Just as no one should be oblivious to the harsher realities of costs, one also needs to remember that there may be circumstances that help to bring balance into the life of the home based entrepreneur, no matter what they sell, their own art, or the supplies used by their artisan peers or the goods and services of day to day living beyond the realm of art.
REMEMBER ONLY YOU can properly and completely perform the necessary due diligence to determine your costs – this article, like all on this blog, are a starting point, not the last word by any means. While I hope it is worth more, its value is exactly the same as what you paid for it – no dollars.
For me, when I was asked why the challenges of working for myself when I had skills and the health to work easily outside the home?
The answer has been different at different times in my life. It all relates back to having some control on when I had to work so that there could be the time needed for the children I raised. It has never been perfect but it was always more what I needed at the time.
Today, it is about what I can currently manage and frankly, anyone who says a 90 second commute that includes the stop for the fresh coffee on the way to your desk is probably worth many of the things that working for yourself does not always allow for in the budget.
It occurred to me the other day that I never owned a pair of “designer” jeans unless you call either Lee or Levi’s as designer labels. I don’t have a smart phone, just don’t need it. We do have a tablet, mostly so I can browse the web while watching TV (stops a fair amount of discussion on the finer points in tv accuracy or where did we see that actor besides this show) I see little to no point eating in high end restaurants since most are chains and I can duplicate (and enjoy the making) the dishes at home. These are my choices, your choices can and should be based on what you want.
My decision in recent years has been to sell supplies and thus only accepting commissions that (a) appeal to me and (b) where the buyer appreciates the quality, attention to detail and uniqueness of the product and is able and willing to compensate me for that work.
These are my choices, traded for the intangible benefits of the previously mentioned 90 second commute and the ability to decide now is good time for a break to do run a load of laundry or prep for dinner or take the afternoon off and do some erranding.
Your choices can and should be based on what you want and need for a healthy balanced life. I only hope you will choose so that your craft remains a pleasure and not a burden