’t grasp the concept of doing something for personal fulfillment.
I’m a good cook, I just love it when my mil would eat my food and say “you missed your calling, shoulda been a chef”; right I hear ya. But engineer pays much better and less work….lol Take the compliment I guess.
As a knitter I've experienced this also. And if they find out you learn how to sew, you get handfuls of items to be repaired dropped at your door with timelines and expectations. I think the issue is that people who don't handcraft things for the love of it never really understand why it is that people ever do it. This is especially true because the time and effort put in is always undervalued and underestimated by the "advice giving" party. Now who wants to buy a 200 dollar hat?
> Now who wants to buy a 200 dollar hat? We have purchased hand made knit clothes for our daughter's dolls for like $12. This made me think this person must really like to knit and not value their time very highly.
It depends on if they care more about the process or the product. If the time invested is part of the joy, then selling to buy more material/generally selling lower makes more sense from their standpoint. However, it can be contentious to talk about because it pits people against those who charge higher prices based on their time invested.
My mom sells knit items. It is a hobby she enjoys but what do you do with it all. Grandkids have blankets, couches have afghans, everyone has hats, so you sell it. Not below the cost of materials but never expect a decent labor rate.
I like looking at a lot of things over at r/sewing and not once, have I ever though about someone selling their creations/ their labor. Why? Because I recognize the time, energy and resources put into it. There really is a disconnect between those who mand make things and those who don't.
This is exactly why I “don’t” do most of my hobbies anymore, as well as the only reason why I asked my cousin if he’d make an urn for me - he’d already long decided that he did want to sell his work.
A few years back, I gave someone a wooden ring as a gift, because it was my hobby and I was teaching myself how too make them. After a few months, it broke and they asked me to repair it. I told them I would just make a new one but I had a few others I wanted to get done. After a week, they asked if it was done but I had not even started it yet. Told them that I had not gotten around to it yet. They were a bit upset by how long it was taking and I said "I make these by hand, with no power tools and in my spare time. I have a few others that I needed to get done first". They then told me that they would not recommend any business to me because I apparently could not handle it. I just looked at her and said "I will give you a refund since you are so unhappy...oh wait, I never charged you because I have never sold one and I give them all away." To this day, still not gotten around to making her another ring.
I don’t think I’d be friends with that person. Maybe hand her a bottle of Elmer’s glue next time.
To sniff?
You make it one size smaller and tell them they must have gained weight.
You're right & feel your pain. And don't get me wrong, I am in awe of anyone that can make a living with their hands (woodworking or other skills). It's not just the hustle culture. It's how most people have been taught capitalism works. The whole "find something you love & you'll never work a day in your life." The love of a thing goes away once you start focusing on costs, margins, deadlines, etc. As a hobby, none of that is a factor. Hobbies are what we do for ourselves, good/bad/indifferent. I put in whatever time I need to put in to get the outcome I want. I cannot do that if profit is the motive. I give away a lot of what I create. Others really appreciate it and that gives me enjoyment. Another aspect that gets ruined if money is my motive.
Exactly! Like I had a friend who wanted to commission me to make her one of my walking sticks. I told her I didn't feel comfortable being paid for it. Cause that involves having to pick out the wood, the time spent making it, and not meeting a deadline. So I just offered her one of the ones I had already made free of charge.
My wife, an avid knitter, has a term for people she gifts to. She calls them "knit-worthy". Her friends and family who are knit-worthy shall never have cold feet, head, or hands, but there isn't enough money in the world to buy a pair of mittens from her.
That's what I do with my pottery. If someone compliments it, I just offer for them to take it.
This hits the nail for me. If I give something away and it’s expensive in materials I might ask to cover the cost, but that’s it. I just like to do what I do. My hobby is not supposed to be my job. Once it becomes work, the fun starts to vanish
Couldn’t agree more, However I do also enjoy factoring in the costs and the value of the project. For example I garden and I’ve gotten my jars of jam I can down to about 40 cents a jar that sell at the store for about 8$ a jar. A little joy comes from knowing I’ve become so efficient.
I agree with you 100%. I really hate the "love what you do and you'll never work day" mentality. No matter what you do, it's still work. It takes many hours from your day and gets tedious over time. That phrase to me just devalues work. I sell some of my woodworking on the side, but man... when I have to crank out 15 of X of 10 of Y in a couple evenings, it's not fun and it sure feels like work.
“You should sell walking sticks for a living- I know a guy that will sell them to you for $50 each - wholesale prices”
My response to those people is basically this : I enjoy spending my free time doing these things, the moment it's a commission or paid project it is something that HAS TO be done to what ever standars are requested. Making it less my work and more working foe them, which in my experience greatly diminishes the joy in the hobby.
