The True Value of Art...

Two Christmases ago I received a large number of requests for doll clothes by doll owners who own other Waldorf style natural dolls. Most of them came from Bamboletta fans. At first I was a little taken aback. I suppose, it really stung my pride as an artist. Just imagine what Picasso would have said if someone had come along and asked : "Can you please put a coat of paint on this frame of a painting by another artist?" Woah. I can only imagine his response. But I am no Picasso. Too bad.
I am just a little dollmaker. I have been around for a while. But obviously my branding has not been as successful as some other dollmakers'...It boggles the mind.

One sometimes wonders what makes one 15" natural doll worth $300- $2300 - while another beautiful doll may sell for as little as $50? How can you explain it?

I guess the value of art/crafts is a mystery to begin with. After all $2,300 is nothing compared to what some paintings might fetch in the world of painting. If you compared the price of a painting by a famous artist to the most creative amazing piece of needlework by a female - it would most certainly be lower than $2,300. I have seen amazing quilts prized at $800 and heard people call them too expensive... So even if it hurts my pride somewhat, I must say: Go Bamboletta Gals! Your works of art are not appreciated enough!

But the more I think about these issues the more torn I feel about them. Sure it would be really nice to sell my dolls for 100s of dollars. It would be lovely not to have to worry about money & certainly easier to pay the bills...At the same time, would I really want my dolls to be only available to richest of people? I think NOT! But it looks like I don't have to worry about this problem for now. I am not famous and just a gal who needs to make a living. So I swallowed my pride and started making and offering my dolldresses for other dolls. I am really glad I did.

I love getting pictures of those happy kids playing with my doll clothes. In the end: The true value of my art is the joy that it brings to kids and people!

Emily

There is a little girl I know. She is oh so sweet. I tried to make a doll as sweet as her. Alas, I am only a dollmaker...

In her pocket she carries a baby or this little treasure she found on one of her Nature Walks:

Little Emily is the third child of three. So I made a nest for her dress with 3 eggs in it. It's quite smallish. So keep it safely tucked in the pocket or put it on your Nature Table.

Handmade Natural Discount Dolls - ???



Hands of the dollmaker at work...



The title of today's blog post is an oxymoron. Handmade and discount don't go together, do they? If there ever was a combination of contradictory or incongruous words - this is it in my book!

There are days I get letters via email that make me quite frustrated and sad. What letters? It's the type of letter inquiring about buying my dolls at a discounted rate. I just received another one the other day. They usually go something like this:

"I really love your work. Your dolls are so amazing and truly unique. I would love to order a number (one of each skin tone maybe) of them to

a) sell them in my online/brick and mortar shop
b) give one to each of my kids, nieces, and nephews
c) put them in my brandnew daycare

How much of a discount could I get if I bought 3 or 4 of your dolls?"

Sigh! How does one answer them politely? On the one hand, of course, one desperately needs business, and I would love to sell a large quantity of anything. But it's not like I am a machine and can whip out 3 or 4 dolls faster by producing them in large quantities. Each doll takes about 8-10 hours. Please, see my blog post on "How long does it take to make a German Doll?"

Trust me, I have looked at it from all angles. Even if I got my supplies for free - mind you I use organic dollskin and sheepswoll of the highest quality - I could not charge less money per doll. My hourly wages are something I try not think about too much or I'd get totally depressed. I have not managed to hire a herd of stay-at-home mommies and grannies to sew and knit for me, nor do I run a little sweatshop over here. I do every single stitch myself! From the tiniest needle felted doll shoe decoration to top the top of the head, my dolls are made by your's truly. I am not sure why my unique handmade Waldorf style dolls don't fetch over $2000 on Ebay yet. I suppose I have to work on becoming a fad...

I make dolls because I love making them. I make dolls because I love receiving pictures of happy kiddos playing with a unique doll I created especially for them. Hopefully, when you browse my virtual Etsy and Artfire store shelves you will find something that makes your heart sing - the way mine does when I create my little works of art.