What Ever Happened To The True Craft Show?
As you look around at the different craft shows today, it's sad to see how many people are selling "crafts" that they put little or no effort into. It brings up the question of what has happened to the true craft show. Having done craft shows for almost 30 years, I'm not sure I can answer the question.
To me a true crafter is one who makes everything from scratch that they sell. I don't believe you can call yourself a crafter if you simply buy pieces of precut wood, and only paint them. There's no real crafting being done. The same is true for those you sell preassembled jewelry, or buy stuffed dolls and bears and only dress them. I have seen this happen for as long as I have been doing craft shows.
When I was first doing the shows, the true crafter would call these crafts, Granny Crafts. The people would buy a kit, make it up and sell it as their own. This has always irritated the true crafter.
Today more and more of the things sold at craft shows are kits or down right commercial products. Who is the blame for this? Is it the crafter who isn't making the money they use too or is it the promoter who will take anyone who has the money for the show? Or maybe the potential customer? In reality, all are contributing to the problem.
Some promoters are good people with good intentions and some are just out for the money. When shows were few and far between, promoters would take the time to ask what the people made. They would ask for pictures, or check you out at another show. After a while, people just decided that being a promoter could make them some good money by getting a show together and they got greedy.
Over time there was proliferation of shows, sometimes every weekend at the same site, and the true crafter all of a sudden wasn't making any money. This resulted in them dropping out of some of the shows. This then made the promoter ask for more money to be in the show or take whoever would do the show. This let in a lot of the commercial products that we see today.
Even the types of shows being put together don't really qualify as craft shows. Think of the big shows that are in every large city in the country, that are held in convention centers. Are these true craft shows? I don't think so. They promote the show as a handcrafted show but usually the people who are selling the products, don't make the products themselves. They have other people make the products at home or in a factory. These shows are usually juried, which is an added expense, and the show itself is very expensive.
Promoters will probably be upset with me saying these things about them. And, I know that it costs more to advertise today and more to procure a site for a show. There is certainly a lot of work and expense in setting up a show. But, I feel that the costs have got out of hand.
What about the crafter? How do they contribute to this problem? Many people may have started out making everything themselves. But, with the cost of supplies, travel and the cost of the show, they too started to add products that would sell but they didn't make. This made them a profit alright, but is that what the customer wanted when they went to the show to buy handcrafted items? Is this comprise worth it? Now they are no longer a true crafter and I think the customer is really the one who loses.
The customer can also contribute to the problem. They can go to the discount retailer and buy, what they think is the same thing, for less money. They don't seem to realize that the cost to make something by hand is higher than the giant who buys their products overseas and in bulk. Also if something is made by hand, no two are ever alike, even when they are made from the same pattern. It is the uniqueness of the handcrafted product that makes it special. There are times when I think only the true crafter understands this concept.
I am a true crafter and still like to get out to do some shows. I have gotten use to being beside commercial vendors, and it doesn't bother me as much as it once did. Still, it is sad to me to see how it has changed and lost the essence of the "true" craft show.
See Eva's site where she has teddy bears and more.