Reading Recommendation - Craft Inc

This past week I devoured Craft Inc Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco. It's a great book and I highly recommend it. Whether you have dreams of hitting the big time with your designs, or you're thinking of doing a few craft fairs or opening an etsy shop, there is something you can take away from this book.

Ilasco covers the business aspects, some of which is a reminder of things you probably already know, but maybe haven't followed through on - like registering as a DBA. Much of it applies to designers and artist who are really taking their ideas to the level of out sourcing, hiring employees, and major marketing campaigns. These parts don't really apply for me personally, I print in very small editions, and want to keep it that way. So these sections only got a quick skim. But there was also a lot to be learned about things like pricing strategies, and the importance of packaging, and ways to market yourself.

She also covers the creative aspects. It was these sections that I got the most from, these parts of the book were a welcome inspirational kick in the pants. When the subject turns to creativity in general, it really stirred my pot, so to speak, about things like being out in the world, and developing your ideas, and taking time to just think.

In addition, Craft Inc. is well written in a conversational tone, with a great layout and design, so it's pretty to look at while you read. If you're a creative type, and you have any aspirations of making your craft more than a hobby, I recommend this book.