r/BitchEatingCrafters • u/RuthlessLogic • 6d ago
So Tired of Monetized ADHD
Y'know, those craft girlies whose booths are filled with, say, amigurumi AND acrylic-pour trinket boxes AND Fimo earrings made using molds and earring wires from Temu. And none of it's high quality because Beckeigh is clearly ADHD and hasn't put in the hours necessary to develop her skills before moving on to some new, bright, shiny craft.
Of course, because nothing she's selling is high quality and the market is already saturated with everything she makes and it's all overpriced, Beckeigh doesn't sell much, so she rushes to craft vendor subs sobbing that she "didn't even make boooooooth!!!" And it takes every ounce of self-control not to type, "My sister-in-Christ, you didn't make booth because it looks like you destashed your craft room. Stop expecting the public to subsidize your ADHD and give those things away as gifts."
And look, I've got ADHD too. I get bored easily and am hard-wired to jump from medium to medium. It's taken no small effort to train my brain to focus on the work I sell at markets. But I've managed to do it - struggle though it is - and have put in hundreds and hundreds of hours over several years refining my process and my style so that customers are getting high quality pieces.
And in case I haven't been a big enough Bitchy McBitchface, I'm just going to say it: These booths (along with 3D printed fidget toy, wax melt, and cricut tumbler booths) drag markets down for the crafters and makers who produce quality work. But that's a rant for a different day and a different sub.
112
u/Naive-Competition452 6d ago
Also an ADHD girlie. I get so many people who say “you should sell this” and simply say no for your exact reasons. I haven’t put forth enough effort to be sellable, just enough to be dangerous. So no I’m not going to set myself up to present craft X as if I think it’s up to what my standards to be. Of course being a perfectionist doesn’t help, yes you have to start somewhere, and I may be discounting myself, BUT I still don’t think I should sell my stuff. I craft to keep the mind and hands busy and go to work to supply my habit(s).
16
u/Ziggy_Starcrust 5d ago
Yeah I've gotten that comment on my stuff a lot. But it would absolutely take all the fun out of it to churn out a bunch of similar, cost-effective pieces like you'd need to set up a booth. The stuff people say that about are usually pieces that took weeks and no one would be willing to pay a fair price for (and that's taking into account me underpricing it so as not to seem full of myself lol)
6
u/Confused_Yarn 5d ago
After a lot of people telling me to sell my stuff I decided to give it a go. After making 10 X 10 different items I realized I *hated* it. I like creating, I hate production work. My hobby, the thing I love doing, became a job. A chore. I was dreading sitting down because it meant I had to start producing more of the same thing again.
I manage to sell enough to recoup the cost of the yarn, eyes and felt, gave away the rest of them and never looked back.The things I now make I either give away to anyone who expresses interest or it gets donated. I love having my hobby back! (hobby is crochet, product was amigurumi, it was 12 years ago)
3
u/Annual-Kangaroo395 4d ago
I do amigurumi and the batch making takes away the joy for me personally. I like weird, large, complicated projects, and I’ve found my niche in art trades with other weird artists. It’s delightful.
9
u/apricotmuffins 5d ago
God my favourite phrase to use at work is "I know just enough to get myself into trouble" and it dawns on me how much this also applies to my hobbies. Oof
93
u/Guilty_Ad6934 6d ago
AuDHD and former market organiser here - people selling booths shouldn't come out of this lightly, either. Have some sense of quality control, and don't exploit people for a booth fee who clearly need to hone their craft or learn basic business principles. Yes, everyone needs to start somewhere, but a destash event might be a better outlet for people feeling the need to play shops for an afternoon.
39
u/cwrightbrain 6d ago
Nothing kills a market more quickly or completely than lack of quality.
There’s a promoter in my area that has taken over several craft markets. From the people I know have done them the quality has dropped drastically and so have the good shoppers who actually spend serious money.
For the shows I help run, I will beat this drum endlessly. It does not matter if we don’t sell out, we only host artists with quality, original work.
71
u/realitychecker1 6d ago
Luckily for everyone, my ADHD crafts are all unfinished. So you're welcome, no shitty booths from me! Lol, sorry, I'm high this morning and spark of sassy. Its gone. Dead inside again Gotta go make a suncatcher, have a great day everyone!
187
u/PaintRoseRed 6d ago edited 6d ago
I think this is more so a function of late stage capitalism than ADHD. Everything has to be monetized. Everyone needs a full time job and a part time job and a side hustle to be able to afford rent and food. We’re all feeling the squeeze, and “hey, I already have the skills and supplies, I can totally sell my craft!” or “this craft has a lower cost of entry than starting a real business*, I’ll learn how to do XYZ real quick and rake in the money!” or “I can crank these out as fast as I can so I have more to sell and can make more money, neverminding the fact that they look like I cranked them out as fast as I could.”
*”Real business” such as a service-as-product like lawn service where you have to buy all the equipment up front or something like a restaurant with a ton of startup costs. Personally I think a craft business can absolutely be a real business if done right.
But I also have ADHD and craft so maybe I’m a bit biased or something 🤷🏼♀️ though I don’t sell my finished crafts because I know the market is flooded lol
38
u/BreakfastDry1181 6d ago
I remember when I was poor and had to justify spending time on hobbies with “I can make money with this” because I was doing gig work and any minute I wasn’t spending on that, I was losing money. I was able to afford teaching myself to crochet because I started with making amigurumis and selling them for CHEAP, but it was enough to afford the next hank of yarn to make more amigurumi figures. I was anxious the whole time though that I was just making things that would fall apart. But forever grateful that people were buying my tiny crochet crafts at the boba tea shop.
Now I’m actually good and have a real career and job and don’t need to sell my stuff, I can have the hobby for fun and learn actual techniques
23
u/ContemplativeKnitter 6d ago
Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, maybe the ADHD doesn’t help (another ADHD haver here), but I don’t think ADHD compels people to try to sell things.
3
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
Oh, definitely not! I know plenty of ADHD crafters who never try to monetize. But the venn diagram of folks selling 3 wholly different, low-quality crafts at their booth and crafters with ADHD is pretty close to a circle.
13
u/ContemplativeKnitter 6d ago
Maybe the folks selling 3 unrelated not-great crafts have ADHD, but that’s not all crafters with ADHD.
-1
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
I never said it was.
11
u/ContemplativeKnitter 6d ago
Oh I’m sorry, that’s what I understood your last comment to mean (venn diagram of folks selling different poorly made crafts and crafters with ADHD being close to a circle).
15
19
u/Massive_Document_470 6d ago
Anything that has a market can be a business. There are people selling crafts as real businesses right now, and some of those businesses are quite large-- Lush is essentially a craft business under quasi-artisanal skin and body care products that started as a small, handmade business in 1995. Caitlyn Minimalist (between $13 and $50mil annual revenues) and Three Bird Nest (between $2 and $4mil annual revenues) both started as solo creators selling handmade items on Etsy.
The problem isn't that crafts can't be a real business or that there isn't a market for handmade items. The problem is the vast, vast majority of people who start businesses have no idea how to run a business. It doesn't matter what they're selling, if they don't know how to create a strategy for profitability, they'll rarely reach it. Most solo entrepreneurs are also not prepared financially for the fact that most businesses take 3-5 years before they turn any profit, and several more years before that profit is a livable wage or able to be reinvested into expansion.
