The problem with working in the Arts and Crafts is that it is so very difficult to sell enough to have a good income. However, that could change if legislation would be passed that would allow all people to take a tax deduction for the full price of a handmade item when purchased directly from someone doing Arts or Crafts. People love tax deductions, and they would actually save money on their taxes so they could pay a bit more for Arts and Crafts products. Handmade products are worth more anyway. In antique circles, a handmade item will sell for much more than an old factory made item. Some works of art are sold at auction for millions of dollars. Old factory manufactured products don't sell for that much. In addition, there could be some grants so that community colleges could hold an Arts and Crafts Faire one weekend a month, at which Arts and Crafts persons would not have to pay any fees to bring works and sell them. Community colleges could also teach skills in the various Arts and Crafts. This wouldn't by itself solve the unemployment problem.I am guessing that this might support a million people or so, which would be one person in the Arts and Crafts for every 300 Americans. It wouldn't by itself solve the trade deficit problem but some of the products would end up being sold to foreign tourists, or in other ways exported. There would be less loss in tax revenues than one might think at first glance. Although the customers would receive a tax deduction, the people doing Arts and/or crafts would be paying taxes on the money they earned from the customers. Also, there would be some stimulation of economic growth. One thing especially exciting is that people wouldn't have to sit around while begging for someone to give them a job. People could just create an Arts or Crafts job for themselves.
Tax deductions would help any industry or sector, Im not entirely sure why you think Arts and Crafts should have a special look in over everyone else? Im pretty sure people can create an Arts and Crafts job for themselves without having special tax privileges. Perhaps the unattractive financial benefits would make it worthwhile looking into other career choices and leaving Arts and Crafts to the part time worker or hobbyist?
1. Arts and Crafts are special because they are the only thing that can't be automated and done creatively by a computer. The reason is the same as the reason that supercomputers can't handle metaphors, and can't do a search by meaning, but rather, search engines can only search by key words. 2. People doing Arts and Crafts would invent many new designs. Some of those designs would be ones that businesses could purchase, and mass produce. Companies don't do very well with in-house designs. That in turn would produce economic growth and a reduced trade deficit. 3. You have never known people in the Arts and Crafts, or you would know how difficult it is to find customers, and how much time it takes away from just working. Shops want 50% or more of the price received. It is difficult for a individual website to be noticed. Then, people have different tastes. That means that the potential customers who would really like the work of a particular artist or craftsperson are scattered though the population, so it is hard for artists and craftspersons to connect with their natural customers. And so forth. So most people can't just set up an Arts and Crafts job for themselves as things stand now. Some help is needed. As an aside, I will note that part of the reason that the Chinese community has bee growing at about 10% a year is that the Chinese government has a policy of helping businesses in EVERY economic sector. China has been using a combination of free enterprise and government help. So your point of choosing isn't really something necessary. The American government could help every economic sector in the US too.
They aren't overpriced actually. You probably think that because you haven't happened to come across works which appeal to your particular taste. That should be no surprise because one just doesn't run across handcrafted works in the usual places people tend to go. If you ever do run across some works that do appeal to your taste, you will find that they are so exciting that they aren't overpriced at all.
I run across works all the time that appeal to me, and then I look at the prices, and say thanks buy no thanks.
Your main points seem to be a) It is a sacred artform because a computer cant do it. (Yet). So we deserve to be subsidized through less tax. And b) Its difficult so we deserve to have special treatment and be subsidized through less tax. Not really selling it to be honest. Not that I have an agenda against balsawood boxes and necklaces or anything, just dont see the case for preferential treatment here.
The case is not what you are understanding. The purposes are: 1. To increase jobs. The money earned by the additional people with jobs would be used by them to buy goods and services from businesses. With more sales, businesses would expand, and the expansion would produce extra economic growth. 2. So another purpose is to expand the economy. 3. Then, exports of more works would help reduce our trade deficit. 4. Some of the craftspersons and artists would hit upon designs that would be highly commercially salable. Those designs would be purchased by manufacturers and mass produced. So this purpose is to provide businesses with expanded design-raw-material. Your "yet" is probably what a lot of people would say. However, the problem is that digital mathematics simply cannot model metaphors and meanings. No mathematics ever discovered can model metaphors and meanings, and people have tried.
Your first three points are the same point said in three different ways. The same three points could be used to sell tax cuts for literally any sector. Your fourth point could be used to describe any creative product. Ill show you. Lets have a tax cut for guitar players. Why? 1. To increase jobs. The money earned by the additional people with jobs would be used by them to buy goods and services from businesses. With more sales, businesses would expand, and the expansion would produce extra economic growth. 2. So another purpose is to expand the economy. 3. Then, exports of more works would help reduce our trade deficit. 4. Some of the guitarists would hit upon tunes that would be highly commercially salable. Those tunes would be purchased by manufacturers and mass produced. So this purpose is to provide businesses with expanded design-raw-material.
