Well, it’s that time of year again and I have been working on several projects for gifts for the family and friends. With every woodworking project that I do, I also photograph the process and share it on my website. This doubles my productivity, because all of those gifts become tutorials for you to enjoy.
We decided to make all of your gifts this year, which has been a huge project. The nice thing about making gifts is that they are less expensive, however the time involved is far greater than just buying something from the store. In many cases, just buying something would have been far easier.
The real value is for the person receiving the gift, because buying the same thing in the store would be far more expensive than the materials it takes to make the piece. When you make things for people, you always want to look at the real cost, not the material cost. The time, labor, and love that you put into your homemade gifts is what makes the difference.
Sure, the wood may have been $5, but you took several hours to make the final product. The reason that your piece has far more value than $5 is because of that dedication. If you are making something for a gift, look at what it would cost to have purchased that same thing from a store. I bet that you will find the cost to be far more than your investment.
The reason you should never under value yourself is because not everyone in this world can do what you do. Sure, a wooden ring or a pallet sign might be a simple project for you to knock out. However, buying that same wooden sign may cost anywhere from $40-$80 depending on where they would buy it.
The real value in something is not the cost of materials. It’s the value of the piece in the open market. Make something beautiful for someone. On top of that, make sure that you never feel like you gave someone $5 for a gift. You didn’t. If not for you, the same thing would have cost far more.
Never let your ability dictate your worth in a negative way. Not everyone can do what you do, and that’s worth money. If you do something well, you deserve to be recognized for it. When you turn $5 worth of wood into a $80 piece of wall art, you really gave someone an $80 gift.
Best of luck in all of your woodworking adventures, and I hope you are making as many gifts as I am this season.
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- More than 20 Years Woodworking Experience
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