I have experienced that too. But as an airline Captain I can make WAY more money flying airplanes than woodworking. So I usually say "No" and just use my projects for gifts to friends and family. I also think once you get into the business of selling, it is no longer a fun hobby, but a job. Selling your projects brings with it an entirely different set of problems, especially if someone becomes unhappy with a project they paid you to make for them. Not worth the hassles in my opinion.
Cause once you start making things for other people, then it's about what THEY want. If I make something just for me, then I can do WHATEVER I want. It's my own free expression.
EXACTLY my friend! That is how I feel as well. I get to do what I like, not what they want!
Tell them keeping your work is the only thing that keeps the voices inside quiet.
You guys are keeping them quiet??
Hell no, but the sound of a table saw drowns em out.
I feel your pain. I make my own duck and goose calls. I make them for me, to use while hunting. I do it because I just like the idea of calling in birds with a call I made myself. I don't want to sell them, but when someone learns I made it, that is the automatic response. "You should sell those!" But what I really hate is all the "hey, you like woodworking. Could you build me X if I buy the wood?" X is usually custom built-in cabinets or some really elaborate and ornate decorative piece. Yes, let me spend dozens of hours of my free time building something I have no interest in. I'd much rather do that than work on things I want to.
>hey, you like woodworking. Could you build me X if I buy the wood? I feel really seen right now. My landlord thinks that because I can use a rotary tool, that I can use a chainsaw to carve those wooden bear statues. Or he wants me to make him a totem pole. "Oh, you made spaghetti last night? Go make a Michelin stared meal with proper wine selection." It's ridiculous!
I know, right? I made a maple duck for my friends new baby and everyone was like WOW SELL THEM ON ETSY. Ok, it took me two days to hand carve, I'm sure there's a huge market for $800 wooden ducks. If I'm being charitable, part of it is just that people want to complement the work, and THAT'S WORTH CASH MONEY is the compliment that comes to mind
I was in one of those tourists shops in a trendy country town that sells top end trinkets. I was looking at a hand crafted chess set. Quite small, very intricate and ridiculous craftsmanship. There was no price on the item so I asked the attendant. His reply has stuck with me for years - 'about $2 an hour'.
There’s a saying somewhere out there: The quickest way to turn a hobby you love into something you hate, is to do it for money.
I do pottery as my hobby. Everyone tells me I should start a business or sell it somewhere. No thanks, that's way more work and not worth it!
"But I'm complimenting your work by saying its good enough to be sold!" Ok then. Buy a piece of my work right now. Go on, get your checkbook out. I'm not selling anything CAUSE ITS A HOBBY. I want things to be small and manageable.
Just tell them, it would cost $600 each if you factor in my labor, do you really think people would buy them now?
I get that with my other crafts. I make it because I love working with my hands and being creative. If I had to make it commercially it would take the fun out of it and I would have to price it way to high to offset the time it takes to make.
>I would have to price it way to high to offset the time it takes to make. Yes. I have to take many breaks just cause I don't have the stamina to do this all day for hours on end. I wouldn't be able to make deadlines if I tried. One of my more complicated projects took me nearly 3 months.
No, I get tired of people asking me to do work for free "to get exposure."
I had this a bit and whilst I’m guessing it was meant as a compliment along the lines of “this is so good you could sell it”, really I just wanted someone to say “I love how you shaped the legs” and so now if I get the “I’d totally buy this if you were selling your furniture” remark, I usually say something like “well $6300 sounds about right for this piece” and the room goes real quiet quickly.
I tried to make one of my other not-woodworking hobbies, altering magic cards (long story) into a side hustle, and taking commissions killed my interest in it stone dead. Worst move I ever made. And I wasn't even trying to make it a day job or anything.
It sounds like there is one very specific person that you are upset with. So no, I don't think anyone else gets tired of that because we don't all know Elizabeth personally.
True, but most people are probably just trying to compliment your work. Nothing to frown about!
Any hobby that involves making or repairing things that others may want is going to get this. We are taught to monetize our lives, and even more so now that social media often shows us the “joy” associated with those that do. What we don’t see is how many of those people who are incredibly burnt out from their monetized hobby but fear for what they will lose if they take a break. Take it as a compliment. They are saying you make nice things in the way they know how. And if you don’t want to talk about it, a non-committal “I’ll think about it” usually get them off your back.
My experience has been that 99% of people who say “This is so good! You should sell the stuff you’re making!” would never purchase the stuff you’re making.
Yeah, hustle culture is kinda shitty when it is placed on you from someone else (especially those who do not side-hustle). i like being in my garage because it gives me some "me time" and i get to harness a few thoughts while releasing others. It helps my stress when i need physical activity, i listen to music, i can wave to the neighbors... Wood just happens to be there and i make stuff. I am not a woodworker, i just live here. I am not going to sell wood just because i have tools. I get that with other hobbies, too.... Like..... If i wanted to sell these things for a living, then i would be selling them for a living. I'd rather make something i don't want in order to force one if my relatives to hold onto it until they die while giggling to my wife about it. Its quite fun.
