I was selling at a show this weekend. The vendor next to me had her items priced very inexpensively. One of the things she would say to her customers was, "I'm a bargain hunter so I get my supplies cheap and I don't charge for my time." Grrrrr!!! Why wouldn't you charge for your time?!?!? This is one of those things that many of us do as artists. We undervalue ourselves. Maybe we think of our art as a hobby
so it doesn't have value in the marketplace. Or maybe it's that we don't think we are good enough yet. Or maybe we just don't know what to charge. Whatever the reason, we should never think that our time has no value.
Think about this: If I make items from found objects that cost me nothing and I don't charge for my time, then if I use my booth neighbor's thinking I should give my work away for free. Not! Besides, every time an artist undervalues their work, it adds to the public perception that art is only worth the materials that go into producing it. We need to change that attitude. And, we want to be paid what we're worth, right?
Think about this: If I make items from found objects that cost me nothing and I don't charge for my time, then if I use my booth neighbor's thinking I should give my work away for free. Not! Besides, every time an artist undervalues their work, it adds to the public perception that art is only worth the materials that go into producing it. We need to change that attitude. And, we want to be paid what we're worth, right?
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