Someone on Facebook asked recently about artists and designers doing production work. That is, making the same item over and over. Should you do it?
Ironically, I missed the start of that original online discussion because I was a little busy with a big project:
Last weekend I sent 72 handmade rustic mini books to the FOLKstore at the Springfield Extravaganza in Ohio (May 18-20, 2012) and the Beaver Dam FOLKstore in Kentucky (May 25-28, 2012). The pop-up store will be hosted by the kind people at FOLK magazine, which is a new magazine presenting a "fresh and youthful interpretation of simple country lifestyles."
So if you just look at that number ("72"), the short answer is yes, I will occasionally do some production work.
But like most creative people, I'm easily bored. It's difficult to make the exact same thing over and over. So my version of production work is making two or three of the exact same item at most.
The book covers feature animals, flowers, games (bingo, tic tac toe), birthday cakes, seasonal motifs (pine cones, snowflakes), words (family, hope), and pretty patterns. I made one mini book with a teacup and one with a teapot. Some of the mini books are embossed, some are hand-stamped, some are riveted with charms, and a few are painted or tied closed with satin ribbon. I made one mini book with stars and stripes and one that features squirrels. (Okay, I admit, I'm very curious whether someone will buy that squirrel book. Are there any squirrel fans in the Midwest?) Some of the ivory card stock pages were neatly cut and others were hand torn.
So does this work count as production work? I honestly don't know. I just know that coming up with all those different themes is what made this project a joy to work on. I couldn't have done it any other way.
If you attend either event, be sure to check out the FOLKshop, which will be filled with antiques and artist-made goods. They are offering a 10% off coupon. If you can't attend, you still might enjoy seeing some of the websites of the vendors in the FOLKbarn. (The pop-up shop where my books will be is inside the barn.)
Have a great weekend!