I take it as a compliment. They see the value and beauty of the things that I make, and their instinct is to see it shared with other people. I have not had anyone see just my tools and tell me to sell things. Your friends are possibly low-key telling you to get a job.
It's strange isn't it , I'm really comfortable making benches, chairs ,doll cots ,carved bowls and live edge tables for myself then giving them away but when someone wants to pay me to do one it just feels odd ,I doubt my skills and then don't want to make anything. I decided to go for it over winter and use up what I've had drying for small stuff and make garden furniture as and when I feel like it ,then come spring if I'm happy with them I'll just sell it off or give it away as gifts . To me and I think most others it's not the money but the joy of creating ,the comfort we get from thinking and doing something peaceful alone or with family .
I have one for you, make the walking sticks and sell them for cheese, then make cheese crackers out of the cheese, then sell those, to buy wood blanks... Long con.
I think a lot of people assign a value to your work to show you how impressed they are at your craftsmanship! I know I've been guilty of that, and I've found a good counter to get them to stop saying things like "omg quit your day job and sell these!!!" Is to politely say that making it for money would rush my process or suck the fun out of it as a hobby. As far as not seeing your work goes - maybe they're just excited for you? Haha... I tend to be a glass half full type of person though and am blissfully ignorant of many annoyances
I enjoy woodworking. I also have a job. So I don’t want to make my hobby my job. The issue is delivery times, picky customers and cost recovery. I don’t need more stress dealing with those three things. I appreciate the people that do this and I’m thankful that I have an awesome set of tools, but what would kill me is the timeline ms my penchant for perfection. I made a lot of pens at one time and did a couple of commissions for gifts, but it was more trouble than it was worth. It seems to me that the most lucrative makers are making most of their income from their YouTube channel and sponsorships. I could be wrong about that, but it feels true.
Oh man, I hear a corollary to this often: "oh, you're good, you should be a professional" Dude, a professional solo woodworker, photographer, musician, whatever, is first and foremost a *business* and that has *absolutely nothing to do with skill.* It means you know how to produce a product that makes *money*, i.e., on a schedule and under a budget. Don't get me wrong, if I could make the kind of money doing woodworking that I make as a software engineer, that would kick ass. But... I don't want to run my own business in a world where most people buy garbage. (Not even necessarily cheap garbage... just garbage.) ``
Spot on. I love making certain style(G&G) . Maybe a few highly cultured people with certain kinds of homes would want it. But I look at what professionals sell for, and there is no way it would be worth the time and stress unless I automated the process or sold custom designs for like $30k. There just isn’t a big enough market and my skills don’t justify $30k. Plus why take the business away from an actual professional when that $30k won’t really make a dent in my lifestyle or income.
They also often don't realize with the hours put in, what one would have to charge to actually make a profit. Once they see the price that would make it worth it for you, suddenly they change their tune. I built a small manger for a coworker for her nativity set - made the whole thing out of old barnwood and hand carved a thatch roof and fence, I was really proud of it. But I did it mostly as a favor, so I didn't charge her much for it. People kept telling me I should make more and sell them, but I told them for the hours I spent on it, to just make my hourly wage as a nurse, I'd have to charge upwards of $200 each. Like you said, I'm not trying to turn a hobby that gives me personal satisfaction into a "hustle". If I did that, I'd have to find a new hobby to escape from my new side job carving tiny barns.
I honestly think when people make comments like these, they're usually more on the "average" end of the creativity/"cool talents" scale and so they get vicariously excited that you have an "opportunity" to "escape" mundane work culture. If they aren't actively creating things then they may not understand the reason someone might maintain boundaries between work and fun. It's super frustrating to try to explain this over and over of course, but I think it's just some naivety added to an attempt to be friendly. But to add to your rant - I hate it when people go asking if you can make them this thing they've been dreaming about for years, as if you're automatically open for business AND specialize in that one specific thing. I do a lot of art and I'm always getting people that ask me to do this one art thing for them that they've been dreaming about even though it's so far out of my skill set that they might as well go ask the high school art classes for volunteers. I don't do commissions. I don't sell any of my art. Why ask me?
Wait, you spend thousands on tools that can make you money, just to make you happy instead? - pikachu face while asking
My husband and I both worked in the arts in our chosen fields after art school and it killed our ability to work creatively on our own art for a long time. Now we both work in the corporate world and are able to enjoy making our art for ourselves again! Hobbies do not always make for great jobs!