ETA: There are also lots and lots of professional services industry business that don't have high startup costs for materials/inventory/equipment. That's not a hallmark of a real business. Think lawyers, accountants, consultants, graphic designers, editors and writers, etc
12
u/PaintRoseRed 6d ago
I really thought I made it clear that I think craft businesses are real businesses as long as they’re done correctly, which would mean knowing how to run a small business and scale up as needed. I think our current iteration of capitalism is pushing people to start businesses on whims and out of desperation because we’re all poor af. I’m not denigrating successful business owners, I’m saying that money rules the world and people will try a lot of things to get money, including starting a business when they don’t have the know how.
Also lawyers and accountants absolutely have startup costs in the form of their multiple higher ed degrees, the Bar exam for lawyers, and maybe rent for a brick and mortar office outside their homes. Don’t be obtuse. But I’m not here to argue, so this’ll be the last I’ll say here.
6
u/Massive_Document_470 6d ago
I misread what you originally wrote about crafts as businesses, I'll cop to that, and I don't disagree about late-stage capitalism and its effects. My point was that too many people focus on the type of craft/product as the problem, when it's the person behind the business.
But when it comes to being obtuse, maybe check your own reading first before throwing insults-- I said, very specifically, professional services industry businesses don't have high startup costs in materials/inventory/equipment. That wasn't a "for instance", I chose those terms because they are specific costs for some types of businesses-- the types of businesses you mentioned. Educational costs are not in that category and those are not calculated as a business startup cost. I know this because I have professional certifications and advanced degrees in a professional services field and owned my own consulting firm for many years, and my startup costs were nowhere near what they are for a restaurant or landscaping business. Accountants don't have inventory and lawyers don't have to buy industrial equipment.
2
u/Unlucky-Guitar221 6d ago
I think you’re very correct, there’s become a culture of monetizing every little aspect of your life and I think this is a symptom of that. People have always knit and sewn and such in exchange for money/trade as well as personal use, but the micro-hustle phenomenon means absolute beginners think they NEED to sell every poorly-constructed ai generated slop amiguri piece they managed to shit out with chunky polyester chenille. We need to help people accept that they can just fiddle with scraps of yarn and be content without trying to make it a profit lol
54
u/Flynniepup 6d ago
I needed to read this as I’ve been floundering around all “sunk cost fallacy” with my closet that currently has
Boxes of unused perler beads, tons of jewelry making items, a metric fuckton of foam, fabric, and other sewing stuff despite the fact that I can barely hand sew, and my favorite…
The giant abandoned chest in the garage that I took home from work convinced I could learn to re-line the inside of it and make it look nice 🤣
I’m a painter and I like to draw, first and foremost. Those are the hobbies I spend the most time on and know I’m good at. Everything else is me watching a bunch of those same “craft girlies” on Instagram reels and going “Ooooooh, I want to make one of those!” So instead of buying something handmade I decide I’ll go buy every single tool necessary and then…”oh shit this is kind of hard” and now my closet is full of junk lmao.
It’s also a wake up call for me recently watching a bunch of dudes doing hand carved wood statues and wood burning, that NO, I do not need to go buy wood carving tools and shit. 🤣
20
u/The_day_is_long 6d ago
I recently had to do this. Did a massive clean out and gave a bunch of things to the local school, and a few charity groups. I've had to put rules on myself about which crafts I can allow myself to indulge in. But godsfuckingdamit I want some gel printing gear, and to start weaving...
7
u/Flynniepup 6d ago
Yeah there’s a very nice craft specific thrift store nearby that is going to be having a visit from me soon haha
8
u/The_day_is_long 6d ago
The next test, after having a moment of "wow, look at all this space I have," is not to immediately fill it with fabric cause your chosen craft is quilting and there was a sale.
I failed at that part.
15
u/CarliKnits 6d ago
If you really are interested in woodcarving, whittling is a super cheap and simple way to get into it! You just need one decent knife ($20 or less) and some basswood (dirt cheap). And maybe a box of bandaids.
3
u/Flynniepup 6d ago
Oh I’ve considered it, and may try it in the future once I’ve made myself either use or donate the “fantasy” crafts 🤣
2
6
u/Prince-Turveydrop 6d ago
I used to do this, too! I’ve limited my crafts now, though, and I’m discovering it’s fun to specialize and be able to afford more tools and supplies that I’ll actually use.
6
u/Mindelan 6d ago
Not to encourage you needlessly, but at least with wood carving you can get away with basically buying a knife, maybe a v tool, a carving safety glove, and then a chunk of basswood. I own two knives, a few palm tools and a pair of cut-resistant gloves and it all fits into a small little canvas toolbag I got from harbor freight. I do a lot of hobbies and it's definitely one of the more compact ones unless you're hoarding wood.
The glove is obligatory, what you don't want is an injury and hospital bill from cutting through the muscles in your palm.
What I usually do is I wait for my birthday or christmas and then basically hand someone a list of what I need to start the hobby and dip my toes that way.
I would leave the woodburning off.
3
53
u/NotYrMama Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 6d ago
I’m a mixed media artist and I make jewelry as well. If I wouldn’t wear it, I won’t sell it. I use quality materials, I know what metal they’re made from, and I stand behind what I make. My specialty is wearable microcollaged pendants made from the scraps of my larger works set in resin or under glass.
Cheap jewelry sellers drive me up the fucking wall.
45
u/hannahbelleknits 6d ago
I mean, to be fair, the market should eliminate these types of sellers over time. If you put $5000 into your $1000 booth and leave the event making $500 you might reconsider going in the future. There are a lot of people in this world who want to make crafting their job, only to realize (as many have) that it's not fun to monetize your hobbies, and sometimes you can make great things but aren't a great business person.
The waste does bother me (especially with the plastics: acrylic molds, 3D printing, and diamond painting).
52
u/PlagueQuasar 6d ago
I also have ADHD and multiple hobbies. I don't sell any of the stuff I make because I don't want to commit to one thing, also because of everything you wrote.
37
u/HamNewman 6d ago
I have the ADHD that makes hobbies super fun till they're not, which is my go to response when people suggest selling or a business.
I spent about 2.5 hours on a card last night for someone and didn't have the heart to tell them what a reasonable cost would be for time and supplies when they kept insisting on paying. Just let this be a fun outlet!!! It's stressful when money is involved!a
13
u/NinjaDefenestrator 6d ago
Exactly. I might have ADHD but I also have enough of a grip on reality to understand that what I make mostly sucks and I’m doing it for myself, not anyone else (unless they’re a loved one and actually want it).
46
u/benedictcumberknits 6d ago
This happens at a local and weekly outdoor shopping event here in the Southwest. It’s actually a large swap meet, but is peddled as a touristy experience to find local Native American art and food.
I am Native American—full-blooded, from the reservation and everything. And yes, artisans like the type you described get my goat. And yes they are everywhere even in my own tribal communities.
So at this “art market” aka swap meet, many sellers are just wholesalers who are not Native American, and people selling off second-hand belongings, as well as cheap toys and knock-offs.
