@Mollydot: Yes, I agree with most of what you say. But I have a strong aversion to “pin money” – I want my own income, dammit. Also, N isn’t thrilled about having three dependents.

@Julie: Yes, I’ve done exactly that thing of buying a little, pretty thing from the stand with the big, magnificent thing too I’m glad the “wide range of prices” is a Genuine Business Tip – makes me think I might be on the right track. Of course, I don’t even have an empty etsy shop, let alone anything to put in it!

It’s actually also a strategy that’s suggested in an etsy ‘how to build a successful shop’ guide, having items at a wide range of prices. I think it’s worth keeping in mind.

Forgetting about gender things for a moment, it would be nice if my hobbies gave enough income to break even, rather than just being a cost. But if I was to put a decent amount of work into it, which is probably necessary to make any money, I would want to at least make a profit.

I think that if I worked enough to make it a full time job, I’d want to make a living. But I don’t particularly want to work full time. If it was just about money, I wouldn’t consider leaving computers.

Part of my living vs profit is contributing to the household & valuing women’s labour vs well, really, we’re incredibly well off compared to many people anyway (most on a worldwide scale), do we really need two good salaries? & money isn’t a measure of a person.

On the profit vs living thing, I’d assume a lot of it is tied into personal perception of the value of one’s own unpaid labour, and contribution to household income as marker of thingywossname, and stuff like that, as well as “surely making beautiful useful things should be as valuable to the world at large as inventing jargon specifically to damage people’s self-esteem and make them give you their money?!”

@Mollydot: I’m interested to see you characterise it as unfeminist, because I would’ve loved to have done a gender-based comparison of pricing at the craft fair (and of course there was no way I practically could). I suspect there is a bit of kyriarchal thinking in the thought that profit would (or “should”) be enough. But that’s not the whole story – I think there are also cultural beliefs about work versus play, and enjoyment, and deserving, and art and craft and money. It’s complicated!

I do remember in my teens selling framed calligraphy for less than the cost of the frame. I was so delighted that somebody wanted to buy my stuff that the price didn’t matter.