What It Costs For The Stuff I Use

Domain: £19.20

Squarespace website with shop: £288

Google Workspace: £66

Co-op Bank: £84

Crafts Council Directory: £60

Flodesk: £174

Total: £691.20

This is what it costs, per annum, for the stuff I use.

I don’t have a studio, but a quick search says that the average UK rent is between 3 and 4k per year. Working from home puts limitations on what I can make, but a studio is currently beyond my budget. I do what I can with what I have, and I am grateful for it.

On the whole, I am mostly pleased with Squarespace. I do it all myself, and my tech skills are limited. One day, I will happily pay someone to gentrify my website.

I love Flodesk. Not sure it’s worth it. Especially as some of my monthly emails have suddenly, and inexplicably, begun to end up in random junk folders. I joined for £14.50 per month when it was in the Beta stage. No matter how big my subscriber list grows, the price will always remain the same. That was my reasoning. Subscribe below, if you fancy.

Google Workspace. Worth every penny. I was lured in with a free year, and paid for a second.

Co-op Bank*. When I first registered as a sole trader, I was advised to open a business account. The first 2 years were free, but now I’m wondering if it’s money down the pan.

The Crafts Council Directory is new to me. I joined because I got 3 months free. I thought it might bring some business my way. It hasn’t. If nothing changes by the end of the year, I’m leaving. The CC has some excellent free business resources.

*A few years ago I opened a Starling Business Account, which is free and I highly recommend. However, I can’t connect it to my PayPal Business Account, which is why I haven't closed down the Co-op.

How Much?

I should’ve thought this through beforehand.

Last month, I had some work (an unimaginable amount of hours in hand embroidery) accepted for a group show a few hundred miles away. A very expensive train journey involving three changes, not possible to do in a singe day on the coach. After much deliberation, I decided not to take part.

Because money.

The price I put on the artwork was £675 (How much?).

The gallery takes 35% (not complaining), which leaves £438.75.

The submission cost was £15, leaving £423.75.

The framing was £145.04 (again, not complaining), leaving £278.71.

The fare to the framer’s was £15.20 (£3.80 x 4), leaving £263.51.

The fare to drop the work at the exhibition (and come home again) would be £140, leaving £123.51.

So, best case scenario, my work sells (the stats say it won’t) and I make £123.51 for a piece of work that was years in the making.

A more likely outcome is I make a loss of £280 in train fares, and valuable time, after collecting the piece when the exhibition finishes. The only upside is I would’ve met some new artists, who may have become friends, which is, of course, priceless.

The exhibition organisers were lovely and went out of their way to try and make this work for me, but in the end it just didn’t add up.