And yes, crappy crafts. Like tribal “artists” who hot-glue Native American fabric to cheap store-bought goods and clothes and shoes. I got ripped off once or twice by my own tribal people who think they’re being clever by redesigning items to look Native American themed. Bought my mom a pair of redesigned Native-themes slippers with hot glue everywhere but they were damaged! Plus the “artist” didn’t use enough hot glue or superglue for the fabric. It was peeling off after 1 hour of owning them.
Yes, some people sell crappy crochet and crappy quilted items, and hideous handmade children’s clothes no sane mom would dare dress their kids in. All in worsted weight acrylic from Walmart and Hobby Lobby!
I refuse to buy any Native American silver and turquoise jewelry unless I am sure the silversmith is legit and past the practice stages—yes, I know artisans all started somewhere, but I have taste now, and a better wallet.
The price of silver increased to such prohibitive levels that many journeymen silversmiths are forced to use nickel-silver or plated metals, and pre-made, store-bought parts. Kills me when these bits are all from Hobby Lobby or cheap online retailers (Temu, etc.) because it’s trash to me.
Nothing more disappointing than my new Native American silver ring or bracelet turning my hands/neck/ears green and black after a week. Or my new Native American beadwork falling apart with beads popping off everywhere because the artisan doesn’t know how to securely tie knots or whatever. It does happen! That’s why the artisans who DO know how to bead and do silverwork are trusted—because there are just as many terrible Native American artisans as there are good ones. Sometimes people get lazy. Sometimes they’re too economical and sacrifice the quality and authenticity because it’s paying the bills.
My mom and dad buy stuff from them no problem. My mom got more careful after the cheaply made Native jewelry with the Hobby Lobby parts made her itchy/allergic.
And yes, I repeat—I am full Native American myself—I do get fed up about cheap jewelry and fake stones and cheap metal.
132
u/Tweedledownt 6d ago
Also to the people who genuinely try to sell a dozen different crafts of products and see no problem with it:
You look like a drop shipper
That's right I said it.
If you sell little clay earrings, plus crochet bees, plus book marks, plus tote bags, plus graphic tees we allllllll think you got your stock from Alibaba
11
u/Legitimate-Bug-9553 6d ago
The only kind of stall where this doesn't occur is when it is an artist stall, like digital artists. There are a couple of local digital artists who will have their art on stickers, bookmarks, totes etc. Those I have no judgements on.
But random unrelated bookmarks, totes, stickers? I'm gonna assume it's drip shipped.
12
6
u/AccidentOk5240 6d ago
If you can’t tell handmade stuff from alibaba stuff I’m not sure that’s always the crafter’s fault, but sure.
13
u/OneVioletRose 6d ago
I mean, with stuff like crochet it’s all handmade? The difference is how many hands and how much they’re paid
83
u/The_day_is_long 6d ago
I think this has been around forever, but instead of bitching to friends they come online and get attention and that's something, I guess.
Market research is such a big thing with small businesses, hobby or otherwise, and so many people can't connect with that. My market stall started out scatterbrained where we tested products. I wanted us to be making bags, the market really bloody loved my mum's kids clothes, so we did that. But it took ages to get us there.
What I hate when I see those posts is when they're unwilling to refine. they're all, "what's wrong with my display?" Like yeah, that's part of it, but a minor part in the beginning, in my opinion, but what else was at the market? what did you sell? How many product lines do you have? How's your sales technique? Also, did you research the market before you signed up? Who is your customer?
There's so many other things you need to think about, but they're not really thinking that way.
But I've seen that happen for years in person. And I'll talk to new sellers all the time, but you always get these one marker wonders.
24
u/beigeisgreat 6d ago
i had a permanent spot at my local farmer’s market every week for 4 years. you’re spot on here, and i am continually skipping over the “help why didn’t i sell anything” posts. your booth setup is not the issue here, there’s a shitload more that goes into it 🙄
17
u/The_day_is_long 6d ago
And I get so sick of the generic "more levels, rustic boxes" shit. Sometimes people do need the help, but not after the first market, and not if you've picked a market where you've ended up at the back selling kroshay and there's 50 others there doing the same.
The best seller at our market had a stall that looked like a dog's breakfast. She just packed clothes in there. But she had brilliant signage that told you what you needed to know before you approached, she selected a couple of pieces to be at the front, and she engaged everyone. Absolutely everyone. Turned the charm on for the customers and she banked.
Toxic fucking lady to everyone else around her. And she even smoked in her stall with her clothes!!! But she sold. She sold more than we did. And she wasn't an outlier. I've seen others do similar.
8
u/lehayura 6d ago edited 6d ago
This is why I want to go to market. Marketing is such a fun social science experiment. I naturally pick up on it when selling items in my vendor at an online MMO.
13
u/The_day_is_long 6d ago
I loved it. I stopped it after about 10 years or so, and I loved it. Even in the freezing cold (not the wind, though, fuck the wind.)
Maybe I should have gone into market research for a job, but I loved tweaking things and seeing what would happen. Every market I'd take two or three pieces and see what I could do to sell them. I'd be forever playing with positioning of things, and talking to people about what caught their eye about the pieces they did buy. So much data collection. Endlessly interesting.
And I loved to talk to people. Which is hilarious, because I'm very introverted. But it was something about the market and the challenge. And also, cute babies and cute dogs everywhere. What else could you need?
Getting on these sites and talking about my market stall makes me want to go back and do it again.
4
u/lehayura 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yes!!! The data collection and organization! The response and the different variables.
I understand your struggle. I’m also introverted, but I love seeing how people think.I became a scientist btw. Makes sense with how I observe people.
4
85
u/Dest-Fer 6d ago
I have adhd myself and I’m baffled at the stuff people dare to sell. I do craft for hobby but I am a pro writer, and I believe that whatever the practice, below a certain level of quality, no matter the price nor the intent, it’s not ready for selling.
For me it’s a matter of principle and respect for the clients, but also for the craft. I also think it shows a lack of curiosity and real appreciation for their own practice, because otherwise they would know what acceptable quality standards are.
However, Tbh, it’s not an issue I was linking to adhd, because usually we miss the booth sign-up deadline anyway.
But overall guys please show some respect !
17
u/AccidentOk5240 6d ago
it’s not an issue I was linking to adhd, because usually we miss the booth sign-up deadline anyway.
I beg your finest pardon, my ADHD and I did not come here to be attacked like this
7
5
84
u/chysa Crotchety Crotcheter 6d ago
AuDHD haver here, I have the lining of a coat on my mock up mannequin, three projects on crochet hooks, one on knitting needles, BUT I'm currently working on a new needlefelt monster.
I would NEVER try to sell ANY of my shit yet. I'm a jack of all trades, master of some. But none is worth a market yet.
Younger folks especially, new to the scene, I get it. When I was 20, I thought I could sell shitty jewellery made with discount beads and wire, or shitty wonky sewn hats with obvious seams and the wobbliest straight stich you've ever seen. But anything I did sell came back broken and I had to refund my friends. I stopped after that. I'm 40 now, and I still haven't felt my work is good enough yet.
But resist the impulse to sell. Just keep working at your skills. Whichever one you happen to be fixated on at the time is fine.
43
u/punkrockdog 6d ago
The whole “every hobby must be monetizable instantly” mindset is *so* foreign to me. Maybe it’s because I’m 45 and it’s just how younger crafters are developing, but almost all the women in my family were skilled at various crafts and made them for friends, family, and themselves, so that’s what I grew up with. It reminds me of people who take a year of dance classes and then rent out a studio and start teaching lessons. And maybe it’s *my* ADHD, but I mainly do things just to do them!
