Woodworking and conventions

[mach]

So here's a thought. I do woodcraft on the side, and I'm now getting pretty good. I've sold a few pieces and made a really nice cherry student shaker style desk for my boyfriend for Christmas

Comments

[thrashbear]

Alrighty, then. Based on my experience, woodworking is still very much a cottage art even withing the furry fandom. You have to have something truly unique and stylish to catch people's attention, an idea that is uniquely yours. That's how I made a name for myself in the furniture gig.

I initially started this because I wanted other people to pay for my passion. That is, rather than me spending my money on projects, other people would order something and I'd learn on their dime. To an extent, this idea works, but I have this tendency to overestimate my resources. Stuff took a lot longer than anticipated because I just had no idea what it really takes until I encountered the situation. And there are a lot of potential situations to encounter in any project.

I came up with my unique pawprint scrolls and woodburnings in 2007 but didn't do much to push them. The furniture thing was taking off and I had to focus on that, and I sort of lost interest. I'm trying to get back into it but lost some of my accessories which I'll have to re-order. Had I focused harder and made a better effort, I'll bet the shirt off my back that woodburned portraiture would be my sole source of income today with more work than I can handle.

You can't manufacture art, each piece is generally a one-off of something special and unique to the customer. There are no making copies and selling prints. Figure that into your pricing.

Diversify. Start off making more than one thing. See what sells better or what you enjoy doing most, then whittle it down (no pun intended) to one or two products you can specialize in.

You mentioned furniture. Make something that appeals to your audience, for example furries will obviously respond to anything anthro- or furry themed. Despite it being a practical piece of furniture, it still needs some sort of decorative art on it in the form of carving, scrollwork, or pyrography to appeal to your market. Shipping furniture can get expensive, though, unless you develop a method to disassemble and flat-pack it for assembly on site. Avoid having to use freight if you can.

Don't lose sight of why you're doing this in the first place: passion. I made the mistake of letting the money get in the way of my joy, and paid the price in turning my dream into a nightmare. I take pride in my work, but there are times when I have to sacrifice my artistic integrity in order to make a living, or sacrifice my bottom line to remain true to my craft. That conflict adds a lot of stress. Sometimes I end up losing money on the deal because I just couldn't give up on making it the best that I am capable of. Other times I hate myself for sending out a piece that didn't meet my standards. This stress is what caused me to retire. Twice.

Don't overcommit. It's easy to overestimate your resources (time, skill, ambition, tools). It's also easy to take on "just one more" project, pushing the others back. I consider my desire to work like a wellspring; there's only so much joy that I can commit to it. Once the wellspring is dry, there's nothing left until it's replenished. If there's more work than I am capable of doing while the wellspring is dry, it turns my passion into a chore.

Get the best tools you can afford. I know, easier said than done when you don't have much money in the first place, and you're building up. I had no idea how much my tools were holding me back because I kept going cheap with them. A bad tool will cause more heartache than you realize.

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