Doctors Should Work For FREE
maybe everyone should
I’ve been thinking lately and I’ve decided that I don’t think Doctors should get paid for what they do. I mean doctoring is a craft, why should these greedy doctors profit from it? Well maybe it would be ok if they earned JUST enough to cover their schooling costs, and maybe their office rent and phone, supplies, things like that. But the absolutely must NOT profit from their skills.
I mean really, who do they think they are? Didn’t they become doctors to save lives? Isn’t that payment enough? Jeez.
clip art courtesy Philip Martin Clip Art
Sounds crazy, right? Question then, why should crocheting be any different? I have seen quite a few comments lately that pattern designers and even those who sell their finished crochet should NOT make money with what they do. Some people think only designers should make money OR only people who sell finished items are qualified to make a living with crochet.
This is hogwash. I am a crochet designer. I sell patterns both privately and to yarn companies, I have a free pattern site where I earn money with affiliate advertising, and I make a living doing it. That’s right, I actually pay my bills and support my family doing something I love. I am not ashamed of this. In fact I am quite proud.
I work hard for what I make. I have put in 80 hour weeks, I have stayed up till 4am getting a pattern just right before I post it for FREE to my followers. I answer every comment/question on my blog, Ravelry page and Facebook page. I have held the hand of my followers if they need help understanding or finishing a pattern. I have stressed myself to no end making sure the content I provide is easy to understand and that my fans like what I am designing.
Why should I do this for free? And better yet, why would anyone expect me to? Believe me, I’m not getting rich off my craft. I’m making enough to cover the expenses I put out plus enough to help supplement my families income. I’d make far more if I worked outside of the home, but I love designing and I love being home with my children.
If the pattern writers and crochet designers of the world did NOT do what they do, then where would so many of the people who crochet be? Where would they get their patterns from? So ask yourself the next time you are frustrated by advertising on free pattern websites, or find a pattern you really like, only to see that it costs $4…. Do YOU work for free? Don’t you think that the person who designed this lovely crochet pattern is worthy of the few dollars they MAY make? Apply this to ANY craft; teaching, painting, plumbing, building etc etc.
EVERY person deserves to make a living in the career they have chosen. These professions are skilled crafts, they all took an education, they all took hard work and sacrifice and they ALL should be respected.
For more on this subject check out They are Feeding us Lies, Don’t Eat by Sedie of Yarn Obsession and Free Crochet Pattern Internet Navigation by Kim Guzman