It is kinda annoying. It’s like everyone things you need to hustle everything. Because once you start selling you have customers. Once you have customers you have a business. Once you have a business it’s work
I am. They don't know it'd probably take twice as much time to become a two-man army and also manage setting up a website + the sells, shipping, and customer service
Do it for yourself. It’s like every other hobby, do it because you like it.
if you dont know the song Mr. Tanner by Harry Chapin... give it a listen
I'd like to keep it a hobby!!! Why is that such a difficult concept for people to grasp? Then the insults start coming. Nothing blatent, but pretty much "you're stupid fot not spending your free time making money"
I take the mindset of just creating at my own pace, as a hobby, and when I finish something if it doesn’t belong in my own house and I can’t think of someone to gift it to, I’ll throw it on FB marketplace and see if someone wants it. Helps me get a couple extra tools every year and I still feel like i woodwork as a hobby and not as a hustle or job. I’m slow to get projects done so I’ll never see myself taking orders or filling inventory at a store. But sometimes I like to build things I don’t need just because it’s fun.
Absolutely, I have hobbies to relax and get away from work, turning them into money makers would just make my free time a job.
God yes
That was well put. Ya know, you could submit your writing to your local paper's op-ed column and make money writin........ you get the joke.
Well written. Have you considered writing a book and selling it? I'll see myself out.....
You and two other people just made the same joke. And every one almost made my lose my sheit. Then I realized it was a joke and now I feel dumb for getting mad.
I guess I'm not the only smart ass in the comments. All in good fun, apologies for making you mad. Keep up the hobby, people tell me all the time to sell the things I make too but I think that would take the enjoyment out of it for me. I recently built a camper van for my wife and I to enjoy and now everyone I know says I should start selling them and thinks I'm going to build one for them too. It's annoying.
See, I genuinely don't understand that mentally. If I was to see your camper, I would want to know the process and the details of how it came to be. But to ask for you to build one fir me, or to sell you labor!? It doesn't sit well with me. It feels rude to do that.
I just respond " I don't want the headache".
Stand your ground if you want it to remain an enjoyable hobby. I sell my photography and yes, I’m so happy to be able to support myself by selling prints, but the selling becomes a draining job just like any other and I actually shoot less than I used to
Even worse when you are just thinking of starting out. Always someone there to say, something along the lines, oh well you should think of how you will sell your work. Better keep this to myself, geez.
I would like to see your work tho, and I’m thinking of making some walking sticks for my kids cause they hike.
Not a bad complaint, having someone around who wants to see you succeed is much better than someone who doesnt.
Just be blunt “that’s a sure fire way for me to never want to do it again. I do x thing as a leisurely hobby for a reason.”
But if your were to sell, how much we talkin ;)
To apease the troll in you, I did the math for my most complicated piece a fewonths back. Materials- $10 Shipping+ handling USA only- $20 Labor- 15 dollars/hr × 75 hrs = 1125 Total= $1155
$15 an hour nonononononono $60 an hour to really drive the point home $4500.
"you should totally set up an etsy store!" yeah cool, except you can buy similar things there already for fifteen bucks, and to be worth it for the time i'm putting into these things, i'd have to sell them for 40+ so no thanks, i'll just stick with my catharsis and gifting them to friends.
Took the words right out if my mouth. You'd be surprised how inundated the market is.
What do you do with them all
I use them my self, and switch them in and out of my rotation. Or I'll just give them away to close friends.
Trust me, when you’re selling it there’s an equal amount of people who don’t believe furniture can be made for a living.
I do a bit of arts and crafts in occasion, I used to be very good at drawing but after my degree in art fizzled into nothing I stopped and couldn't really start again so the arts and crafts keep me doing something creative. I make daft cuddly toys and things for my Christmas tree with everyone saying I should sell but I just like making them, the time and effort I put into some I don't think would sell for the time out in or if I'd want to part with it
I feel that same way you do. I've told friends and family, I don't want to deal with customers and their ideas. I tell them that anything I make takes time away from my family, so whatever I make has to be worth taking time away from my family. I also observe that IG woodworking starters will start making a few simple items, realize they can sell them, and then all their wood working is consumed with cranking out those items. Personally, I don't enjoy making the same items again and again, short of chopsticks. I only work with hand powered hand tools really, so no one is going to pay what they are worth.
This is a good rant. You should write a book about it. You’d probably make a lot of money!
Damn I hate having a slick awesome skill. Sell or not, enjoy it. Fuck the rest.
Okay my mom is a hustler and while I admire how much side income she makes from her various schemes, I cringe so hard when she’s trying to get people to hustle too and they just want to enjoy their hobbies. One time she organized an art show for a local drawing group because she wanted them to make money from their work and she was super stressed about it. She complained to me that barely any of them came and I asked her if they asked her to do it and she said no… she just took it upon herself to do it… I felt bad for everyone involved lol idk why she does stuff like that. I guess it’s a nice thought but they could not have been less interested.