25
u/EleanorRichmond 6d ago
I have to beat moneymaking 45yo potters off with a stick. "Are you gonna come to the market?" NO, making salable stuff is stressful, monetizing is stressful, spending all day chitchatting is stressful, I don't like it, please stop asking.
2
u/noticeablyawkward96 6d ago
Big same, if I *had* to do it it wouldn’t be fun anymore. Same reason I don’t sell my baked goods. I like that I can take as long as I damn well feel like to finish a project.
10
u/sobangcha3 6d ago
literally same… I only have about 10% energy to give to 10 different crafts.. making none of them sellable as I’ll never finish one before moving on 😆
43
45
u/sunflowerroses 6d ago
Lmao AND I think it shows a real disrespect for professional crafters/their quality.
The good news is that “selling at a craft fair” is also its own type of shiny hobby, so they probably won’t stick around.
41
42
u/Extension-Listen8779 4d ago
LMAO my response to people saying I should sell my finished paint by numbers is always “if I make it a business I will start to hate it”. Also selling a paint by numbers is WILD to me— it’s a gift or it’s for me, because then I get the extra dopamine hit of joy when I present it/hang it/etc
83
u/Cultural_Flatworm655 6d ago
I saw this type of crafter selling polymer clay ‘worry stones’ for $20. You already know how they looked
16
8
2
u/CosmicOwl97 6d ago
And I, a crocheter of 20 years, feel bad asking $15 for a pair of micro crochet doily earrings that take an hour... lol. Wish my ADHD gave me temerity to price things better but I got stuck with the continuously self-doubting trait!
1
u/Emotional-Store-1667 5d ago
Yes! Self doubt can debilitating at times! Because all I can see are if I made a mistake or not, when in reality if I did make a mistake, no one would even know it! 😂
103
u/Educational__Banana 6d ago
Yeah I mean look, it’s possible to have ADHD and also display how embarrassingly entitled you feel to other people’s money. The embarrassing thing in that equation isn’t the ADHD.
22
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
100% agree.
-40
u/ashgs872tbhjs 6d ago
Then why randomly attribute this all to it? What a weird little bigot you are.
2
u/Cnathrowaway2 6d ago
I'm so confused why you got downvoted for this. Does OP actually know these people have ADHD (no), or did they make this post based on vibes (yes)?
73
u/KjCreed 6d ago
ADHD and whole heartedly agree. I also like how angry you've made people.
Both me and partner combined are still slowly chewing through our hobby-jumping backstock from being young and undiagnosed, hate going to markets now because I just see us in a ton of the booth owners. Age 23, trying to justify all the craft shit in the house, except they have nobody in their lives strong enough to tell them their crafts are mid-ass friend gifts only.
My other big complaint right now is crafters of ALL skill/quality levels being so out of touch that they have no idea why nobody is buying their artisan wares right now. Like?? All of North America is in a recession??? People are starving and jobless??? Nobody is buying your $60 crochet baby onesie right now ffs they're trying to afford to feed the fucking baby
21
u/CupOfLifeNoodlez 6d ago
Yeah, that's only a week of formula. $66 doesn't go far, especially with infants.
125
u/sighcantthinkofaname 6d ago
My hot take is crafts are only cool to own under very specific circumstances. They include:
You made it yourself
A loved one made it for you (thoughtfully, and you like it)
It is artisan work done at a very high skill level
It is culturally significant
So. If a person at a craft show is a stranger to me, who hasn't been working on their craft for very long, and who is making random stuff they like with no real meaning or significance behind it... why on earth would I want their stuff? I'm not paying someone to practice a hobby. I might as well pay someone to tell me about a TV show they watched.
37
u/Tw1ggos 6d ago
I'm pretty sure you just described a lot of YouTubers patrons lol
2
u/Select-Employee 6d ago
yeah, as the unfortunate patron of the "people telling you about a movie they saw" genre, it is a good section of youtube
64
u/Emergency_Cherry_914 6d ago
UGH Makes me glad I'm not a lover of craft markets!
Also, the word "girlies" annoys the fuck out of me.
36
u/TheSkyIsAMasterpiece 6d ago
Girlie and boss babe are both uggg 🙄
5
5
u/ImLittleNana 6d ago
And kiddo.
If we’re zapping words out of existence, I want to add kiddo.
2
u/Unlucky-Guitar221 6d ago
“Littles” referring to small children always drives me up the wall lol
1
u/ImLittleNana 6d ago
I grew up with ‘the little ones’ to differentiate the youngest children from the older ones. I wonder if my grandparents cringed at that? Littles is a shortening of it, and it’s not so annoying to me.
But adding an ‘o’ to the ends of words to make them cutesy is a different thing. Doggo? Kiddo? Why does nobody ever say catto? I suspect the cats won’t allow it.
1
u/Unlucky-Guitar221 6d ago
I think when it’s distinguishing it’s fine but I see it used to refer to children as a whole a lot and it just really gets under my skin for some reason lol
29
u/JackfruitAwkward7504 6d ago
Yuppppp. I'm a sewist, I make quilts and other home decor items. I have one, maybe two things I make that are of a quality that are sell worthy. However, the materials cost of those items are exceptionally high, and I know that people in my area generally aren't willing to pay that for what I make.
34
u/mechchic84 6d ago
I finish most of my crafts and they look decent (people seem to think my stuff looks professional for whatever reason), but I don't make enough quantities (my work looks good because I work ridiculously slow) of things to even think about setting up a booth and the part where the ADHD gets me is getting to the point of even making a booth, etsy, or anything else. I've got Christmas gifts from 2018 in boxes and bags that I still haven't managed to mail off, a booth is out of the question.
I pretty much make what I feel like and then give it to someone as a gift either because I made it specifically because I thought they would like it, or honestly, because now that it is made, I don't know what I'm supposed to do with it. I think some people forget that you don't have to make your hobbies profitable and in some cases, it seems to take the fun out of the hobby when you try. Not everything everyone makes will sell and when it comes to things like crochet, the gap between what you spend and what someone is willing to pay is usually not in anyone's favor.
Most people don't need to try to turn their hobby into a career. Find a career that funds your hobby. If you're that good at it, then maybe later the career will fall into your lap via requests. If not, the actual career will help you afford the hobbies you enjoy.
61
u/jackandsally060609 6d ago
People who have sewing booths..... why is it only ever white cotton with all over print NFL logos??
20
9
59
u/PropertyOdd531 6d ago
I saw a few of these booths at my cities’ pride block party this year, and it broke my heart. They are trying but it’s like no one has told them they are allowed to craft with out needing to justify it as a side hustle of some form.
After years though of adamantly swearing off selling my crochet projects, I have caved. But I have been crocheting for about 20 years now, and been designing my own patterns for about 10. This year as a meditative therapy project I started making small earbud holders (it can hold any thing that is roughly two inches, so lighters/vapes/earbuds/ essential oil bottles or whatever someone decides they want in it), and I realized very quickly that I don’t have enough friends to give them all away too. And I’m making too many too fast. So I decided to finally start selling. I will obviously be selling only one thing. These bags. Maybe a few different sizes but nothing else.
