What is it worth?
Aug. 8th, 2004 10:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puppetmakerWe have had the kiss of fall this weekend. The temperature has been very nice with the addition of a nice breeze off of the water. We took Caroline to a playground near the house where she played for over an hour going up and down slides, swinging on the swings, and running around the park. If the weather continues to be this nice, I am taking her back down there this afternoon.
There has been a discussion on one of the puppetry boards recently about what price puppets or what price we might charge for our work. This is a discussion I read with great interest because I have had people balk when I tell them how much a puppet costs. One of the participants said that she stopped making puppets in favor of dolls since she could charge what she thought reasonable for the work she did which she never could get when she was trying to sell puppets. She makes art dolls now and several galleries carry her work. She still makes puppets for her and the company she owns with her husband. I have made puppets for a number of theater over the years. I usually charge materials cost and some for labor. I don’t break down how long it took me to do the puppet against the money I charged because I know it is way below minimum wage. People really don’t have any concept as to what goes into a puppet and why they would cost so much.
I find that costumers have the same problem. On a Harry Potter costuming list someone listed the cost of making very Quidditch outfit . These were lined and she used good materials. She was charging $400 for them. I thought that she was pricing them a bit low considering what the outfit was made of and that it came with a set of pads as well. Someone else on the list ripped her a new one for overcharging and how could she think that anyone would pay that price. A bunch of us who actually costume came right back at the troll and explained both nicely and nasty why we thought she was undercharging for the outfit.
There is a costumer in England who does beautiful recreation work. She has her price list and those who have bought her costumes have said that her work is well worth the money. She is shutting down her shop and after her web site time runs out she will be off the web. She became tired of having to defend the prices she was charging and people telling her that she was ripping people off and she was a bad person. I know there were some internet politics going on that I don’t have all the details on but still it is sad.
Those who make costumes or puppets or dolls or any form or craft or art knows what goes into these projects. There is not only the cost of materials but also the cost of time and knowledge. Someone experience and knowledge is worth something. It is just hard to get others to see that.
There has been a discussion on one of the puppetry boards recently about what price puppets or what price we might charge for our work. This is a discussion I read with great interest because I have had people balk when I tell them how much a puppet costs. One of the participants said that she stopped making puppets in favor of dolls since she could charge what she thought reasonable for the work she did which she never could get when she was trying to sell puppets. She makes art dolls now and several galleries carry her work. She still makes puppets for her and the company she owns with her husband. I have made puppets for a number of theater over the years. I usually charge materials cost and some for labor. I don’t break down how long it took me to do the puppet against the money I charged because I know it is way below minimum wage. People really don’t have any concept as to what goes into a puppet and why they would cost so much.
I find that costumers have the same problem. On a Harry Potter costuming list someone listed the cost of making very Quidditch outfit . These were lined and she used good materials. She was charging $400 for them. I thought that she was pricing them a bit low considering what the outfit was made of and that it came with a set of pads as well. Someone else on the list ripped her a new one for overcharging and how could she think that anyone would pay that price. A bunch of us who actually costume came right back at the troll and explained both nicely and nasty why we thought she was undercharging for the outfit.
There is a costumer in England who does beautiful recreation work. She has her price list and those who have bought her costumes have said that her work is well worth the money. She is shutting down her shop and after her web site time runs out she will be off the web. She became tired of having to defend the prices she was charging and people telling her that she was ripping people off and she was a bad person. I know there were some internet politics going on that I don’t have all the details on but still it is sad.
Those who make costumes or puppets or dolls or any form or craft or art knows what goes into these projects. There is not only the cost of materials but also the cost of time and knowledge. Someone experience and knowledge is worth something. It is just hard to get others to see that.
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Date: 2004-08-09 07:24 pm (UTC)Certainly I can understand wanting to make a living by making beautiful things. It's my dream as well. But I do admit I'm bothered by the idea that beautiful, well-crafted things should be priced out of the reach of many people who would enjoy them. It's a difficult question, and one I can't answer.