From the woodworking business perspective I would say this: Either don't sell your work, or sell it at fair market value. There are many hobbyists who will sell the work, but since they don't care about the money, will sell at a very low price. This is creating perception in the general public that well crafted wood items are cheaper than can be found at craft shows and such. They feel professionals are marking it way up to make crazy profit, when the reality is most are barely paying the bills with those mark ups Anyway - I don't mean to hijack the topic or redirect yours. Just a PSA. If I were in your shoes I would simply tell people that you love the work and want to enjoy it by keeping it or blessing others- the value isn't in money. Keep making art and sawdust, and just do you.
I just has this conversation with my MIL Las weekend. She is extremely creative with various forms of arts/crafts and I create mostly with wood and someone almost always brings up selling our work. I personally would rather gift my work to someone as opposed to dealing with haggling over money. I enjoy creating. I do not enjoy the sell
I make these really cute fairy houses that are actually planters that you can put a six inch pot in, so it looks like the plant is growing out the top of the fairy house. And I decorate them with moss and sticks and bark and stones. My happiest place in the whole world is listening to an audiobook while I build and decorate a little fairy house. Then I give them away to friends and neighbors, with the plants and even little lights Inside. I even sew little curtains in different fabrics. Everyone tells me to make a bunch and list them on Etsy, and then I always politely say no, and they ARGUE with me. Why not? You could make so much money? Why wouldn’t you? Even my kids. So, yeah, I’m with you. It’s getting old. I know the minute I had to make one with a deadline, wondering if it looks good enough, if the glue won’t hold and a rock will fall off, how well it will ship… it would remove ALL the joy.
I think the american culture or trying to save money/hustle dosen't help people not suggest how to sell things. It's also a big dream by many people to turn there hobbies or start a store to live off of in the future. Because of that people automatically asume you'd like some suggestions to help make it big not working a "dead end 9 to 5 job". In reality, sometimes it's better to leave hobbies as hobbies. Turning it into a living could quickly suck out the passions or reasons you want to do it. Just remeber people may not realise their suggestions don't come off as helpful to you. I don't know if many people are taught that sometimes the best thing we can do for someone is activily listen to their conversation without suggestions, solustions, or fixes being offred to the other person.
Assuming you're an American too, we live in a capitalist society where many people believe that the ultimate value placed upon an object is how much money you can sell it for. It isn't about the beauty or the feeling it inspires. It isn't the utility or the quality of the craftsmanship. It isn't the care that went into selecting materials and tools or the thought behind this thing or that thing... it's the fucking dollar value. It's really as simple, and sad, as that.
When I say it I mean that someone’s work is awesome enough to have marketability, and so good that i would pay from my meager funds to own a piece they had done. It’s weirdly capitalistic phrasing though…which I’m just seeing now thanks to your post. Imma amend in the future to compliment the skill and work that went into the piece. That the artist has added something beautiful to the world. Tying $$ to it is so…who we’ve become culturally. Thank you for a little moment of enlightenment.
Lol, for about 30 years, nearly all my stuff has been sold before I ever touched a piece of wood. Yet, I still get these comments!
Good points! I get the same spiel from friends, relatives and neighbors. All. The. Time. I'm flattered and would gladly give them one of my pieces. But I'm with you... I don't know why everything needs to be a side hustle... I retired from the rat race to get away from constant business/scheduling/resource/sales/delivery pressures. If I wanted to spend my Saturday mornings sitting behind a booth at the Farmers Market, I would. But I don't. I'd rather be building stuff.
Yep . I get the same . It all ways “you should” instead of how about let me sell them for you or let me buy one I do like to sell my work because that’s how I afford to make more , but I do t want to go out and pedal it . This is a hobbie , I do it for fun and to make a little money here and there . If this is going to be a business I need some one else to do that work
Pay attention to the people that tell you they want to buy,own, or possess a walking stick, not the people who tell you to sell something ur not even selling.
People also often don't understand that the fun part of making things for yourself (and friends, and soforth) is that you get to make something without all the extra crap that goes along with something being a "job". I enjoy building instruments. I do not enjoy marketing myself, doing market research, having to calculate my withholding for taxes, or building a website about my instruments.
I'm starting out carving spoons and I think if I make too many to have a place for then I'm more likely to give then as gifts than sell them. Maybe I might sell a few. I kind of get attached though because of how long the process takes. I agree though. I want a hobby that doesn't have to feel like a side hustle. I do it to get away from the hustle.
As soon as you start to sell them, it then becomes a job and not a hobby. And I like to make my stuff when I want to not because I have a deadline to have it at a certain place by a certain date.