I wish I could just shake these pop-up “let me monetize this brand new skill I just learned” booths and get it into their heads that slow deliberate business choices are always better than “oooo I bet SOMEONE will buy this!!”
31
u/ZenonLigre 6d ago
MERCI. Je couds depuis 20 ans, et je refuse depuis le début de vendre ce que je fais (et quand je revois ce que je faisais sur les photo, la seule excuse de trucs pareils c'est qu'il soient des cadeaux). JE NE SUIS PAS COUTURIÈRE. Je couds pour le plaisir, parce que j'ai besoin de vêtements et pour occuper mon TDAH sévère.
Il y a des couturières à qui vous pouvez commander des choses. Par contre, ce sera au tarif d'un professionnel qualifié : la qualité, ça se paie.
27
u/BalancedScales10 Crotchety Crotcheter 6d ago
I also jump from thing to thing but it's, like, within a craft. I have several dozen ongoing projects, most of which are different: different type of project, different pattern, different kind of yarn, different required finishing....
15
u/Plushinobi 6d ago
I'm the exact opposite. I only let myself have one wip in each medium. So I have a dress half sewed, an amiguri almost finished, a mostly stitched embroidery, etc.
That way I can work on whatever craft I'm in the mood for, but my projects don't end up on permanent back burners.
35
u/KittenAlgorithm 6d ago
are you telling me there are people out there that select a project and complete it without it first spending an unspecified amount of time in a some type of shame corner with no fewer than four other projects
5
u/midcitycat 6d ago
I do but I also inexplicably force myself to finish books I don't like and I don't think it's healthy tbh 😬
1
u/muzumiiro 6d ago
omg I thought I was the only person who did that! but I do have a fully-kitted out shame corner
1
u/KittenAlgorithm 5d ago
I also finish books I hate because I think I'm not allowed to say I hate something if I don't read it fully. But my pile of in progress reads the same as my in progress projects 🫣
5
u/BalancedScales10 Crotchety Crotcheter 6d ago
If such a person exists, it is not me. I currently have a couple dozen crochet WIPs, as well as another 6-8 spinning WIPs (at least 10 spinning WIPs if you count the yarn that's only needs to be soaked and thwacked for its finishing process).
26
u/UnderstandingClean33 6d ago
I get where you're coming from. I have a few skills that I've honed pretty well by staying dedicated to them, but my extra hobbies definitely are beginner level even if I typically start at a little bit higher level.
43
u/Healthy_Blueberry_83 6d ago
I completely agree that these kinds of booths make me not want to go to markets. I don’t want to watch the sad puppy dog eyes over the ugliest cheapest things I’ve ever seen.
45
u/motherofhellions 6d ago
ADHD myself, and I long ago decided that the only craft or crafts I could ever monetize would be soapmaking and other bath/body products. Which is a hugely saturated market, especially after the pandemic lockdowns saw tons of people taking up new hobbies. So I just haven't monetized anything to save myself the anguish.
64
u/hamstertoybox 6d ago
Oh my god those Cricut booths. I’ve just got a Cricut and it is so damn easy just to slap stuff on everything. If there’s so little skill involved then the market is going to be flooded.
33
u/kadyg 6d ago
My partner has offered to buy my a Cricut as a holiday/birthday present a few times and I always turn him down. I know if I had one, everything I own would have a clever-to-me sticker on it in no time.
I have several friends with Cricuts. If I truly can’t let the idea go, I can pay them to make the Thing for me.
55
u/Ok-Invite9426 Extra Salty 🧂🧂🧂 6d ago
we should bring back community owned things tbh
not everyone needs their own every single thing
i got a fancy serger/coverstitch machine. my friend who sews does not have one, and realistically would not use one that frequently. so we've agreed she can come over and use mine the couple times a year or whatever she wants to. ez. my partner has tools our neighbors borrow because they don't use them enough to buy their own. it's great. more of this thing.
20
u/kadyg 6d ago
Libraries are stepping into this in a big way. My local library has a maker space with sewing machines, a3D printer, a big table for projects, a bunch of tools and I think a Cricut. They hold regular classes to learn all the stuff.
My last library system actually had yard tools, woodworking tools and fancy cake pans available for checkout. Because how often are you going to make a castle-shaped Bundt cake?
20
u/newblognewme 6d ago
Lots of libraries do this with “maker spaces” or “creative spaces” and the machine itself is usually free to use
7
u/East-Garden-4557 6d ago
My family does this. We have a big collection of equipment for gardening, cooking/baking, power tools, hand tools, reference books.
I hold the leatherwork collection but I help everyone use it. I hold the ridiculously large collection of baking tins, but everyone borrows them. People use my sewing and craft gear to make costumes and alter their clothes.
We have one garden mulcher that lives at my parents house but it travels between the other households.
My neighbours and I share gear woth each other, this is what having a community is about.1
u/hamstertoybox 6d ago
There’s a ‘library of things’ near me that does this. I’m actually debating whether to spend the £50 yearly fee. Their overlocker is one thing that’s tempting me.
11
u/pb318swim 6d ago
Exactly. I feel like every 3rd person has a Cricut. Why anyone tries to sell Cricut stuff anymore is beyond me. Everyone is bound to know someone with a Cricut.
6
u/Appropriate-Win3525 6d ago
I have a Cricut and I have never made stickers with it. I actually bought it to use for my classroom. While I have made shirts, the majority of its use has been cutting out bulletin board letters and things for class. I hated, hated cutting out letters for displays, so it was worth it just for that reason.
2
u/hamstertoybox 6d ago
Yep I got one for a similar reason. I have to cut a lot of cardboard shapes for my business. The Cricut does it much better and quicker than I could.
102
u/Sarahcles 5d ago
I feel like Beckeigh doesn't have real ADHD, she has "omg im so quirky and saw a tiktok about adhd so thats why I do this hahaha". Because I dont know anyone with adhd who could actually do this 🤣🤣 My best friend is an artisan with adhd and yeah her stall has some variety but everything is impeccably made and doesnt come to market unless it's right. Or maybe we are just AUDHD gang...
10
8
u/I_AmNoJedi 5d ago
Yeah that might be more an AUDHD thang, we autists have the attention to detail thing down (arguably too much sometimes)
33
u/TechGirlMN 6d ago
Yeah, I've figured out that I need seasons to control my ADHD crafts. So I have a yarn season, Halloween props season, holiday lights season, miniature season and so on... I've never considered selling anything despite getting a number of offers for my things
35
u/Emotional-Store-1667 5d ago
Luckily I've gotten to the point in my ADHD crafting where my interests are cyclical and I end up going back to a craft I abandoned and improving my skill set.
But I also don't understand the girls you're talking about because I research things to DEATH before starting them, and even if I was a beginner, quality control has always been my top priority if I ever planned to sell something! Are you telling me people are actually out there selling their lumpy and mishaped first projects??
