Have you ever been at a craft fair and have people stop at your stall and admire your work and make a comment like “nice hobby” or how long did that take to make and when you tell them they say “you obviously have a lot of spare time”
Yes we have all heard this or soemthing like this and does it get you mad, sure it does, you are running a business, maybe part time or maybe full time nontheless it’s how your earn your living.
Well my wife, Shalini finally cracked yesterday, she has been patronised enough and it spilled out in a fantastic blog post, it’s written from the heart as you will see when you read it, if it strikes a cord with you please share it with your friends and leave her a comment.
You can find the post here:
http://jewellery-by-shalini.blogspot.com/2011/11/its-not-just-hobby.html
All the best
Dave
Thanks Raja 🙂
I’m not going to let them get me down, but it had to be said. Its soul destroying to get comments like that. Or being told your things are so expensive.
I once actually asked a lady “Would you work for £5.00 an hour?” Silence! An ugly Stare and she stormed off.
But for every person like that there are two genuine people who appreciate the value of hand made and the work that goes into making something. And that’s why its always worth it!
Hi Raja,
this was such a brilliant post Shalini had written and moreover, so true that I just had to help it get exposure.
All the best
Dave
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT, Shalini!!!
There’s SUCH a huge misconception about people in the handmade business – especially if they are self-employed!!! This is true all over the world, actually. Hope this post helps to some extent at least to get people to understand how a craftsperson’s mind works and to respect the fact that self-employed people are often self-employed out of choice!
You just keep going at it, lady. You are very good at what you do, you work amazingly hard and like it – and THAT is what matters! Ditto for all those in the crafts business like you.
If some people don’t understand, that’s THEIR problem. Or as that line goes “tu na pehchaane to hai ye, teri nazron ka qasoor”. Don’t let it become yours by letting it get to you.