Can we talk about my neighbor calling my books 'just fancy notebooks'

She said 'it's just glue and paper, right?' after seeing my 40 hour rebind of an old dictionary. Made me realize I never actually explain the craft to people outside it.

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_green8224d ago

Ugh, that comment would make me see red. My buddy who does leatherwork had a client ask why a custom journal cost so much when it was "just a few straps and some stamped cow." He said he just went totally quiet for a minute trying to find words. How do you even start to explain the skill and time without sounding like you're lecturing them?

emery_miller2024d ago

Totally get that "just stamped cow" feeling! I had someone say my pottery mugs were "pricey for shaped dirt." I took a breath and said, "Well, this dirt took 12 hours to turn into your mug, plus the cost of the kiln firing that can crack it all." I listed the steps really simply, like wedging, throwing, drying, bisque firing, glazing. Just stating the facts without anger usually makes them pause.

noah_webb15d ago

Tried explaining bookbinding once and got "oh, so you're a fancy scrapbooker." The will to live just left my body.