Idk how much I make an hour cause sometimes I get a lot at once and then nothing for months

[GlamourNNail]

I have mugs that I spent a few dollars on at Walmart and mugs that I spent $50 and $75 on by artists. I use all of them but the expensive ones are art that hold more value to me. The Walmart ones might end up in a giveaway declutter box but the handmade ones will come with me when I move, be cried over if I break them and repaired if possible. The value of those mugs is so much more to me, and the artist, than the time it took to make that one mug. It part of two life stories, the one that led to it's creation and the one that led me to be able to purchase it. The Walmart mug was purchased out of necessity but the handmade mug was purchased out of love.

[thathollyjorge]

Also, pricing per hour when creating is wild. Some days you can be in the flow and make great quality quickly and other days, you have to take more time to achieve the same standard

[electronic_rat]

I feel like some people don't fully grasp how much joy it brings me to pay artists. I usually hate spending money, but I love buying from individuals. I never regret buying from people, I often regret buying from corporations. Maybe it's just bc I'm an artist myself, but I really value the time, knowledge, skill, and just sheer love of the craft that goes into creating, and supporting those things will always be worth the money to me

[minimuffinmug]

That is a great way to price handmade products and a great way to look at it
You are amazing!

[karidru]

I like your outlook. I'm a painter and I think we wind up in a similar place. I usually tell people to charge the amount of money they'd rather have than the thing they want to sell. If your thing sells and you're kinda sad about it, charge more next time, you know? It doesn't matter what everybody else is doing.

[one_smol_duck]

I agree, but I also think this is still decent advice to give people new to selling their art. If you're trying to make a living, you have to understand the value of your own time, and not a lot of people do at first. Figuring out an "hourly" wage to pay yourself helps establish that.

[mythologigi]

As a person with a bachelor's in studio art, the most valuable advice I received for pricing my pieces is to think about what dollar amount would make me feel happy parting with the piece. Obviously, factor in time and materials, but also sentimental value. Art that you create contains a metaphorical fragment of your soul, how much of you did you pour into that piece and how much is that worth?

[thegunn]

real economists would agree with you. price is a just a trade agreement. In a good trade, both parties are happier after it’s complete. If you think that 60$ is worth more to you than your mug, and the buyer thinks the mug is worth more than 60$, both parties are happier after the trade. This is actually how our entire society functions (except healthcare lol)

[KellieHoltrop]

We are also paying for your creativity - time goes into planning your designs too. Plus it takes time to improve your talents and skills. I’m sure you made many things when you first started that weren’t as saleable as the items you create now.

[beetle_dude_]

i love your work so much, stand up for your art and its price :))

[thetableoflegend]

I feel this! I’m a crochet artist and while I don’t sell as my job, I do sell my work.

I can make a lot of my patterns 2-3 times as fast my family. And even at that pace, most people I know wouldn’t view my work as worth it if I priced it even based on materials and federal minimum wage. It’s just to much money for the item.

[Lilypad_qq]

I totally agree. I have a friend who started a crochet business. But she literally learned a few weeks before she started. And she was super slow at it because she was new. So a project that might take a few hours for someone might take a day for her. And it doesn’t make sense then to price her items higher simply because she’s beginner. Or even vice versa; charging lower for someone with more experience simply because they did it faster. In fact, hourly wages never make sense to me due to the same line of logic.

[BriStella]

You made me rethink what I am doing and you are totally right. Thank you for sharing!❤

[simonoliver]

I've enjoyed your work for a while now, I greatly appreciate your whole deal.

[powerpuffever]

Definitely agree that the price per hour of production model doesn’t really work beyond an entry level small buisness. It’s super great to start with when you don’t know where to start but the faster you’re able to produce the same or higher quality than you’ve held should generally increase pricing but it’s hard to explain everything that plays into that rational and especially hard to justify when you see just how variable an artisan’s workflow can be. I finished my first 33x40 landscape painting with about a week’s worth of dedicated painting hours and I love that painting. I knew what I was doing with the composition and it was just one of those times where it didn’t feel like I was struggling to capture what I had planned. On the other hand, a 12x18 garden painting I recently finished has been an agonizing project since early November because I just kept getting stuck in a way I still don’t know how to articulate. The time taken is extremely different but it would take so much more money for me to be willing to part with my large piece where I would probably take $30 to recoup supply costs for the small one because I’m just over it. (It’s probably going to go into a donation set tbh)

[xeniacalabrese]

I love your outlook on things, and I absolutely agree with you. Also, your mugs are absolutely worth the pricing.

[wizard-lizard]

This is so real! I'm a complete amateur artist but have done a few commissions, and I have always thought it's strange to pay yourself by hour, especially since for a lot of tasks you get faster as you get better, so even when your art is more refined you maybe spending less time to make the same piece as you would a year ago. But that shouldn't mean you charge less! And of course you could end up spending the same amount of time on the piece, but add many more details. So if we have to put a price on art, I totally agree that it should be some combination of what it's worth to you to make it, which is going to be different for everyone based on the time, experience, and materials that go into the art!

[MykiiMescal]

i like the work you’re doing and the stuff you said about markets. neat.

[rylandcourtorielle]

I think that’s a very reasonable view. I Have a lot of respect. I would definitely love to support you if you weren’t sold out. All power to ya sis.

[maggpiprime]

These are very good distinctions, and, very good advice.
I've been struggling to figure out how to price my work, and it's been such a hassle.
Glad to know I can base it off of vibes, and have it be valid. 🤗