Pricing Your Work (And Worth)

Let’s get real for a few minutes here. When it comes to pricing your art or handmade products, there are no easy answers. In fact, were you to ask 10 different makers what you should charge for a particular job or item, you would likely get 10 different answers.

This is because there is no right or wrong when it comes to pricing your work.

When requesting the services of an artist for a particular job, many people don’t consider all the factors at play. Materials, time and labor, overhead costs, taxes… it’s really not as simple as it appears.

I still remember cringing when people would ask me for my pricing on a particular product or service. Until I stopped allowing myself to do that.

Why? Because every time I lowered my price, low-balled a client, or did something at a discounted rate (unless it was something I really wanted to do,) I was telling myself and others that my work was not worth full price.

It’s embarrassing to admit the amount of times I’ve made little to no profit on a project because I was too afraid to ask for what it was really worth. And I know I’m not alone in this.

Take a gander at Etsy for a moment, and you’ll see a plethora of handmade pieces that range in extremely low prices (in my opinion,) to some that I would consider to be a much more accurate reflection of the actual cost it took to make said item.

Now, I’m not trying to be judgmental here… please hear that is not at all my objective. The point I am trying to make is we need to understand the worth of our work better, as makers, and start charging like we believe it.

The reality of art is it’s handmade. Your handmade work should not cost the same as something you could find at Target - because it’s not from Target.

I know this might sound a little harsh, but I’m tired of receiving emails and messages telling me they could find something much cheaper if they went to… (fill in the blank.)

These comments used to fill me with shame and cause me to question my prices that I had spent so much time establishing in the first place… but you wanna know what my response is now?

“That’s great! You should go to “fill in the blank,” then!”

And then, I shake it off and wait for a client who understands the worth of what they’re paying for.

I know it’s not easy, trust me — I’ve been there. But it does get easier.

Now, I know this doesn’t take into consideration the quality of work (and that’s another post for another day,) but that’s why this is such a grey area. If you just started addressing envelopes as a calligrapher, you probably shouldn’t be charging the same thing as someone who has been doing it for 5 years, and vice versa.

But the bottom line is, only you know what your work is truly worth. And it’s time you started owning it.

If you’re ready to start charging your worth, but need a little extra guidance - make sure you hop on my email list, because I’ve got a great opportunity coming soon for all the creative entrepreneurs!

I hope you’re encouraged to own your worth, and keep workin that dream!

Xoxo,

Amanda