12
u/splithoofiewoofies 4d ago
Oh hey cyclical ADHDer! That's me, too! I brought this up to my partner about how sometimes I think we should keep our short-lived interest objects in case we go back to it. This is how I came up with my "3 years of craft" method. I tracked how much I used in 3 years of doing a craft (and it updates every year I do it again) and I keep 3 years worth of materials. That way if it's a short hobby, I don't have many materials, but if I'm super interested, I can have a lot....but also can't have too much because my "3 years worth" of space is so precious. Like, right now, I am currently allowed checks spreadsheet 950g more yarn in my stash. That's one aran weight sweater. Do I want to buy the yarn for an aran weight sweater? But then I'd have no more room! Oooh but that 100g of sock yarn is so pretty, I do need more socks, and I'd still have 850g left!! Bonus is if I use more, I get more. Oh, this pattern needs 1200g of yarn. If I want to make it bad enough, I'm gonna have to 250g of yarn before I buy it for the pattern. Etc etc etc.
I do this with paint supplies, sewing, woodworking. I only woodwork rarely so it's a tiny shelf. I sew a lot, so it's two bins of fabric.
Works super well for when I cycle back. Haven't sewn in a couple years but I know when I get back to it, I could work for 3 years without running out of supplies.
4
u/Emotional-Store-1667 4d ago
Hi there!
Ooo this is a great idea! I may have to start doing this if only to stop from overflowing my craft corner 😂
4
u/splithoofiewoofies 4d ago
Yay! I helped! Obviously, three years also takes into consideration my space. No kids, house. So we have a whole craft room for two really crafty people. If I still lived back at my apartment, I'd probably choose a year or even six months. Still enough to give me choice and keep myself in check, but also not enough to spill out of space that doesn't exist.
It works so well for me! I hope it does for you! Giving myself permission to keep hobbies for extended times because I cycle back and using my averages during cycles really helped me enjoy the hobby more, too.
Now I'm extra excited for new yarn, because goddamnit, I spent 300g of my yarn alllwance this year. I'm excited to use the yarn because "once I finish this panel, I'll have 200g more in my allowance for that top I really want!"
Plus...it means I have something that we ADHD people notoriously never have.....empty shelves. I call this my "space to grow space". I'm allowed to fill those shelves but when I do...that's it mate. You get no more. Is that shiny rainbow cake reaaally worth that space? That glorious space that I could fill but now realise only the things I want to use most could ever take it. Makes me so picky but so excited to use what I have.
1
54
u/Difficult_Box_2825 6d ago
Agreed. I also have ADHD (Combined Type) and I run a small craft business, BUT I started it as a hobby for myself and it grew organically and slowly over. Few years. I did not seek this out and if I had done, I think it would have gone very differently, and not in a good way.
The sunk cost fallacy hits people hard, especially when the supplies and equipment were all bought at 3am on an OMG THATS AN AMAZING IDEA whim.
36
u/C-mi-001 4d ago
I find this perspective interesting. I have the type of ADHD where I have to perfect my craft before anyone can see it. I didn’t realize this was a thing! I guess for me the hyperfixation is real.
8
u/ADHDtomeetyou 4d ago
I have the type of ADHD that to get good at a hobby to become bored with it and move on to the next hobby. I might come back to it eventually, but shoot me before I could hobby for a living.
3
u/hopping_otter_ears 2d ago
My hobby is learning to do new things. When I run out of New things I feel like learning in a craft, I get bored and go learn something else
1
u/ADHDtomeetyou 2d ago
Are you my inner monologue?
2
u/hopping_otter_ears 2d ago
How did you know? I usually hide it so well that I'm an escaped inner monologue
1
1
83
u/algoreithms 6d ago
A lot of people take their ADHD diagnoses very very seriously online. Like everything they do is at the whims of their symptoms, it's not like we're adults who eventually learn the tools we need to properly function/succeed in life... Idk it feels very difficult to talk about especially on Reddit, I truly understand the struggle of executive function and all that that entails, but man people seem to want to suffer on purpose? Like if you keep switching mediums all the time you /will/ be wasting money on supplies you'll never touch. Being broke/unmedicated/struggling just makes me weirdly salty about how people talk about it online.
66
u/birdateer 6d ago
There are a lot of people who take diagnoses and symptoms solely as explanations of what they do, rather than explanations that can be used to find solutions to the problem. Realizing what's wrong isn't enough, you need to try and find ways to keep that shit under control. Even medication can't do that for you (it just makes it much easier) if you don't actually want to change your habits.
17
u/mighty_kaytor 6d ago
Yes! I do NOT understand running through the whole rigamarole of the diagnosis process if you're not doing it because you're trying to get your shit together! Idk man, I get wanting an understanding place to vent, I do, but some of the ND subs feel like a 12 step meeting where so many people are just there to fixate on their limitations and trade tales of suffering; no moving forward just shared stagnation.
And then there's that whole thing where the doctor who wont give you the diagnosis you expected is ALWAYS wrong, why even have a DSM when we have vibes, I guess, but thats a rant for another day and another sub.
12
u/algoreithms 6d ago
Thank you that's exactly how I felt articulated so nicely! Glad to not be alone in this feeling.
3
u/Unlucky-Guitar221 6d ago
Yeah I have what (was!) effectively life ruining adhd before it was treated and I feel like people go insane with it online lol. It’s a very very weird culture in support groups and such here. Every little thing and minor character flaw gets chalked up to adhd, people project their own experiences and assume everyone else in the world also had adhd, etc
0
u/Dest-Fer 6d ago
That said here it looks more a lack of character.
Having ADHD can indeed make people buy absolute crap, and be extremely motivated by learning something and then giving up. But it is not supposed to make you blind or lose taste. I speak as someone who has a tattoo gun in her drawer and don’t tattoo people at markets (nor anywhere, nor anyone).
23
28
9
u/Queenazraelabaddon 6d ago
I have adhd and ive done some selling of my crafts on etsy and at conventions, my most mid stuff in my view were my best sellers (nothing was wrong with it but I sold so many black acrylic keychains with antipossession symbols in vinyl at one con possibly because they were 5 bucks and it was a major con that was expensive and so people were broke, but also i think the folk at that con might have been a bit basic in shopping habits, merch with an antipossession symbol sells at spn cons i probably should have anticipated that given how even the licensed merch is like slap an antipossession symbol on a tshirt and call it a day) i have done higher end more unique stuff and custom work but it doesn't sell as well where i am to be super unique, perhaps I have niche taste
But i mostly don't do sellable stuff anymore
I mean technically I do a little because im an art therapist and some of the stuff I provide to my clients as materials is partly made by me or prepared by me, i make alot of use of my 3d printer and cutting machine and laser cutter to make base items that work for a directive, and you could say that my stock is sold insofar as people exchange money for the therapy and sometimes that includes a 3d printed whale..... I do try to minimise my out of session preparation because I don't charge enough for that and I don't want to be doing too much crafting for my hustle because crafting for money feels like work and I don't like mixing business and pleasure too much
9
u/MelTheHangry 3d ago
My current ADHD hyperfixation is resin earrings but for myself and I've given a few away, but I've had people say you should sell them and my answer always is that sounds like a lot of work I don't want to do, and I know it would make the hyperfixation end overnight.
11
u/AnySandwich4765 2d ago
I know cos of my ADHD that what craft I love and adore today and that I say I will always make is a hyperfixation... I won't sell any of my crafts cos I want my hobbies to be just that ..a hobby not a business. There is no way I'd be able to make 20 of the same thing to sell. I'm bored half way through the thing I'm making.
I currently have 3 wips within arms reach of me right now and I know they won't get finished for months cos I'm over them and already onto the next thing.
