I am venting. I am venting for myself and on behalf of
everyone who has ever had a talent and tried use that talent to help or completely
support their family. We the crafters,
musicians and small business owners (insert whatever you do if it fits this
rant) around the world are sick and tired of being taken advantage of! (OK or
maybe it’s just me!) I have more than 20 years of experience in developing my “gift”
or “talent” whatever you want to call it. I have put HOURS (also read years) of
practice and learning into my trade. Money into decent quality tools to help my
work be at a professional level. Time, effort and money on upkeep of said
tools. Classes to improve my talent and then to excel at it. I look for quality material’s to use for my
final product so that YOU the user have an item of quality above that which you
can buy at those mega markets of today.
I have use my own 2 GROWN UP hands so that you my customer can be sure
that you have not endorsed child/slave labor in some unknown place at some unknown
time, well hidden from your eyes. SO now I ask you, why do you expect to get a
deal from me because I am your friend or family? Why do you deserve a discount?
Don’t you KNOW how hard I have worked? Haven’t you seen the YEARS of effort I
put into this? And now you degrade me by asking me to “help you out” or “hook
you up”?! And you think this is helping
me along my path? Do you think I would even sleep well at night thinking I was
doing work for you and I was your “charity” case? Would that make me feel accomplished? Why do you think that my work, when done for
you, is worth less?
And to all those starting out … do it the RIGHT way. Put in
the hours/days/weeks/years of practice. Save up and buy those quality tools.
Find someone who is BETTER THEN YOU … help them out in return for them teaching
you. (It’s called mentoring … or a job….) Don’t just see someone’s talent and
say “I can do that too” and then want the same prices as those who put in the
time and effort. Don’t sell yourself off comparable, because you are not (yet).
And when you put forth work and it is NOT (trust me you don’t have the practice
under your belt yet, little grasshopper) I repeat NOT as good quality as a professional,
you cheapen the true artists work. People are less and less willing to pay for
higher quality work because they cannot weed out the “in it for quick money”
from someone with talent. So now we ALL suffer.
People of the world. What is your time to you? Do you think
after 20 years you deserve to make more than minimum wage? Because I think I do.
Newcomer’s, wanna-be’s, impersonator’s (because if you haven’t put in the time
yet your billing yourself as creditable you ARE an imposter – a “posser”). You
all make it so that a person who has done the time can’t make a decent living.
On average my talent makes half of minimum wage. All because you (the people of
the world) compare my work with crap that is spewed for mass consumption, made
with the cheapest materials to be found on the cheapest labor to be found.
Maybe I will start asking clients to show me last year’s
taxes. We will figure out your hourly wage (hey I will even be generous …
hourly wage AFTER taxes) and THAT is what I will charge you. Why should you get
paid anymore an hour for your hard work then me? You really want to go head to
head with me and see who has put more percentage of hours into developing our
skills? I say percentage because since people of the world won’t pay a fair
wage for my talent/art that they want utilize … I have had to work outside
where my talents are, to earn money for food for my family (again at meager
wages). So we are just talking say
Continuing Education for your career. Because I bet I could win …. Let’s say we
do that. You show me your CE hours you put into developing your trade/art/career
… I will give you a discount (based on your salary after taxes) IF I put more
hours into developing my trade/art …. You pay me DOUBLE your hourly wage. OK
off my vent now – I think we just found an equitable fair trade system.
To my family and friends. I love you. I am thankful that you
are in my life. But I am no longer working for nothing. I know you are all
hurting for cash too. I am sorry. My family can no longer sacrifice to give you
a discount. I hope you understand. I may
even have to stop practicing my talent altogether …. One more artist disappearing
into the sunset. As much as I wish I could share the God given talents I have
and continue my craft …. It’s not feeding my family.
