"That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work"

Annie found and e-mailed this article to me about people who make their full-time living selling on Etsy (although they briefly mention supplicating income through craft shows, wholesale, etc.) and I wanted to make sure we shared it here. 

"That Hobby Looks Like a Lot of Work"

There's a section in it that just made me want to scream:

While most people would find it impossible to meet a mortgage payment selling $8 crocheted mug cozies, some top-sellers on Etsy have moved beyond the stage of earning pocket money and are building careers — in some cases, earning six-figure incomes.
But even the successes add a note of “seller beware.” To build a profitable business on the site, they say — well, it’s a business. You need to build a brand identity, which often means courting design blogs or the news media. You need to manage distribution, which might mean standing in post office lines with a baby on your hip and a garbage bag filled with 30 self-packed boxes to ship. And as with any start-up, you need to maintain the morale of the labor force, which can be particularly challenging when you are the labor force, and the workday runs from “Good Morning America” to “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.”

 Um, DUH.   If it's your JOB...then you have to WORK.  It still boggles my mind that some people just don't get that!

Soundtrack for a Business

So I've had several people lately ask me what kind of music I listen to while I'm working.  In no particular order, the most common things you'll find me cranking up while making bags are:

1. Anything by Muse.  Perfect for settling into an energetic afternoon of fabric-chopping.
2. Anything by Nine Inch Nails, but especially the Broken album.  I'm a NIN fan from back in the day, and now I find I still love Trent Reznor because he gets my procrastinating butt in gear.  Or when I'm in a hurry and need a more, um, upbeat tempo to work to, "Wish" is especially good for this.  Ask me sometime about how I was introduced to NIN, it's a funny story (now).
3. The Bubblegum Oldies channel on Pandora.  A nice happy all-day groove.  A great day is when "Palisades Park" comes up in the rotation.
4. The Michael Jackson channel on AOL radio.  Being able to sing along (badly) to almost every song is a definite plus.
5. Anything that falls under the category "Classic Rock."  My hands-down favorite genre.
6. Classical music, especially Tchaikovsky and Mozart.  Very good talk-me-down-off-the-ledge-I've-got-a-huge-wholesale-order-to-finish-today music. 

So what do YOU listen to while you're working, crafting, or chilling?