The quote usually is "Artists make bad salesmen". I'm comming to find out this is true for most cases.
I recently got done being a vendor in a small-town outdoor fair. I barely made enough to cover the space and materials expense. The bad weather was a factor in people not showing up. But, I overheard a lot of people commenting (not to me directly, but to others) that the prices were too expensive. Which is odd, because the prices were very reasonable if not downright cheap, considering the materials and
*especially* the time put into the work. They probably didn't understand the concept of paying for my time. Of course, a few people did realize this, and were more than happy to pay the price.Especially since many items can be cheaply or inexpensively manufactured outside the USA by machines or low-cost labor, many artists (not only turners) have a difficult time actually making a living doing this. That's probably why so many of us do this as a hobby.
I did get a few people question about custom items, and even picked up some unusual wood from another turner. So all in all, I had a fun time there, but probably won't do another fair for some time. I don't want to turn into some slick saleman just to sell some of my items. Although, I wouldn't mind people's comments on how to "convince" others of the time needed (and cost) to make certain turnings.