What is handmade and how to make money from it

Handmade things are becoming more and more popular, and handmade is less and less perceived as a hobby of bored housewives. These days, needlework is an independent freelance line of work, capable of generating a good income. If you are an excellent knitter or drawer and dream to turn your hobby into a profession, this article is for you. In these difficult times, when people are laid off from their jobs, retirees, mothers taking care of small children apply for unemployment taxes. This is a great help, but on top of that, you can make money from your hobby.

What is handmade?

Since ancient times, people have been making something. At first, it was a necessity, because you had to wear something to eat out of. Subsequently, crafts became a way to feed themselves and their families.

One of the areas of craftsmanship is folk arts and crafts, where things made by skilled craftsmen have not so much practical as an aesthetic and cultural value. The activities referred to as handmade originate from folk applied arts and crafts.

    Handmade are handmade things and the process of making them.

But is a carpenter or a locksmith a handyman? I mean, it’s manual labor. It is believed that said process must necessarily be creative and things must be unique.

If a carpenter makes ten stools a day from the same mold, it can hardly be called handmade. But if he saws by hand a stool with one-of-a-kind carved legs, putting into it a piece of his soul, then yes, he is a handmade master.

In the industrial twentieth century, there was almost no demand for handmade things. Why make something when you can buy it in a store? Interest in needlework only temporarily revived during the total Soviet deficit. Women sewed, knitted, and embroidered en masse to get something to wear and decorate their homes.

In our culture needlework was considered a purely feminine activity, designed to pass the time in the evenings after work. The passion for macrame or beads was not taken seriously. Unlike Western culture, where handmade things are valued a priori and people who create them are considered to be creators.

Handmade is a way to express one’s individuality and show one’s aesthetic vision of the world.

Thanks to the Internet, handmade women are no longer bored housewives but are becoming real businesswomen, not bad at sales and marketing.

Pros and cons of handmade

Like any activity, handmade has its positives and negatives.

The main disadvantage is that consumables and tools are quite expensive. In the beginning handmade requires considerable investment, and it is sometimes difficult to explain to people why some “trinket of two ribbons” costs so much.

However, there are more advantages of handmade goods, and they are much more significant.

• Handmade contributes to the realization of personal creativity. Such work is unlikely to ever get bored and turn into a chore.
• Applied arts and crafts contribute to the development of thinking and fine motor skills. Manual labor fosters patience and accuracy.
• Handmade masters, as a rule, are freelancers, hence they can work from anywhere in the world in a convenient mode.
• Handmade involves continuous self-improvement. Customers need to be surprised by new ideas regularly.
• Constant communication with clients and colleagues contributes to the development of communication skills, and feedback on the work allows an objective assessment of themselves and gives confidence in their abilities.

But perhaps the main advantage of handmade is that it brings a good income. The main thing is to build up a portfolio and get the first orders.

Where to get inspiration

A key role in the popularization of handmade played the Internet. If previously needlewomen had to buy thematic magazines and exchange homemade patterns, now everything is on the Web.

There are many communities on social networks, both on handmade in general and on its areas (patchwork, decoupage, beadwork, and others).

Where to sell your work

The main question plaguing needlewomen who have already had their hands full and are ready to sell their work is, “Where to start?”

If you’ve seriously decided to make money with handmade goods, we recommend making a business plan and registering on specialized marketplaces.

Conclusion

Handmade is just such a field of activity. Handmade is no longer an outlet for bored housewives. This is an interesting business niche with rather fierce competition and high earnings. Thanks to the Internet, handmade is available to any creative person. If only there were a desire!