Roots of an Artisan
“Find something you love to do and you’ll never work again” was a saying my grandfather imparted to me when I was young. I know he probably didn’t coin that expression, but it made an impact on my future job choices and work ethic. As a retired Army nurse and everything he did afterward, Calvin Virgil Bond never shirked a job. He always did the hard thing first. He figured things out as he went, even if he was not trained to do it. Most of the time he got it right.
From around 8 to 14 years old , he would “hire” me to help with the maintenance of the apartment complex he managed or the cemetery he cared for. He was always available for family emergencies, whether dealing with a sewer line invaded by tree roots or suturing a cut (even stopping to wash his hands in between). I was lucky enough to be his helper. Under his tutelage, I learned a variety of skillsthat have come in handy to this day.
Even as a young teen, I decided to always work for myself. I picked berries and apples to sell door to door, shoveled snow from driveways and roofs and washed dishes in restaurants. Regardless of who was paying me for flipping burgers at a fast food joint, joining up cedar planks for sandblasted signs or demonstrating our crafts at a mall show, I learned what I could from each experience and let my work speak to my abilities.
If you are currently working in an intolerable labor situation, do the best you can until you can make the change you need, but always work and learn for yourself.
Turning Skills Into Products
The onslaught of the worldwide covid pandemic closed down the brick and mortar economy in 2020. This terrible virus took so many and has left us all imprinted with issues to this day. Julie and I were in a fortunate position, as we were fully “work-from-home” by then and the lockdown didn’t really change our lifestyle to any noticeable degree.
Some positive results were that people had time to look inward, discovering personal worths, skills and joys.
Service workers and restaurant staff learned to bake.
Builders and transportation workers set up home workshops.
Students learned to work with their hands for the first time on hobbies they were curious about.
When restrictions were finally lifted and businesses started opening back up, many found that they enjoyed the self-motivating freedom of working from home. These newly acquired skills and talents allowed people to be pickier of the jobs they would take. Many have still not returned to their previous occupations.
With today’s internet capabilities (and a little determination) you can share your love worldwide and earn a living with it (or at least receive a passive income). My love is woodworking. So, this blog centers around what I know and have learned about promoting it online.
If your niche is model making, thimble collecting or sports card trading, there will likely be bits of my story that may ease your path to a self-sustained living. At the very minimum, you can at least earn enough to support your hobby habits with a few good internet moves.
Your Ideal Product
If you have suffered me so far, you probably already have an idea of what you want to put out there. The elusive, perfect product is something that you love to do, costs little (or not at all) and something you wouldn’t mind making thousands of, if they virally take off.
When deciding on a product to sell online from home, I naturally concentrated on what I was already familiar with, my free-hand carved wooden names. I already knew the tools and woods. My digits remembered the moves, although I had not done them in years.
In the past, to be successful, we required a fresh turnover of traffic, thus traveling to new locations, setting up our displays and tools to create. The emergence of the internet changed marketing and working strategies. I can now show my woodstuffs to millions of people on a daily basis, offer them for sale and ship worldwide. My tools have a permanent home.
If it weren’t for my love of woodcraft, I would be doing something with my hands and brains, promoting on the internet to earn a living. Sewing, quilting, bonsai, pen turning, miniature modeling, cooking, pottery, stained glass and jewelry are all of interest to me.
Although I am not talented musically, Cigar Box Guitar (CBG) building is fascinating to me. I have built one that actually works and it has a remarkable tone and sustain. I wish I could play it. I see a huge demand and business potential in this art form. There are just so many hours to fill your daily life with. Maybe next time around…
If you are enjoying my writings and wish to buy me a coffee in appreciation, I like it hot and black.
Every Item Will Not Be a Winner
You have to believe in your work and like doing it. I have dropped quite a few of my products after realizing that I didn’t really like doing them or they weren’t coming out as I had hoped. When considering a product to make, my criteria is as follows:
Tooling - Can I produce these with the tools I already own or will it require an investment of new equipment? I was able to restart carving wooden name keychains with less than $500.00.
Material Costs - Costs for supplies and materials must be kept at a minimum. My target material cost for an item must be less than 10% of my target retail price.
Size and Shipping - Ease and uniformity of shipping is a major consideration. I keep my products small, both to fit in my mailbox and to keep postage reasonable. I basically have 4 sizes of packages that I mail out and I can get 10 - 12 packages in my standard residential mailbox.
Time - Like Einstein says, time is relative. My retail prices are determined by how long they take to produce. I use the initial time an item takes to make as a basis for pricing. As you become more proficient at making your craft, you will naturally get quicker at it, thus your bottom line (profit) will grow with speed.
More… on finding your Niche next Monday. Subscribe below to get it sent directly to your inbox.