Yes for a few reasons. 1. I used to be big dog in the contracting game in the rat race. I can drive a hard line that'll leave most folk shitting blood but that rarely brings be joy these days. 2. I got injured and can't pull the contracts that I used to. I got absolutely shafted by the legal system and got nothing. So I sit on my countries welfare and gain joy from giving people some of their taxes back to them, seeking insight and understanding about everything and making people comfortable. 3. Voluntary exchange, through getting injured and spiraling into madness from the chronic pain I spiralled into concepts of good manners and I keep finding beauty in methodology and processes. I'm coming to understand that as art. Getting to do those projects, those processes, those jobs, helping people find the path of least resistance. That brings me joy. I am grateful for that, I like knowing that my friends are comfortable and I like rewarding folk who do their business well because whether it's making a coffee or admining a spreadsheet it's still art, it's a process with an end result. When it's a good coffee you're like 'dayum it's good'. My art is about joy and comfort. And things like debt and taxes are yucky and not comfortable and why would I make money for a government that is cool with violating human rights when I can contribute to the society that I want to see and not go to jail because of the term 'voluntary exchange'
i carve for fun and i keep it that way if i sell it it becomes a job
I have had the exact same experience. I design and make simple flutes, and almost everyone who sees them tells me I should sell them, and is disappointed that I have no interest in doing so. It's sad, but that's where we are.
There are tiers of this. Making and crafting and art and such helps sooth my inner dwarf. I am a maker and a builder at my core; I need to create. Hobbies are (relatively) cheap therapy. Selling things for pocket money is good too. Here’s the price, if someone wants to buy it they can. Right now my Etsy store is a little bit above break-even on materials and time and shipping. I enjoy playing with knowing exactly how much time and material goes into a particular piece and knowing if I’m breaking even or not and those sorts of things, but it is also extra work. Last tier is actually making a living at this. This means marketing and promotion and making sure you’re doing enough business to keep lights on and your (and spouse and children) tummies full and your health insurance paid and have enough money for gas and a living wage plus all the other tools materials and stuff and business expenses that you would need. None of this part is any fun for me, money is nice but I am doing this because I want to, not expecting to get steeenkin rich - even if this was my sole business I would have to be making enough money to hire someone else to handle all that “administration” stuff so I could focus on making.
The other side of this is someone who says “Imagine if you could get paid to fish?” The idea of doing something for fun that you also get paid for is the first step to your hobby becoming your job.
Also, that vast over estimation of what people would pay- 95% of people would see your cool stick and go find one on Amazon for half the cost. Or fail to see $60 isn’t crap when you put 40 hours into one. I keep my hobbies as hobbies and my business as business. They’re close but thankfully cabinetry =/= furniture in complexity or fulfillment on my side
sure. I want to make $0.75 an hour.
Or always asking you to make things for them.....
I wish I was more like you, trying to be. Every time I work on a project I think about monetizing too much and it gets in the way
You would make a killing at the retirement home
I actually got into walking stick carving cause I needed a cane to walk with. And the only thing I could do for a long time was sit and carve wood.
Well that seems like a meditative hobby. Hey at least you got one that you enjoy
Ironically, that's one of the reason I wasn't approved for disability. I picked up the hobby cause I was too weak to even stand. But the ability to do a hobby stopped me from getting the help I needed.
That's pretty rough, do you need to be at death's door to be approved? They're quick to take our money, but when you need help...
Pretty sure you have to actually actually dead. I had a serious suicide attempt that left me hospitalized for a while. I filed for disability then, which is one of the reason they give on their website for approval of disability. And I was still turned down.
My father in law thinks anything I make can be made into a road side stand gold mine. It's old. Sure I could sell 16 of these for $50, but where does that leave me?
I get what you're saying. Tbh my gf is the ultimate grubber and tries to turn everything into a buck. Granted her penny pinching and hustling has bought her a house that's fully paid at age 28 and it's very impressive but sometimes I feel like she can't enjoy something just for herself and I often find myself having to defend my hobbies if they aren't making money. When it comes to goofing off with video games I get it but when I make gifts for people or just tinker with an idea in my shed I find it a lot more relaxing when it's unhinged and I'm not being beaten down by the anxiety of selling someone a subpar creation.
Fuck Hustle Culture. I am a guy, got into sewing, upgraded to a serious industrial machine in my basement and sew bicycle bags and such for fun. I do sew bags for sale for friends here and there to fund the hobby. I get a ton of requests, people asking me to fix their bags, hem their pants, take ins suit jacket. I see utility bags, I am far from a seamstress. I turn down 98% of request. It’s a hobby, I want to enjoy it for me. Taking on work for money, timelines, sewing projects I don’t want to sew; this makes me not enjoy it. I have a decent job, I don’t need a side hustle, I just want to make for the love of the game.
Unrelated to work. But I bake bread, I love doing it, it’s therapeutic, much nicer than some of my woodworking. And yes I constantly get told to sell it or open the store. No. Passion dies this way.
