Last week(ish) I went to the Summit of Awesome, a conference about crafting and the business of crafting that was held in Portland by Hello Craft. I was there for Day 2, and I spent my entire day in the Make Something Awesome area, making awesome stuff and getting in on the craft workshops. I know, as a craft business blogger, I really should have been in the business sessions, but as a compulsive maker, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make stuff for a whole day.

Here’s Talley Sue of Schweet Schtuff (sorry no link) embroidering a Sublime Stitching dachsund pattern, while I am sewing my upholstery sample backpack. Photo lifted from Hello Craft.

Sister Diane of Craftypod wrote a fabulous article on what it felt like to be at Summit of Awesome. I love this:

In the online craft community, we’re abundant in many things – connection, conversation, inspiration. Our only real scarcity is face-time… And even in a city with insanely abundant resources like Portland, so many events seem to be centered more around selling crafts than making them – or discussing them, or learning from each other, or hanging out.

The last sentence made me smile because I met Sister Diane back when she ran Church of Craft Portland, a for-crafting party held once a month. Those were good times. Getting together and crafting together is sooo much better than having an online-only relationship. I mean, I love the internets, but I love hanging out with real peeps even more.

Debbie helps us screenprint our Summit of Awesome t-shirts

Summit of Awesome Takeaways

My award-winning craft throwdown project: theme: Dinosaurs (Land of the Lost); material: felted sweaters. The Hello Crafters donated it to this needy waiter at Kennedy School. Photo by cernest.

I took away a lot of crafts (remember, I was making stuff for an entire day): screenprinted shirts, a beaded necklace and earrings from Susan Beal‘s jewelry workshop, a Mighty Ugly doll from Kim Werker’s Mighty Ugly workshop, an upholstery sample backpack I hand-sewed on my own at the Make Something Awesome table, three hilarious craftacular creations from the Crafty Throwdown (and one book and award badge from winning a round with my Dinosaur banner), and some goodies from the crafty white elephant party.

The friendships I made were even more memorable than all the swag I scored. (I stole this pic from Kim Werker.)

Hanging out with people who “get” what I do and love to do is so nice! Usually when I’m in mixed company, I don’t talk about what I do because it’s just so awkward to watch people try to comprehend crafting and blogging for love (and money). When you find like-minded crafty people, it’s such a relief to talk to them and just hang out, knowing they’ll get why you’re sewing upholstery samples into a backpack.

Heidi and Vanessa work on plush fortune cookies

What I Missed:

A lot. I was only there for a day, and there were so many things going on, I missed most of what was going on the day I was there. I really wish I could have been there for the whole event! Next year, I will be (and hopefully you will be too!)

Highlights for me (besides crafting all day):

• meeting Heidi Kenney of My Paper Crane (also a longtime online friend from way back in the day) and hearing her talk about her business
• listening to craftnote speakers Pat and Aaron of Buy Olympia (shucks, I didn’t even KNOW they were in Portland now) – funny, highly interesting history of their business
• following Kim Werker around like a puppy
• competing against other star crafters in the crafty throwdown (15 minutes is NOT a long time to put together a project, you guys!)
• Amanda Siska‘s zombie headband (I don’t know if there’s a photo of that anywhere, but it was sheer genius)
• being at Kennedy School, a dream venue for this event. Seriously amazing.
• hanging out with local crafters I know, but don’t get to hang out with often enough (including doing the crafty throwdown at the same table as Leethal)
• listening to the backstories of Mighty Ugly figures by their creators (specifically Vanessa‘s creation: Blaine)

You can be part of the community too:

Upcoming Conference: This was such a great experience. I highly recommend participation in the Summit of Awesome, or a similar gathering of like crafty minds. Here’s an upcoming opportunity: Conference of Creative Entrepreneurs happening August 13-15 in Seattle. Be there!

Become a Member: Also, I became a member of Hello Craft (a craft-business trade association), and you should too! They did such an amazing job on the SOA, and I have the utmost belief that they could turn into a huge asset for us in the craft community with a little more support (they are already an asset, by the way… but they have HUGE potential as a galvanizing force for us “indie crafters.”)

