Earning a Living with What you Love

A dilemma you will face as you start to sell your designs is pleasing yourself vs. pleasing your customers.  When you began you delved into your work.  Maybe you didn't consider the economics of your production process. You paid too much for fabric because you "just loved it" or spent hours intuitively sewing stuff together, creating and enjoying yourself.  Maybe sometimes you even flubbed up bigtime, a yard or two of fabric wasted. With a sigh you chalked it up to experience and moved on. You didn't have to answer to anyone. Then maybe you decided to open a little online Etsy shop -- "Just to see what happens."  You got a sale or two -- your confidence surged and why not?  Someone thought your design was nice and was willing to pay for it!  Some of us stop here.  We sell something occasionally to supplement our incomes.  But even at this level the dilemma starts. You still don't have to answer to anyone but yourself, you still only design when inspired. But as you turn what you love into a business you must start to consider your target market, what will sell, your marketing approach, analyze the response to your ads , customer service, customer complaints, etc... While the internet has certainly leveled the playing field in most industries earning a living with your art is hard work. At the point where a designer begins to consider the financial feasibility of his work artistic compromise is necessary and will be from now on until you reach the ranks of Jean Paul Gaultier, Alexander McQueen or Gianni Versace.

Illegal Wear: Arrested for Wearing...

Ever-enduring:  The hippy style developed during the turbulence of
the 1960s has reinvented itself over and over for the last 50 years.
istockphoto.com/hemeroskopion

Rebellion makes for great fashion!  The latest is of two women arrested in France for wearing veils which covered their faces. The French seem to be contradicting themselves by simultaneously passing laws against public discrimination at around the the same time they passed this law:  It is illegal to wear facial clothing in public.  Laws against certain forms of dress are not new. When "the establishment" dictates there will always be those who rebel and spark off a new trend.  Especially when it comes to fashion.  Peruse the following news reports of past clothing bans.  Then tell us your opinion.

• Arrests made in France as French veil ban takes effect (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42528909/ns/world_news-europe/)
• Mullets Banned in Iran (http://insidethemiddleeast.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/08/iran-promotes-islamic-haircuts/)
• Italian Seaside town planning miniskirt ban (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11617091)
• In Delhi - Low rise jeans Banned in colleges (http://www.fulldhamaal.com/current-affairs/in-delhi-low-rise-jeans-banned-in-colleges-15338.htm)
• Cities crack down on sagging pants (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20817735/ns/us_news-weird_news/)

What is Barack Obama's opinion on the saggy, baggy look? (in an MTV interview prior to his election):

"Here is my attitude: I think people passing a law against people wearing sagging pants is a waste of time. We should be focused on creating jobs, improving our schools, health care, dealing with the war in Iraq, and anybody, any public official, that is worrying about sagging pants probably needs to spend some time focusing on real problems out there. Having said that, brothers should pull up their pants. You are walking by your mother, your grandmother, your underwear is showing. What's wrong with that? Come on."

(http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1598409/barack-obama-answers-your-questions.jhtml)