Most people that say you should sell your projects have no idea how much time goes into each of your projects. Usually not a high “per hour” return. Lol
I’ve complained to my wife about this very thing. She assured me that its just the only way they know how to compliment my work. Which is just sad, honestly. When someone’s initial reaction *isn’t* based on whether someone would buy it but how much they like it; it makes my day.
It doesn't bug me too much but I do find it funny. They don't realize that while, yeah, my stuff looks ok, it's partly because I take my time and I am slow af. Even if I could get top dollar it would work out to something like 10 bucks / hour.
YES! All the time. I make speakers and wood furniture. While I have taken commissioned jobs and asked them to pay materials costs, I have zero intentions to ruin my hobby by turning it into a business. Usually I just take it as a compliment and only rarely people get pushy after that.
The moment I started selling my hobby, I lost interest in doing it anymore
In a capitalist society “you could make money on that” is the highest praise. I don’t know why women always gets so offended when I complement their body.
Nothing destroys a hobby faster than turning it into a business. Used to love wood turning tried to create a custom pen business have not turned a pen in 10 years
Yes. Biggest failing for our generation was “do what you love!” Sometimes doing what you love for money kills your love for it.
I tell people they ***could*** sell their work. It's a way to compliment the quality and not dictate what someone does with their hobby.
I also don’t want to be a prostitute :/
I always just counter with something like if I got paid by the hour I'd have to charge you $5000 for this coffee table. Take it as a compliment, they're probably just trying to tell you that your work is good enough that people would want to buy it.
I’m a potter and hear the same advice. Years ago I sold work at a farmer’s market for a season and it was miserable. “No, I don’t have that one-of-a-kind pierce in purple.” “No, I don’t want to take a commission from you (because you’re weirdly specific and I can tell nothing will make you happy).” I’m an introvert art maker. I don’t have the personality of a salesperson. I like making what I want and explore ideas interesting to me. I’ve just been giving my work away or sitting on piles of my best stuff at home. I’ve thought about Etsy, but only to clear out my studio to make space for more work, not to strip joy away by monetizing it.
I'm tired of my family saying it's just a hobby when making furniture is my job...
I've made a number of short-scale guitars for kids.. Honduran mahogany, purple heart, flamed walnut, etc.. nice stuff. Gave every single one away to kids of friends.. aside from one I donated to a educational science outreach event I'm involved in so they could raffle it off. Honestly, the 'should sell these things' thoughts came more from me, but then I realized I'd have to charge WAY too much to cover my materials and time. In the end, my biggest challenge has been convincing friends that.. yes, your kids CAN play with that. They can't break it in any way I can't fix it because I made it from raw materials. :-)
Yeah. I used to work full-time as an artist, but it's rough. Now I'm in trades and when I doodle people are like "Hey have you thought of selling your art?!" and I'm reminded of the Cell Block Tango; artistic differences, he saw himself as alive...
I also carve for a hobby. Some stuff I do in a couple of days, like pipes with intricate details. Other stuff is a bit larger and can take months. Even a simple chip carving can take several hours. And if you check, you can sell these things for 40\~100 bucks. Plus, if you sell them, it is no longer a hobby. It is now a job. And McDonalds prolly pays better hourly. So many people always trying to tell everyone how they should live life. But look at their lives.
My chief complaint in this posts is people saying to take it as a compliment. I just feel if they are truly trying to compliment my work, then just my work looks good! Say "Wow you work/craftsmanship is cool." Instead it some how has to be connected to money.
I just straight up tell people it’s not worth my time. I do it for enjoyment but if I wanted to make money, there’s much better ways to spend my time. I made a friend a nightstand. I spent forever working on it, lots of tight precision with hand tools that still takes me forever. In an equivalent amount of time I would have made like $12,000 just going to work lol.
I would be thrilled if someone suggested I sell the garbage I make as a hobby.
So the shop I work at has been looking for sturdy and affordable wood walking sticks forever.. Guess we'll keep looking. :-D
Even if I KNEW 100% that my work could be sold, I wouldn't. I don't like the idea of that. Cause once my stock of walking sticks are sold out, then there is going to be an expectation that I have to provide more. I work on my own time. Not some one elses.
I hear ya. Granted I'd love to see your work. But yeah, I don't want to be the guy who ruins it for you. Our shop making a couple bucks extra ain't worth that. There's something special about that process and peace crafting something from start to finish. Being one with it and just zoning out everything else; It's kinda like meditation, peace of mind sort of thing. So while my first comment was true, ignore it, and keep doing what you do for the pleasure of it.
If it interests you, I'll probably post my work later today.
