Interview With Art and Craft Industry Expert James Dillehay

Interview with James Dillehay

November 13th, 2009

by Shasta McLaughlin
The Extravaganza Craft Productions
copyright 2008

Shasta: Tell us a little bit about yourself i.e. how old you are? Where you grew up etc.

James: I grew up in Houston Texas, sometimes working in my father’s retail clothing business in my early teens. In my twenties, my dad expanded to 4 stores and incorporated. I was expected to take over the business and it seemed like the logical choice. Meanwhile, I had a side interest — studying human potential – as in personal growth through consciousness raising practices.

I had come across a Sufi master from Baghdad who traveled around the world teaching ancient techniques for increasing one’s perceptions and intelligence. In a workshop with this man, who seemed straight out of the Arabian Nights, he told me I should quit my job – that it was holding me back from the work I would be doing later on.

Needless to say, this created quite a lot of stress. On the one hand, my father’s business was a golden opportunity. And on the other hand, I could spend some unknown amount of time walking a path that stretched back into antiquity with no clear promise of anything my Western mind could grasp. But it was the call of adventure into the unknown that finally won out.

Shasta: How did you get started?

James: Once on my own, I had to find work to support myself in between attending sessions with the Sufi teacher. He suggested I become a weaver and start a business selling my work.

Shasta: How long have you been doing arts and crafts?

James: The time was around 1984. At first, I was totally resistant to the idea of becoming a weaver. But when I plunged into learning the craft and began selling pieces, I became very enthused. My third show brought in almost $6,000 in sales.

Of course, the money was a big motivator. What I didn’t expect, was a change in the way my mind worked as a result of immersion in the craft of weaving. I learned years later that Sufis traditionally sent students to apprentice under craftsmen in order to both learn a practical skill and also to engage the creative part of the mind on a regular basis. The result is a change of world view along with a healthy side benefit of having a profitable business.

Shasta: What products do you make?

James: I wove wearable art in the form of women’s garments, since there seemed to be a steady demand. Eventually, I also began making rugs and wall hangings, too. The end products weren’t as important to me as the involvement with creating the patterns and the arrangement of the colors.

Shasta: What types of shows do you find work best for selling your product?

James: My pieces typically sold for between $75 and $150. The shows that performed best for me were the high-end art and crafts shows. Juried shows tended to be good selling events for my work. I also exhibited at some ‘country craft’ shows, but they were a complete waste of time and money because the attendees were there for low-priced items.

Shasta: Tell us some of the other avenues you use to market your crafts for instance internet, gift and specialty stores, catalogs etc.

James: In addition to shows, I sold in galleries, specialty shops, gift stores and cooperative galleries. At one point, my pieces were on display in locations in Manhattan, Sedona, Denver, Boulder, Santa Fe, San Antonio and in the Grand Canyon, to name a few.

Shasta: If you don’t mind sharing about how much you make on selling arts and crafts in an average year.

James: My gross sales were between $50,000 and $100,000 a year depending on how much I worked. I never felt compelled to work all the time. You have to enjoy life too.

Shasta: What tip do you feel has improved your business the most?

Probably the most important thing I’ve learned over the years of being a craftsperson and also a writer, publisher and speaker, is that the things that move you — things you jump out of bed in the morning to do — are worth paying the most attention to. The idea that we have to work hard to be successful just doesn’t hold true. You can make money playing — having fun doing what you enjoy doing. And not only can you, but this is what you should focus on most. Because wealth isn’t just money in the bank, it’s also a measure of the moments in your day and how rich they are in experience. My immersion in a craft that I came to love taught me that you can shape your own destiny just as you shape your craft. Of course, if you prefer to work “hard” and suffer, no one can stand in your way.

Shasta: Tell us about the books you wrote and how they can help us improve our businesses.

James: After several years as a professional craft artist, I began writing books teaching others what I learned about starting and growing a craft business. There are now five books in a series and you can read more about my Craft Business Success Package and what others have to say about my advice at www.craftmarketer.com. The library of material delivers over 770 pages of ideas on selling crafts, pricing, finding shows, working with stores and galleries, selling through a website and on eBay and lots more.

One of the chief obstacles I found in growing my own business ventures has always been that I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I think, and my reviewers tend to echo this, that I help readers learn the missing chunks of what they need to get started and to take the next steps to grow their business to the level they are going to be happy with.

Shasta: Feel free to tell us anything else that you think is pertinent.

James: As I mentioned earlier, focus your most important time and resources on what you are most passionate about. It will give you the strength and determination to persevere in the face of challenges.

I will also say that the clearer your vision of what you want to achieve from your craft or any other kind of venture, the more certain its attainment. Just as you envision a finished craft piece before you begin to shape it, envision your business and how it will serve your life aims and then it will just be a matter of taking the necessary steps to enjoying the fruits of your labor.

About James Dillehay:
James Dillehay is a professional craft artist and entrepreneur. He is author of seven books and has been written about in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Bottom Line Personal, Family Circle, The Crafts Report, Sunshine Artist, and many more, including being a guest on HGTV’s The Carroll Duvall Show. James has been listed in Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs and is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach. He creates content and provides a free newsletter for craft artists at www.craftmarketer.com

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