She’s Crafty!

I am a crafty person, like Martha Stewart crafty. Over the years I have sewn many skirts, knitted my share of scarves, built bookcases and tables, and up-cycled dozens of garage sale finds. Making two beautiful children along with their own food supply (placentas totally count as creating your own organ!) would be among my top ten creations.

I have struggled, however, over the years to spin my craftiness into gold. If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “Oooh, you should sell those!” maybe I’d be rich by now. I have tried, mind you. As a kid I made painted egg vases; my dad sold them at his office. After college I sold these crazy hand-decorated telephones, hand painted jewelry boxes, and knitted baby hats. I currently (those days are long gone) have a line of rock’n’roll baby tees that I have on a web site I designed and help build, www.weerock.com, but I never made much of a profit on any of it.

I guess the problem is I rule at getting arty and craftsy, but I suck at selling and promoting. It takes a different kind of soul to do that really well. I have only marginal skills in this area—just ask my daughter’s Girl Scout troop during cookie selling season. There is also something very disheartening about putting a painting I worked on for months up for bids, only to watch it collect ebay dust. This may sound self-defeating, but I don’t really see it that way. I absolutely love to make things, and I get the biggest thrill coming up with an idea and seeing it though to the end. Having something come out like I envisioned, and not procrastinating about finishing it, is ultimately the most satisfying thing I can think of.