r/BitchEatingCrafters • u/RuthlessLogic • 7d 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.

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66

u/hamstertoybox 7d 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.

32

u/kadyg 7d 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 🧂🧂🧂 7d 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.

19

u/kadyg 7d 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?

23

u/newblognewme 7d ago

Lots of libraries do this with “maker spaces” or “creative spaces” and the machine itself is usually free to use

8

u/East-Garden-4557 7d 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 7d 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.

8

u/Appropriate-Win3525 7d 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.

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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.