Don’t sell your art

[Mari-vkmx]

I totally get this... As a child of a lower income family, whenever i made something as a hobby it always had to be twisted into some sort of business idea or some way we can earn money when i just wanted to make cool things... It definitely killed my motivation

[jackcooper]

I feel like this is a really obvious fix, as an artist myself. Some work you do for money, some work you do for fun. If you've got free time and passion for your art, thats when you can do it just for yourself.

As an added bonus, you can often market it online or show its creation, and get some practical value out of even your "just for me" projects.

[Neopacket]

It's me, I'm one of the people that wanted one. Still have it and love it.

[evansfamily]

Truth! Found this out with my sewing. Even just a few dollars will kill my love for the craft for 6 months or more. I only sew for love. If I sew for you, I love doing it to show love for/to you. Period.

[hopehartman]

I got one of those slab cups and I love it so much!! It’s my favorite shot glass that I own :)

[serenegenerally]

This also applies to posting on social media too when you’re an artist. Don’t just make art just to post it. Have some art where you have no intention on posting! It really is a breath of fresh air

[ariareed]

As a digital artist I 100% agree with you, I about stopped drawing when I was only drawing to earn money, it took me years to relearn my love for drawing

[Hariol_]

The problem is that with how expensive everything is, it's not feasible for a lot of people to have a hobby unless they can also make something back from it.

I love to cook. Unfortunately, food is so expensive right now that I barely do anything more than make rice and eggs a lot of meals. At least since I have to eat to survive, I can play around sometimes and get my cooking fix.

I couldn't even consider having a hobby like pottery or painting just for the sake of it.

[lucypilkington]

I don't know how many times I've said this to someone when I've shown them something I've made, and they say "you should open a shop". No thanks, I like my hobby! I don't want to have to force myself to make things that don't interest me just so I can pay my bills!! I have a job for that!

[soopahfly]

Poverty does not care if you love art or not. You can still do art for creativity sake or pleasure but I wouldn't dissuade a learner from selling their own work. It can also incentivise them to do better because they're actually getting paid for soemthing that's a money pit.

It you have the talent and you make a marketable product, you should support them. You can always give them advice on the pitfalls of comissioned art. Educating them would actually be better because they would learn when to stop or pace themselves when doing art so they can profit from them creatively and monetarily.

I played in a band for 2 years in college. It paid for most of my tuition. We would play three sets a gig, 3 gigs a week at a local club. I still love playing the guitar. I could have played lot more often but I didn't like the lifestyle but still wanted to earn a bit of cash from it.

Moderation is the key.

[zoelleo]

What excites you about pottery might not excite someone else. If some students are excited about the craft because other people want what they made, that may be giving them a sense of pride that they aren’t receiving somewhere else. You are a fulfilled adult at a different stage of life, so you don’t see it the same way as them; selling what they make might be enhancing their interest in pottery for the long term. Dont stifle that.

[Cutie_cuti]

I'm an artist and even in school, I was commissioned by my classmates to make them drawings and paintings and such. That was the moment I knew I wanted to do art and sell it in the future.

[mgrxikh]

I was terrified at first when I decided to pursue art for a living it was my therapy and my hobby I didnt want to hate it. As of December, Itll be 2 years of making my living being an artist and looking back I wouldnt change a thing. Sure Ive made a lot of stuff I probably wouldnt have if it werent for my job and made some art that i didnt like but i learned so much. I learned to experiment and tried things id never considered. I got better at doing a variety of things and ended up discovering styles and different mediums that I never would have if it wasnt for commissions and clients asking for things I hadnt a lot of experience in. I do think it depends on the person though, personally I enjoy the challenge of pushing my ability and growing. I wouldnt have found what I truly liked if it wasnt for that. Am I going to do everything I dislike no but to say making things to sell is going to be something you hate or dislike just because its for other people isnt true for me. Just depends on the artist. The joy I see in people faces when I realized I made their vision come true is worth it. I believe it comes down simply to, do you enjoy the process of making things for others (with intent to sell) or not? For me I do and discovering that for a curious artist is important, otherwise id be working in a service industry job probably miserable. I couldn't ever see my self willingly working a 9-5 office job in a cubicle or back to the food industry again🤞 no shade there I worked it for 5 years before getting my current job. At the end of the day, does it matter if a person makes art they think others would buy if it makes them happy? And for the curious ones, only one way to find out if that makes you happy....

Tldr: do what you love.

[Wrath_of_the_bagel]

i was gonna agree but i was definitely selling art prints on etsy at like 14. I think i can be a good thing to have on the side especially for teenagers looking for some extra money. Doing some commissions from time to time and selling some pieces isn't very difficult. But as a full time commit its definitely something that needs to be reconsidered and well researched before deciding

[Maria_not_Mariah]

EXACTLY. People in art school look at me weird when I say doing art as a job isn't the same as making art you like.

[NaturalLuxury]

Instead of being against them selling work, which is validating, encouraging, and gives young people hope that they can pursue this as a career...maybe try teaching them about ethical selling, about not compromising yourself to sell, about how making things that bring you joy will also bring others joy. Maybe teach them that there are ways to go about making a career, without being a sell-out. This is valuable teaching, instead of stunting their growth or saying things like "if you make this a career, you'll be stuck making things other people like" that is your lived experience, not everyones. Teach about many perspectives and experiences, not just your own.

[ItsYaBoiV]

As someone that makes a living selling art, I just make what I want and people buy it. Something can be both a fun hobby and be lucrative so long as you don't burn yourself out or change what you're doing for others.

[theSheighani]

Beautiful transition!

And yes, there's a reason for the saying around not turning things you love into a career. Once it goes from your choice and control to a grind for a deadline, really ruins it. Unless you're really lucky to have patient clientele/a lot of freedom in what you do.

[robijakus]

Full time art teacher here, now of course i teach fine arts sculpting to be specific not some crafts that tend to be more commercially motivated. But there is nothing wrong with selling something that you didn't especially make for the market. If you made something for your own enjoyment but someone wants to drop the bag on it then go for it nothing wrong with selling stuff.

[MaridoDoFelps]

YES
I started learning to crochet, and I made some cute bunny and bear amigurumis. My mom immediately went on about making some to sell (cause her friend sells stuff online and she would sell them for me), and I was like "yeah sure, if you want me to start absolutely hating crochet in like two months".

I MAY sell some in the future, but only because I got obsessed with doing bunnies and now I do only that. But I'll never make them with the purpose of selling, at max I'll sell the extras I made because I WANTED TO