Comments on: Do You Want to Make Money or Create?

By: Smaller Box :: Blog :: Market-Based Creativity and Creating an Empire

Smaller Box :: Blog :: Market-Based Creativity and Creating an Empire — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:41:38 +0000

[...] forward to Tara and Megan’s exploration of this subject, especially since it’s one that stirred up a lot of controversy here. One thing I’ve noticed being said around the blogosphere about my post is that I think YOU [...]

By: market-driven creativity 101

market-driven creativity 101 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:01:22 +0000

[...] Meredith over at the Smaller Box, had this really great post up called, I think it was Do You Want to Make Money or Create. She talks about there are two camps, one being groups of people who follow their creativity, [...]

By: Meredith

Meredith — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:10:45 +0000

Hi MariS
You can get this blog’s RSS feed by clicking the RSS icon on the top right or the text that says “RSS Feed” on the bottom right “nav” between the search box and the categories listing.

By: MariS

MariS — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:08:11 +0000

I see that I am a bit tardy in arriving at this article but PERFECT timing for me. This has been the struggle bouncing around in my head all week. Instead of creating, I have been researching and working on content for my site and ideas for my blog. In fact, am considering more than one blog after doing research on the “right” way to run a blog as a business. I read so much lately about living handmade and not shopping larger lines but what is wrong with success? Look at the women who designed Juicey? They are rock’n. Who would not want that? That said, we are all on our own path and I am still finding mine. Thanks for a super article.

PS I follow you on twitter and have signed up for the newsletter but am unable to locate the subscribe button on your blog. Don’t laugh, just help me out here!

Happy day,

MariS

By: Sherry Ball Schoenfeldt

Sherry Ball Schoenfeldt — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:47:38 +0000

I’ve been slowly transitioning from full-time accountant to full-time artist – mainly by getting it so we can live leaner. Just lately I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so I’ve been trying to figure out how to grow my business.
I get kind of tired of the “build it & they will come” idea (darn, what was that baseball diamond in the cornfield movie?) and all this crap about sending your dreams into the universe and they’ll all come true.
THANK YOU for an honest look at how real business works.

By: Do you have to choose between money or creativity? « Crafting a Business

Do you have to choose between money or creativity? « Crafting a Business — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:16:16 +0000

[...] read this post last week which claims you have to choose between being creative or making [...]

By: ThePrettyPeacock

ThePrettyPeacock — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:55:58 +0000

Great article! If you “rubbled people the wrong way” – it’s an excellent reality check that they just need to accept. I struggled with this idea a year ago and decided that I didn’t have to give up being creative or designing pieces that I actually loved – I just got to keep them for myself and consider them “research” !

By: Meredith

Meredith — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:50:32 +0000

Glad a lot of you liked this/got what I was saying. I know this article rubbed some people the wrong way, because it’s about stuff, that as creative people, we don’t like to hear. I definitely can get behind striking a balance between following your vision and doing what sells. I just think it’s unrealistic to expect that you can do what you want creatively all the time and always be a successful commercial artist.

By: DancingMooney

DancingMooney — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:46:15 +0000

This is such a great article! I have been personally going through the motions of trying to find balance between what sells and what I love to create. The goal is to make money, but the goal is also to do something that I love. It’s a hard one to crack, but as you mentioned what sells now changes and ebbs and flows…

Thanks for making this message clear in a professional thoughtful way!

By: Marja

Marja — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:19:13 +0000

Thank you for a thoughtful article –

I think the key is to remember that you are not your customer – just like Michelle mentioned – you have to let go when it isn’t working.

I’m currently following what you describe as “the happy medium between what we love and what we know sells” – and it keeps my artistic side alive while helping with getting the customer what they want.

Now to work on more of the “boring crap!”