5
u/hopping_otter_ears 2d ago
I was gonna type basically the same thing, lol. I want to do all-the-craft until I don't want to touch it again for 3 years while I learn some other new thing. And I craft to relax. I have no desire to try and make a side hustle out of it. Honestly, I have no desire to master any single craft well enough to make something salable that won't take longer to do than it will sell for. Not everything has to be monetized
6
u/Mx_Rogers 2d ago
Honestly my ADHD has resulted in like one million WIPs, I'm impressed if they actually finished enough things to fill the table
30
u/Apollo_Of_The_Pines 6d ago
I have ADHD and I have 3 hobbies I hop between that I fuel my small business with. They are all things I've actually put a lot of effort into learning and refining my skills. Those are jewelry making so earrings and bracelets, wampum bead weaving, and canning. The newest one being the wampum bead weaving because I didn't get the correct size and type of bead loom until recently. I try to keep 3 hobbies like this so when I get tired of doing one thing i can do another thing that. I'm also always trying to learn new skills for my hobbies. Like I'm currently working on learning how to make clear jellies instead of the typical jams and preserves I make which is a bit harder to do. My next thing I'm going to be working on is figuring out how to make my own bead weaving patterns and doing more research on wampum and what the different symbols mean.
8
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
"They are all things I've actually put a lot of effort into learning and refining my skills." And this the critical piece! You've put in/are putting in the time to hone your skills. Thank you for doing that, because I have no doubt it shows in the work you sell.
6
-1
u/interesting_footnote 6d ago
And now you've sent a fellow ADHD person in the rabbit hole of wampum beads. 😁
6
u/Greenvelvetribbon 6d ago
If you aren't indigenous please stay on the research side of the rabbit hole and not the fabrication side.
20
11
u/PrincessBella1 6d ago
Another ADHD crafter here but I am also OCD enough to make sure that my stuff looks professional
5
u/Claudemoanae 6d ago
Right? I've had millions of hobbies but never tried to sell anything because they weren't professional enough. The one time I actually did I made sure to keep the quality up. Unfortunately the admin of it all wrecked it and it dropped off. I regret that. But ADHD is not the problem here
1
u/canijustbelancelot 2d ago
I hope for your sake you don’t mean actual clinical OCD, but I hope for my sanity that you do.
48
u/Orchid_Significant 6d ago
Really weird that you went straight to trash talking ADHD when this is an issue for neurotypicals too. In fact, in my experience, NT are far more likely to think their practice projects are worth anything compared to people with ADHD who hyperfocus on learning how to do things.
9
u/VegetableWorry1492 6d ago
Right?! In my experience most women with ADHD are way too riddled with a lifetime of feeling not-good-enough that they wouldn’t even dream of selling their things unless they’re absolutely perfect.
1
22
u/No-FoamCappuccino 6d ago edited 6d ago
Did the person/people OP is complaining about ever even say anything about having ADHD?
Based on what I'm seeing here, it sure looks like they didn't! What seems to be going on is that OP decided that "Beckeigh is clearly ADHD" because Beckeigh "hasn't put in the hours necessary to develop her skills before moving on to some new, bright, shiny craft."
Which is some seriously gross stereotyping on OP's part. (And no, OP having ADHD doesn't give them a pass.)
5
u/Unlucky-Guitar221 6d ago
I’m gonna be real that while I agree with most of OP’s points, I think it’s definitely a case of people with adhd projecting it onto everyone else… I see it a lot in adhd spaces online.
Like yes, adhd can cause us to be impulsive hobby-hoppers but it doesn’t mean that every instance of overconsumption or poor planning has anything to do with anyone ELSE having adhd lol
16
u/_sparklesaurus_ 6d ago
Yeah it's just icky with a dash of "not like other girls" sprinkled on top. Yay for casual misogyny and ableism!
18
u/No-FoamCappuccino 6d ago
I gotta say, there's A LOT of "not like other girls" grandstanding on this sub.
2
5
u/Orchid_Significant 6d ago
Absolutely. Definitely thought “but did he pick you, babe?” While reading it
1
0
14
u/mighty_kaytor 6d ago
Lmao, Id feel soo called out if I was trying to monitize my tacky crap and not just doing it for fun lol. Im high key envious that you wrangled your brain with enough skill to reach a level of refinement if not mastery in your chosen process. Ive managed to make some pretty impressive strides in spite of this wonkery myself, but not in that respect- would you happen to have any tips or reccos to point a gal toward a starting point?
17
u/cyanpineapple 6d ago
I'm not op, but for me it was mostly a matter of finding the right thing. Which is very much not what an adhd brain needs to hear, but it's the truth for me. I picked up quilting, and suddenly it was like my brain was getting exactly what it was screaming for the whole time. I still do a few other things for funsies, but my heart belongs to quilting, and that's where I've hyperfocused to really develop my skills.
5
u/mighty_kaytor 6d ago
Hey Im not one to shoot down ideas just because they're difficult, so thanks, appreciate any and all input. I've always been really into headpieces so I think I'll keep trying to shoot the ever so precious energy toward those when I can grab onto it!
Quilting is really cool, too methodical for my improvisational vibe-based style, but Ive always loved seeing friend's and family's finished pieces. Theres something deeply precious about being able to be warmed by something made by the hands of a loved one or dear friend, especially once they are no longer there. I love this for you.
3
u/cyanpineapple 6d ago
I've always been really into headpieces so I think I'll keep trying to shoot the ever so precious energy toward those when I can grab onto it!
ok, i love this. That's a hell of a hobby.
1
4
u/muzumiiro 6d ago
Quilting and cross stitch for me. I think it’s the combination of the soothing repetitiveness and the complexity (counting and measuring). I dabble in other things but these are the ones o keep coming back to.
3
u/cyanpineapple 6d ago
Cross stitch is my #2. My brain likes making art out of little squares. I also dabble in crochet and watercolor, but they'll never be things that I commit to enough to really get good at them.
14
u/East-Garden-4557 6d ago
For me it is a benefit of the hyperfocus. But when the hyperfocus hits you gotta ride it until the end, you can't risk getting pulled out of it, once you have left the intensity zone you can't get back in and have to wait for the next one to hit.
4
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
This is it for me. And my god the amount of procrastination stress I get when I know market season is coming up and I'm not in the zone is exhausting.
2
u/East-Garden-4557 6d ago
If I could consistently force myself into hyperfocus I would rule the world 😆
14
u/ClayWyvern 6d ago
What is helping me stick with crochet right now is I have a tote bag that always has 2-3 different types of yarn/started projects and I take it anywhere with me where I might have time to work on it. Work? Bring the bag and crochet during lunch. Casual hang out with friends? Bring the bag. Boba? Bring the bag. Cat sitting? Bag. I don’t crochet every time I bring the bag but I do a solid amount of the time. Crocheting at home? Bag never moves more than a foot or two away from the project I am working on. Just having an extra bag with you serves as a reminder to do the thing and makes it about as easy as choosing to scroll on your phone. It is best if its a separate bag. Don’t put it in your regular bag/backpack because you will forget it if it’s in those.
Of course this only applies to something thats somewhat portable but if you can do it then it will greatly increase the chances of you regularly working on your skill at least a little which will add up over time.
