Crafts, the economy and you

With the mess the US economy is in causing the economy of pretty much every other country to go into chaos too, there's been a lot of talk about how us crafters will fare in these uncertain times.

With everyone having to tighten their purse strings, people have less and less disposable income to spend on handcrafted goods, that are considered luxury items to begin with, and that means decreased sales for crafters. For many, this could very well mean some dark times ahead.
And now that the dollar is so weak compared to other currencies, the already shrinking market shrinks a bit more yet. For example, were I to sell in dollars, I'd have to raise my prices by half to make up what I'd lose in converting from dollars into euros. And higher prices isn't something you'd really want to subject already skittish buyers to.

It's not all doom and gloom though. With tightened purse strings comes a new appreciation for up-cycling, DIY and making do and mending. Being crafty means you can stretch what little you have for a whole lot longer. This new emphasis on making your own things instead of buying them will most likely create crafters out of people who might otherwise not take up crafting. I'm hoping this crafting renaissance will last long after the economic slump has gone, as it will help the crafting community grow and it will hopefully make people appreciate hand made items more and more.

This might not be the time for making sales, but this is the time for making, period.

Any ways, all of this has already been hashed over and over in many a crafty blog, with a lot more eloquence than I can muster too. Go read what Page 63 of your manual has to say on all this. Not only has Sayraphim summed up all of this economic woe and how it effects crafters very nicely, but her whole blog is a jolly good read too.