Additional Resources:

• Hello Craft’s Summit of Awesome Recaps: Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3
• Summit of Awesome Flickr Pool
• Christy Petterson (a long-time online friend, who I finally got to meet) wrote about her experiences: The Awesome Summit of Awesome
• Susan Beal’s coverage of Summit of Awesome at Craft: Day 1, Day 2,
• Sort of related, and totally awesome: Heidi Kenney‘s new book is available for pre-order: Every Day’s a Holiday: Year-Round Crafting with Kids
• Sister Diane of Craftypod: Summit of Awesome was like this…
• Littleput‘s Show Notes (uh, worksheets) for her class session at Summit of Awesome
• Mighty Ugly: Ugly and Awesome All at a Summit
• Day 3 Recap by Handmade in Portland
• Antelope Baby’s Recap of SOA

In my last article, Just Say No to Spec Work, Dave asked:

Ever heard of spec in regards to techies? How about when someone you’ve known all your life asks you to “help” them with a little CSS or HTML? Is this spec?

First of all, let me just clarify that the reason for my last article wasn’t to scare you away from doing free work. There are lots of times when it’s a great idea to work for free. You should weigh each request for free work and try to determine what the reason behind the request is, and also whether or not you are willing to do the work for free. A lot of times, even legit requests for free work aren’t something you should agree to. It just depends on the situation.

photo by jessica wilson, her blog

For example, I love to write. I do it for free for others all the time. However, if you are an auto mechanic and you ask me to write a blog for your site for free, I probably wouldn’t do it because I don’t know anything about that topic, and gaining exposure on that blog wouldn’t benefit me or the business I am trying to build. Or maybe you are starting up a craft blog (which is related to what I do) and you want me to guest post. I might refuse your request because I don’t know you, or your blog has no entries yet, and I have no idea what I am affiliating myself with, or I don’t have time right now.

The magazine that wanted me to submit a craft article for “possible inclusion” in their magazine wasn’t offering me anything. I didn’t even have a guarantee that my project would appear in their magazine or on their website. They just wanted people to do hours of work and hand it over so they could pick their favorite articles and get killer content with no work or money extended on their part. This is a core principle of the content contest model, by the way (logo design contests, etc.) — to get people to do a ton of work in vain hope that their work will be singled out and they’ll win a “prize.” (In this magazine’s case, the “prize” was that a few people would have their project featured in the magazine with credit to them, plus possibly appear on the magazine’s website.)

I just think it’s kind of shameful when a big corporation who I have no personal relationship with expects me to work for them for free. Even when they tempt me with “free exposure,” generally THEY are the ones getting the best end of the deal. Sometimes “free exposure” is the only currency someone has to barter with, but in the case of a magazine with a budget for each issue, this is not the case. They are just trying to get something for nothing.

photo by lee meredith, her blog

Dave, someone very important in my life is the family tech support (for everyone in his entire family, including parents & siblings), and while it can be inconvenient, tiring, or annoying, he pretty much always does it. And he wouldn’t accept any payment in return. I think any time you want to help ANYONE for free, it’s totally fine. Obviously, you are more likely to help family and friends for free.

I am even fine with you doing free work for other for-profit ventures (like if you helped with CSS or HTML for someone you know, even if you only “know” them via the internet). Helping others when it’s within your power to do so is beneficial in many ways. Putting good stuff out into the universe is never a bad idea. Maybe I’ll write about that next time!

So back to your question specifically. If someone you know asks you to help them with a little CSS or HTML, check yourself (“search your feelings, Dave.”) Do you feel resentful that they asked you to work for free? Are you going to help them for free, but feel begrudging about it? If they offered to pay you, would you feel better? If you are happy to do it for no pay, then go for it. If you aren’t happy to do it for free, then tell them that you can’t afford to do two hours of work for free, but you’ll do it for <insert the price that will make you feel good about it here>. Or if they have something you want (like, an advertising spot on their website or a mention that you helped them with a tech problem on their blog, and your contact info), then maybe you can barter for your services. Lots of times you can come to an arrangement that is mutually beneficial, even if no actual money is exchanged.

Now if that fictional auto mechanic who wanted me to write a free blog for her* offers to trade her mechanic services or a discount in exchange for my blogging, I would probably take her up on that.

photo by amanda siska, her blog, reclaimed mugs

*see what I did there, I flipped your expectations.

I recently received an email request. This is not the first of such requests I’ve received, nor will it be the last. Perhaps you received the same request (or have received a similar one in the past). This request asked me for a spec article to be published in a print magazine. Spec in this case means working for free for little or no benefit to myself or my website.

There is a time and a place to work for free. Some of my friends have talked about the benefits of working for free, but this, my friends, THIS is not one of those situations.

Here, read the email yourself. I have edited the note to remove any direct references to the person or the publication. My edits are in brackets and italicized <like this>. I have also bolded parts of the note that I want you to pay special attention to.