Your example is very different from the proposal. You are suggesting a tax cut for the artist. I am proposing a tax cut for people purchasing the works of the artist. Just cutting taxes for the guitar players wouldn't do anything to increase the number of their customers. Giving a tax cut to a person who hires a guitar player for a party would increase the number of customers for the guitar players' work. Whether or not something similar could be done somewhere else, which is different, is irrelevant to the proposal. The proposal is what it is, and includes the limits that are included in the proposal.
To sell handcrafted things, you need to first swap with other traders. if you were to collect into one big business on the side of the road, well, maybe someone has a van and someone else has a cell phone and some one else has a lap top? this would be mutually beneficial, yes? So, you want to sell rubbish to fools? of course, everyone does! this means you need them to believe that it is not rubbish and that it is a real cultural thing to display. you should use loud colors like the africans in the north, or even original designs nobody has seen before. To make your 'craft' comely to others, you should try to prepare for the holidays. in this time people are far more likely to buy your craft and stuff, and, if you were to approach them first, they would tell you they are not interested, yes? so, how do you get a hold of their time, or, even sell yourself as a salesperson? let's make this bigger? To get someone's time you need to surprise them or excite them. think of bumping into someone? if you were to see someone walking past your goods, you should walk right into them. this will usually get an apology, of which you should apologize too to remain 'invisible,' and then just say you were looking at these goods, and try to sell it to them as a peer! yes, that is it, if they don't know you are a salesperson then you home free, well, in with a chance? Of course the problem with selling insurance and such is getting people's attention too. so, you need to do it in the mall. buddy up to them, and surprise or excite them. a good way to do this would be to drop some loose money on the floor - sure to get a foot in!
That is one of the reasons I included training by the community colleges. In that way, people could learn how to create good quality works. Good quality works are important for the program to be successful. The sales part was covered by each community college having an Arts and Crafts Faire one weekend a month. Of course, people who become well known would have buyers coming to their door. That was happening some years ago with an artist on a small island of the Canary Islands. She made pottery in a traditional way without a wheel and without a normal kiln. Customers had to hike to get to her, because she wasn't on a road, and they did. The products would also reduce the trade deficit a bit. For example, people might buy their dinnerware from artists rather than imported manufactured dinnerware. Then, their great grandchildren could sell whatever dinnerware that was still unbroken, at a profit, as an antique. So your point about selling junk to fools is an excellent warning. There should be added to the proposal ways to certify that something is of good value. For example. the community colleges should put on the Internet the names of artists and craftspersons doing a good job, and the community colleges should exclude people selling junk from the Arts and Crafts Faires. My ideas can always be improved upon and your observations have been very helpful. So thank you for your response.
My recommendation and among my skills is making jewelry among Busking a performance street level art is this work enough on the books to look legit and cover things on paper you must to look legit - include taking credit and debit cars with that Cube gadget. Paper trails need to fit. Include what you need to "get by". Then do cash only work over that and not report that income. I would aim where you get an Earned Income Tax Credit and can get all the deductions you can get to drive your income down. I recommend decide if this would work one thing the cash income keep unbanked at home. Also don't ignore eBay and other avenues for sales like a personal store, keeping it crisp and simple, and getting that into as many web sites as you can with link swaps.
There is something wrong if one needs to worry about looking legit, and to manipulate, but given the difficulties of the present, I don't oppose people doing that. In our current system, there are things like that that people have to do. Among my goals, I am trying to work up ways to improve the political-cultural-socio-economic structure so that people don't have to squirm around to survive. I'm not going to solve the whole problem in my lifetime, and can hope only to come up with a few bits that might help. Fundamentally, that means that a number of other thinkers need to work on this also to eventually end up with an adequate set of solutions.
The solution to that is to change attitudes of the public. There is a world of difference between receiving the dole and doing nothing, and receiving a bit of a subsidy when one is doing hard and valuable work. Ovew the centuries, artists have usually had to have some support from governments and patrons. That often interferes with artistic freedom to a greater or lesser extent, depending on who does the subsidizing. Artists have managed to produce excellent work anyway, but it is difficult. I think there might be a little more freedom if the subsidy involves the whole public if they wish to buy, because different people have differing tastes. Thus, if one wants to do something unusual, there will probably be some people out there who will like it.
