The Business of Craft

I just finished taking a course last night offered through the PEI Crafts Council and Holland College.  The instructor/facilitator was Michelle MacCallum, a potter from Breadalbane PEI (pronounced Bread- AL -bin, for those who don't know).  The course was ten weeks long and covered the business aspects of running a crafts or fine arts business, because even though we are all artists, we still need to eat!  There was an enormous amount of talent in the room: painters, sculptors, chefs, fine woodworkers, potters, photographers, writers, jewelry artists, etc.  Everyone shared their thoughts and helpful advice with each other.  We learned about copyright, web design, marketing, writing a business plan, taxes, billing, keeping inventory, grants, legal issues, hiring workers, craft and trade shows, etc.  It is so strange that most art school don't offer these kinds of courses.  If artists were taught early on that they would likely be working for themselves and be given the means to make a living doing what they love to do, fewer artists would feel compelled to give up their dreams to make money at something they would rather not do!

Artists shouldn't have to starve.  So much of our daily culture is tied up in images.  Someone has to make these images.  Artists need to learn to make a living making art.  Art is not valued when it is looked upon as just a hobby or past time to fit in when every other bit of "real work" is done.  How many times are artists told to "get a real job."  HURRAY for the PEI Crafts Council for giving this course.  I look forward to taking the next course offered.