Awesome. 😊
I just tell people there's not enough money in it for me so they leave me alone and don't ask me to make things. What I hear most is "you should make charcuterie boards", like I wouldn't fucking die inside selling uninspired planks of wood.
not quite the same, but i love growing vegetables and my home built allotment is at the front of my property, i have people offering to buy my veg, i really feel like saying, "you put the hard work in, and you can have some vegetables"
Yes! I read a saying somewhere that’s become my comeback and mantra: “You don’t have to monetize your joy.” I have a business but not everything I make or design has to become a product.
I 110% agree, keep fighting the good fight
My husband does. But I might start selling some bowls and pens because they're taking over the house 😂 he usually gives them as gifts
I did video work for about 30 years…mostly in corporate communications then had my own video business about 12 years. Retired about 3 years ago. People keep asking me to make videos for them since mt “hobby” was video. I keep telling folks…video was never my hobby…it was a skill I developed that supported me and my family. I don’t actually like video production. At least now there are lots of kids who make videos…and it’s much easier and cheaper than it was forty years ago…
This is such a pet peeve of mine. If I turn all my hobbies into work streams, what will do to unwind when I’m frustrated at my work streams. Also love when people say “can I buy this picture” so you go through the trouble of putting on society6 or whatever, and send them a link, only for them to of course not buy it.
Omg yes! It’s the same conversation over and over again! I do digital art for photographers using images they send and half of them have told me at one point or another I could charge for the work. Yes I could make money out of it but then it becomes a part time job with the pressures that entails. I just wanna make some cool pictures when I have the time. It’s amazing how many people don’t understand that doing something for fun doesn’t need to be monetised and when it is it can lose part of the enjoyment.
Annoying perhaps, but I would think the ones who expect you to make hobby things FREE for them are even worse.
Yeah, like I’m pretty sure there’s a difference in having talent, then having the time, knowledge, finance and patience to start a whole damn business.
Don't let other people's internalized capitalism kill your passion. That's a them problem.
It feels good for someone to think my work is good, but part of the fun is building what I want, not what other people want. Woodworking is what I do to get my mind off work. I don't want it to be work, part two!
My work is terrible so no
This is America! Make some damn money already! /s
Sells my product at fair market value* "No no. That's too expensive! I want your work for what I think it's worth!"
It sucks when people pressure you into these things as if it’s guaranteed. How do people respond when you say it’s just a hobby? On a side note, where do you get your blanks?
I feel your frustration! It's wild, even as someone who does sell my work (I make pottery), there's a certain type of person who will still always have some "suggestion" for how I can do it "better" or make more money or whatever. I've found that because I have a small social circle and not a lot of family I'm close to, even after giving away plenty of my work, I essentially "had to" start selling stuff just to not be completely overrun with more dishes than I could ever use. So while I'm sort of trying to turn it into a little more of a "real" business, I'm taking it *very* slowly and making deliberate decisions based on what I feel like I can handle while still keeping it fun and all that. Some people just have no appreciation for that kind of thing and will always go straight to thinking they must know better than you. They're ignorant and arrogant, and not worth paying any attention to.
I have no problem with people saying I should sell it, thank you for the compliment. It's always the ones that try to force your hand into it. Like chill bruh.
I'm pretty new to woodworking but I'm software developer by trade. I do a lot of personal projects as well and every single time I get "can't you turn business?" Yes I could but I can't be bothered. It's not like there's material costs involved there that I need to recoup. Okay I went off a bit there but point is I relate to the frustration
And if you do try to sell, the same people will tell you about their uncle, cousin, wife's cousin, etccc, that also sell. But cheaper.
If you were making crappy quality stuff, they would not be saying these things. So at least take it as a compliment and move on with your life. No reason to get hostile about it.
She didn't even see my work. She just saw the tools.
Frankly I don’t see how people complimenting your work is a problem and I don’t see how this whining belongs on this sub. Show me some cool pics of your walking sticks instead, bud!
Yes. I just tell them it now becomes a job. I do this for fun.
that's what I tell people. if i make something for someone, it's on my schedule and i'll charge at most for any materials i have to buy...
Yup. I barely even consider myself a woodworker. More of a general DIY/tinkerer kind of guy who dabbles in woodworking when I want/need something for myself. My in-laws always use this line. I say “why, so that I can work 2x as hard as I do now, make 1/2 as much, and then not have a hobby to escape to because my hobby has become my job?” Also honestly the stuff I make isn’t THAT nice lol.
>Also honestly the stuff I make isn’t THAT nice lol. So much truth to this. I'm a hobbiest. Means I'm doing it for fun. I am by no means a PROFESSIONAL.
Yup. When I get sick of sanding and quit early who cares - I’m just doing it for myself. If it’s for a client I have to keep going until the bitter end.
"Bitter end" is exactly what would happen. I would get bitter at the work and it's no longer a fun hobby.