I, think, that since the IRS doesn’t allow you to deduct the value
of your labor, then somehow, she had decided that you couldn’t charge
for it, either. This lady is obsessive compulsive about most things,
especially those refering to the paperwork side of it, but she had
this huge hole in her reasoning. She felt that she couldn’t sell
anything on consignment or even wholesale, because she wouldn’t make
enough, if she did. It’s not surprising that she was never able to
make a living from her work. I’ve been getting her to up her prices,
some, at least the $3.50 earrings, are a thing of the past. Now, I
need to eliminate the $10 earrings, at most shows. By the way, what
do you’ll feel that a home based jeweler should figure their labor
rate at? I would think that it would depend on the type of work
being done, bench work at a higher rate, beadweaving at a different,
and basic stringing and simple work at another? I’ve been using (cost
of materials + labor) x 3, plus 3-5% for overhead. I’ve been figuring
most labor at $12 an hour. I know that that is low.
$12/hour = $96.00/day=$480/week=$24,960/year. That puts you at
poverty level in any big city today (certainly here in the Northeast
or in most areas of California). It certainly puts you at that level
if you’re the boss and taking all the risks. That of course assumes
that you can actually get in full 8 hour days every day, every week,
without any interruptions in your production (which is highly
unlikely so more likely you’re making about $13,000/year). If you’re
standing at a counter selling hamburgers you may not be worth
$12/hour but if you’re just about anything else you’re worth a whole
lot more than that. At least when you stand at the counter selling
hamburgers you get paid for the entire 8 hour day at the same rate.
Doubt that’s happening with what you’re doing—do you include
selling time? bookkeeping time? idea time? cleaning time?
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
I also did graduate work in business and have been asked if I would
consider teaching a business related class for the art students,
most of which are metal, glass, fiber, wood and painting.
Susan, just out of curiosity what would you include in your syllabus
for 'business for artists?