Hmmmm.... just leave it alone eh?

[Amber]

So I have an casual friend on facebook, we lived in the same army town and our husbands were in the same unit.... so casual friend is stretching the term. Anyways, whenever I posted a glass pic she always really like it and this has inspired her to take a workshop, pretty neat so far. The part that I feel ick/unsure about is she now wants to sell her work, well she's only had 2 classes so far...... you can imagine the craftsmanship that anyone has at that point.... yup. So pretty things, and pretty glass but not really straight or structural. I don't really want to touch it with a ten foot poll, but I also don't think it's right for her to sell her things to earn money. So question, when is it o.k. to sell pieces??

[Tre V]

  With the exception of three Christmas tree ornaments, I've never had the nerve to try to sell any of my things, especially since I've only been doing glass for two years. I've been blessed with good family and friends, who don't overtly flinch, or laugh out loud, when given glass gifts. As far as I know, nobody's "accidently" dropped anything, although a few items currently may be hung in a closet. Having said that, I have worked up the courage to donate a few items for charitable auctions. Nobody blanched or fainted when it was unwrapped, they've done ok, and I'm not ashamed of any of them.
   But...I'd be danged nervous about selling stuff on E-Bay. I am working on soldering skills, and would like to take a few things to our local consignment art gallery (which is very small).
    If she were a very close friend, you might suggest she continue advancing first, but since she's not...me, I'd just ..back away. 

[PiscesGlass]

LOL...don't worry Amber, unless she asks you if how wonderfully well done her pieces are...then you may have to find a non hurtful response.  There are many, many people out there that are selling really, very bad pieces of Stained Glass and consider themselves artisans...there's just no rule of thumb to go by.  Some people aren't going to realize that what they are producing is less than good quality, and that they don't know what they don't know.
And quite a few buyers aren't very well versed in what constitutes well made stained glass...so they won't be disappointed with their purchases if they are cheap enough I guess.  After all The Christmas Tree Shop here in New England sells alot of Chinese made SG and people are totally happy with it and wouldn't pay the price for a well made piece of stained glass..with this art, as with anything else...you get what you pay for.
So if you feel that what you are creating is of good quality and people ask you to make items for payment then go ahead!  There really isn't any law against it.  Although if you do become an artisan that sells their work THEN you must check into how much you can legally sell per year without becoming involved in becoming a "business", which entails going through the process of being able to collect Sales Tax and reporting your sales to your government.

De

[Anne]

I agree with De, Amber.  I do sell a lot of glass (although I did glass for a long time and filled the homes of everyone we know first) and it never ceases to amaze me when people say "oh, your solder lines are so good", and my reply has always been 'well it better be good, I'm expecting you to pay money for it.' It's like that saying - beauty is in the eye of the beholder - and as we all know you really do get what you pay for, regardless of what it is you're buying.  So....whether she sells or not, I guess she has to be the judge of whether she's ready to market her glass. If people are willing to pay for it (heaven forbid) then I guess they're getting what they deserve.

[Kev]

Hmmm....one man's trash is another man's treasure. Maybe she has not been exposed to enough quality glass work to know the difference. I have been doing it for several years and I am hesitant to sell my pieces..I guess we are our own worst critics. I think for you to critique her work would only drive a wedge between the both of you. Maybe she needs to join a glass forum to get a better idea of what people are actually making, how well is it made, and what constitutes a good sound  and structural design. and execution.

Just my thoughts.

Kev

[Bleedy Pokes]

Sheesh, if I were in your place, I'd probably have to bite my tongue and let her be.
Maybe she's hooked on the hobby and can foresee herself wanting to continue making more and more and more and will need to sell some pieces to make room (and money to buy more glass). I think that a lot of us (me included, of course!) would like to get to the point where we can sell our work and be proud of the piece that left our loving, skillful hands! I just hope she gives herself some more time to hone her newly learned skills!

[JoanFrances]

If she goes into some shows and her work is not up to par, while other stained glass artists are there, and their work is good, she will know by her sales that she has some to go to get better.  We are all excited about learning and can't see our mistakes in the beginning, but the more we learn the more our errors stand out to us

[Amber]

It's funny just as you said Joan, we don't see our own mistakes at the beginning. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to sell my own work, but it's scary to think of my own stuff not being up to par...... let alone someone who has only made 2 things and just started a couple weeks ago *lol. I'm just surprised at seeing so much confidence from her at her own abilities so soon, I don't think I have that much confidence now and it's been 3 years for me  . Thanks for all the input, and it's a good point that you get what you pay for *.

[JoanFrances]

I was in a show a while back and got to walk around a bit.  There was a young woman there that had stained glass ornaments there were terrible.  the edges were really off and solder was missing where the pieces came together at the edge.  I felt really bad for her.  She didn't sell a thing needless to say, but I felt really bad for her,c ause if she stayed with glass and did get better, she would remember that show for years.  If she doesnt get any better, she is really wasting her money

[Stephen Richard]

So I have an casual friend on facebook, we lived in the same army town and our husbands were in the same unit.... so casual friend is stretching the term. Anyways, whenever I posted a glass pic she always really like it and this has inspired her to take a workshop, pretty neat so far. The part that I feel ick/unsure about is she now wants to sell her work, well she's only had 2 classes so far...... you can imagine the craftsmanship that anyone has at that point.... yup. So pretty things, and pretty glass but not really straight or structural. I don't really want to touch it with a ten foot poll, but I also don't think it's right for her to sell her things to earn money. So question, when is it o.k. to sell pieces??

When people will buy it?
STeve