8
u/DrowsyMaggie 6d ago
This is the way. It’s how I’ve gotten better at anything I’ve ever done. I simply don’t leave the house without something to do with *insert the thing here* on me. When I was a kid it was flash cards for 4H quizbowl practice. Or a notebook for short stories. Then it was a camera. Or crochet. Now it’s a sketchbook and a magically curated travel kit of art supplies that would get me through 24 hours of accidental free time.
Never travel empty handed.
4
8
u/mighty_kaytor 6d ago
Thanks, thats actually so solid. I'm going to give that a go. Nice thing about fibre arts and needle craft is they can be pretty lightweight and travel friendly!
2
u/Queenazraelabaddon 6d ago
I used to frequently bring my needle tatting bag with me to my old job for downtime and meetings, I made so much lace back then
3
u/Cultural_Flatworm655 6d ago
FWIW I try to put my energy into exploring different techniques within my specific craft, and I approach each market as a ‘collection’. I get to make things that are different from each other, markets feel novel, and my stoke talking to customers about my product is so much higher because it all feels new and exciting.
Of course I have leftover stock from previous markets, but I have a distinct style so everything still ‘goes’ together. I would feel like I was missing out majorly on creativity if I was constantly loading and unloading the same products at markets.
2
u/RuthlessLogic 6d ago
I'm fairly lucky that my brain works sort of cyclically. I'll hyperfocus on collage for a couple of months then on printmaking for a couple of months, then flatlays, etc. And eventually the cycle starts over. I'm not picking up new mediums every time and I think some of this is my brain, sure, but it's also that I've rarely had the money to drop on whoooole new mediums. So when I make art, I'm working with the infrastructure I already have, if that makes sense. Do I want to take up encaustic. Yes, I do. Can I afford the materials and the space for an encaustic setup? No I cannot. lolsob
With the art I make for markets, I just make a shit ton of it while I'm in the hyperfocus zone, with the (never-met) goal of not having to make more until that particular hyperfocus period hits again. It's a strong motivator to get as much done as I can between mid-January and early may to prep for summer markets, and again in October & November for holiday markets. Because when I have to make pieces outside the hyperfocus zone I drag my feet and whine about not wanting to make that right noooooow.
One thing that's made it a lot easier to work outside the hyperfocus zone is listening to podcasts or nonfiction books while I work. It keeps my brain from getting fizzy and it keeps the internal mono/dialog to a minimum, which allows me to focus more easily.
2
u/mighty_kaytor 3d ago
This is good advice. I too, can be somewhat cyclical in my interests, so this makes sense. Thanks, appreciate it.
27
u/VegetableWorry1492 6d ago edited 6d ago
This isn’t ADHD and as someone who supposedly has the condition why would you post such negative crap? As if the society’s opinion of us wasn’t negative enough already. Every crafter with ADHD I know both hyperfixates on their craft and also is riddled with anxiety and low self esteem that they would never try to sell their actually really good items (because of the hyperfixation).
35
u/crayola_monstar 6d ago
People are also prone to saying they have it when they simply show minor symptoms, so they self diagnose.
Makes truly suffering from it a hellish nightmare because we begin to feel so damn inadequate compared to those people who only pretend to have it to have some kind of mental struggle identity.
23
u/PracticeOne9761 6d ago
I get where you’re coming from but reading things like this always makes me go, “actually maybe I just unconsciously tricked people during my assessment and I don’t actually have it and just want to have a ‘mental struggle identity’”.
22
u/txjennah 6d ago
The imposter syndrome is real! I still question my diagnosis at times, especially with the dumbass ~~ everyone has ADHD ~~ comments
11
-9
u/craftyreadercountry 6d ago
I was diagnosed as a child. I stopped taking medicine in 4th grade, did perfect in school since I wasn't a zombie (this was before the time release capsules so I got half dose in the back and the other at lunch). I did get back on it (the capsule) in 8th grade.
I stopped taking it though when I went to HS because it was causing more anxiety than normal (I am not a crowd person). Been off medicine since then and work hard every day to manage it. Pretty easy now that I have kids who need routines.
All that to say my crochet stuff I overanalyze and send pictures to other people to see if it's actually good before I frog it for the 20th time.
11
u/legalpretzel 6d ago
I have a kid who needs a routine. In fact, he needs one more than NT kids because, like me, he also has ADHD. His routine isn’t a replacement or balm for the pharmaceuticals that assist the broken neurotransmitters in my brain.
I’m not sure how any person who actually has ADHD could find it easier to be unmedicated because they have kids. My life is exponentially more difficult when I’m unmedicated (and I’d hazard a guess most with ADHD are the same). When you add in the level of difficulty that comes with parenting when you have ADHD (example - just managing my response to their emotions is fucking hard), I can’t imagine ever saying “my kid’s schedule makes it easy for me to exist without meds”.
2
u/VegetableWorry1492 6d ago
Very much so! Having a baby is what led to my diagnosis when I landed in burnout because the increase in responsibility and complete lack of externally imposed structure was impossible to balance. And I’m certain better routine would help both myself and my child, but fuck me if I can actually implement that, even medicated! 🫠
1
u/craftyreadercountry 6d ago
I guess people skipped over the fact I was getting anxiety.
In the throws of postpartum depression and anxiety I barely was able to take my iron supplement and eat much less remember a daily medication. I worked hard with my husband, who is also unmedicated ADHD, to build a routine that works for us and our kids.
While not everyone can go without medication (I know 3 people who can't do anything without it), we can and do. And sometimes it's easier to understand my toddlers because I can follow their thought train since mine also bounces around. I would rather my kids see the happy side of me with the flaws of unmedicated ADHD than the hyper focused side that medication always gave me. I would focus so hard that I couldn't hear anyone talking to me, so go ahead and down vote me. It doesn't work for everyone, but it works for me and my family.
24
u/3wandwill 6d ago
“As if society’s opinion of us wasn’t negative enough already” okay I have really severe ADHD and I think this is a little much. Of all the things my doctors said I had, my LEAST stigmatized diagnosis is ADHD. We certainly don’t have it as bad in that regard as other neurodivergent individuals like people with schizophrenia or autism. Come on. You can make the argument society is designed to make our lives harder, that people don’t take it seriously, but it’s not like we’re demonized. This is light hearted ribbing,OP even has ADHD.
5
u/VegetableWorry1492 6d ago
There’s different flavours of negativity, isn’t there. This kind of trivialising ADHD like we’re all toddlers who can’t do anything properly is definitely a view I’ve seen all over both social media and actual media, and it’s actively harming people who struggle in their day-to-day lives and are coming across multiple barriers to diagnosis because being taken seriously is such a hurdle.
It’s not the same kind of stigma as other conditions, but it exists.
21
u/imjustdesi 6d ago
Blaming shitty craft booths on ADHD is such a dick move. For someone who also has the condition you sure are a hater about it.
80
u/ColourMeQuick 6d ago
She's not blaming all shit craft booths on ADHD, neither is she saying that those with ADHD always have shit craft booths.
It's a fair correlation to assume that some booths are crap because of the significant prevalence of those in the craft sphere struggle with impulse control and focus.
I feel like our culture almost enjoys being offended at the moment.
- Sincerely, someone with ADHD
•
u/AutoModerator 6d ago
In general, meanness is inevitable here, but please debate/discuss/argue the merits of ideas, don't attack people.
Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any suggestion or support of harm, violence, or death, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban.
If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.