–begin email–

Hi, Heather:

I am an editor at <Large National> magazine and a fan of your blog; hope you’re well. For our <Christmas Themed> special issue, which is on newsstands September 28 through December 28, I am putting together a story that features Christmas crafts made by bloggers. I would love for you to be a part of the story, if you’re interested.

In a nutshell, I’m reaching out to bloggers I admire and inviting you to submit a craft for possible inclusion* in the story. Of the submissions, we’ll ultimately choose about six designs to photograph.** The published story will include step-by-step instructions for creating the craft at home, as well as give full credit to you and your site for the idea.

I’m sure it won’t surprise you that our readers love easy, very doable and not intimidating crafts. Of course, the prettier and simpler, the better (one of our favorite crafts was a pine cone made out of felt and wooden beads), and any time an item can be used in a surprising way, the readers love it (for example, we’re doing a story about crafts you can make using candy in an upcoming issue).

If you’re interested in submitting a craft, I would need to have it here in our offices no later than Monday, June 21. And while, unfortunately, due to budget constraints, I cannot pay for the idea or reimburse for supplies***, I can certainly send you a UPS slip so that you can ship the craft to me free of charge. We’ll be putting the story* on our website, <LargeNationalMagazine.com>, as well, so I’m sure there will be additional opportunities for cross-promotion; the only thing I’d ask is that you wait to run the craft on your own site until our story hits stands.

That’s my pitch. Hope you’re interested, and happy to answer any questions you may have. Thanks so much for your time!

Best,
<Magazine Writer/Editor>

–end email–

*possible inclusion, the story = they are asking me for spec work – a craft project with photos and written instructions – that MIGHT appear in their publication, but there is no guarantee that my work will be featured
**we’ll ultimately choose about six designs to photograph = again, a request for spec work that results in a lottery wherein the most suitable craft projects will be featured. The creators of these craft projects will receive “full credit”
***unfortunately, due to budget constraints, I cannot pay for the idea or reimburse for supplies = this magazine knows it doesn’t have to pay for ideas because people will submit free ideas just for the chance to be published. I wonder how many people will happily submit their ideas?

This magazine has a circulation of over 400,000 and a readership of over 2 million. Shame on this major publication for asking for spec work from hard-working bloggers.

photo by See-ming Lee

What is Spec?

According to No!Spec,

“Spec” has become the short form for any work done on a speculative basis. In other words, any requested work for which a fair and reasonable fee has not been agreed upon, preferably in writing.

There’s a movement that is well-known in graphic design circles known as “No Spec.” Basically, it’s never a good idea to do speculative work for no pay. Now, I think there is a time and place for spec work within certain circles. I think there are certain instances where doing spec work (such as a guest blog post) can be beneficial to both parties and can “pay” in different ways than monetary. Check Sister Diane’s article “What IS in it for you?” for more discussion on deciding when to participate in a non-paying opportunity.

When There’s Nothing In It For You

Yes, there are occasions when you might want to participate in a spec job, however, when a for-profit corporation that employs dozens or hundreds of people asks me to do free work for them because “they don’t have the budget,” I excuse myself and run away as fast as I can. If they don’t value content highly enough to budget for it, then their priorities are seriously screwed up and I don’t want to be affiliated with them in any way.

This request for free content showed me how this particular Old Media publication absolutely doesn’t respect New Media. Just because I’m online creating my own corner of the web and pouring in hours of work and sweat for virtually no money doesn’t mean I’d be glad to give you my hard work for nothing. I’m not such a rube that I’ll give into your request just because I’m flattered. And I’ll admit, I am flattered. Any time I get an email from a PR company or an editor (any level) of a print magazine, or someone connected with Old Media, my first impulse is to feel flattered. And then when I read further, I am either happy to discover that this particular member of Old Media values my work and is prepared to pay me for it, or disgusted to find out that they admire me enough to approach me, but not enough to pay for my “virtual” content to become hard-copy content.

There’s a reason why Old Media is becoming old.

What I Said to <Large National Magazine>

–begin email–

Hi <Person Who Approached Me>,

Thanks for thinking of me. At this point, I can’t do any projects on spec for no money. Let me know if you ever need any paid craft project articles!

Heather

–end email–

I wanted to write a lot more. My complete response is this blog post!

The Good Magazine Request

I should also say, as a happy postscript to this situation, that this week I got another email from another Old Media print magazine editor, who offered me money to reprint an idea from my blog. Money for content already created. Now THERE’S the example of one right way to approach bloggers for content.

Note to Old Media: I would also be happy to create new content for an editor who offers to pay me for my work.

(free hugs)

top photo: photo by kalandrakas