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Making a Living with Your Arts & Crafts Investing in Yourself. Tools and materials cost money. There are all types of ways of investing your money and it's each individuals decision. I've chosen to invest in myself in the way of tools, materials and advertising.. As in all investments, some pay off and some don't. Sure, I've bought tools that didn't work out. But overall my tools have been a good investment. They pay dividends day after day and year after year. There have been advertising expenses that looked good in the beginning, but didn't pan out. But even those were a learning experience. Overall my advertising dollars have paid off. A torch outfit can be used to fashion all kinds of different metal sculptures. A sheet of copper can be turned into any variety of works of art, which means that there are always options. Among the many things that I like about doing metal sculpture is the fact that I have options. Whether it is options of what I want to make, or how and where I want to sell my sculptures. Tools don't lose their value. Tools always stand ready to enable you to bring into reality the ideas that you have in your mind. I just took a load of things I don't use to the Salvation Army. You know, those things that seemed so important at one time and are no longer of interest or use. I have never taken a tool to the Salvation Army. If you decide that you want to do metal sculpture you will need tools. Do your research so that you get the tools that you need. When it is time to make the purchase, remind yourself that you are investing in yourself. I have tools I bought in the late 1960's that I still use. Outside of tools there are very few things that I have purchased over the years that I still have and use. This is a great testament to the value of investing in tools that enable me to accomplish what I set out to do. When you plunk down some money for a new tool think of it as an investment rather than just an expense. I have made very few mistakes in buying materials. If a warehouse had an over abundance of materials at a great price I bought. Knowing that I didn't have an immediate need, but eventually I could use those materials. Metals are peculiar in the sense that in most things that we buy the price just continues to climb. The price of metals fluctuates in accordance with supply and demand. It's good business to buy when the price is low. Again, it's an investment. If I buy in quantity when the price is low then I probably won't have to buy any when the price is high. In metal sculpture the the major costs are tools and materials. If you buy this tool or that material what can they each do for you? What is the rate of return on these investments? Back to
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