I recently shared on social media about the challenging side of maker world. I'm humbled and overwhelmed by the messages I have received. After such an overwhelming response and realizing I am not alone in these experiences, I decided to expand on that social media post and talk about three of the biggest challenges of Maker World and what I have learned about them:

• community aspect
• defining our own self worth 
• finding your tribe

Weighty stuff to be sure, but important stuff I think. I am splitting this up into 3 posts because it is a lot to process and I think each topic on their own is too important to gloss over.

So let's start with the community aspect.

I first heard the term “Maker” when I started my business Instagram account in January 2016. As I began to find other creative accounts this word kept popping up: “Maker”. Then, after I launched this blog in March 2016, I started to hear it A LOT.  Truly it seemed like “maker” this and “maker” that kept popping up everywhere. Along with social media accounts, Facebook groups also started coming across my suggestions feed.

And so many times “maker” was followed with the word “community”.

Now, community is a word I knew and was fond of. I had long been a supporter of building a community, not a following on other social media platforms. But this “Maker Community” was new and interesting. Have I stumbled upon some amazing group of creative people scattered all over the world but coming together online? Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: keep reading...

Sidebar: I will do a future post about being a “maker” but for this post I want to stay focused on the “Maker Community” aspect.

A year later I have come to think that by associating those two words “Maker” and “Community”, that a silent pressure is created and it actually, in my opinion, can be stifling to your own individual creative calling. Being part of a community is incredible. But so is our individual calling. You should not have to sacrifice one for the other and it concerns me that I see pressure to do so in groups and with hashtags like "community over competition".  I support and use the hashtag but worry it is misleading. You can, and should, have BOTH in harmony!

Personally, I love competition. It pushes us. It pushes ME. It makes us (me) do better. It inspires us (me) to work harder and achieve our (my)  best results. I also believe it is in our DNA. It is in fact instinctive.

Putting it scriptural:
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

I am also a huge fan of community, as anyone who knows me will tell you. I truly believe it is in  our best interest and it is our responsibility to be in community and be of service to one another.  Lifting people up comes naturally to me. I have been accused of "people pleasing" and "kissing up". Neither are true. I just find it natural to support people.

Putting it scriptural (again):
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another.
Heb 10:24-25 (NLT)

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.
Gal 5:13 (NLT)

I am not trying to give you a sermon. I want to give you the basis of my belief. My ethos.

With this blog, for example, I want to impart my knowledge to you and share things that have helped me succeed as well as share failures that have taught me lessons. I am not worried about "giving it away" because ultimately, the core of my business is to best serve my customers and the community. It is just that simple.

I want to share my knowledge to support, encourage and empower you to make your own decision for YOUR journey. So, for example, when you ask how much should you charge for something you make, I can give you the well used and pretty standard pricing structure. I can tell you to look at what the “market” calls for in competitor pricing. I can suggest you charge what you think you're worth. I can suggest you charge what you think you can get. I can suggest lots of things.

Still, none of us are the same and no one can know all of someone else’s factors. Only YOU know what pricing formula works for you and your target market and your customer base and only YOU have to feel like you are satisfied at the end of a day. A dollar in New York City is not the same as a dollar in Peoria, Illinois for example so can you really charge the same in both? I don't know. That is for YOU to decide. This applies to all areas, not just pricing of your creations.

When we share knowledge, I think it should be given freely so that the person receiving it can then apply it (or not) as it suits their own course. Only you (or me for myself) can ever decide how to use information we receive.

To me, this seems natural.  We are making handmade creations so it is natural to me that each business would be as unique as the “Maker” behind it.  No cookie cutter format works for all of us. This is what makes what we do so very very special: who we are as individuals. Maintaining that individual clarity is very freeing. These recent experiences have really taught me that.

So be that. BE YOU!

Still, being part of a community is equally awesome.  After all, in business or in personal journey, isn't it all about people, relationships and having an impact on each other? Life IS about community. It’s about adding value and serving each other well.

Having that resource for encouragement and support from people who are in the same trenches as you can be invaluable. Being able to shine YOUR light and bring something to your community is essential and fulfilling. It is about what we can do that adds value to the community that matters. We can only do that by being ourselves. By shining our OWN light. It is not about conforming but rather bringing something TO the community.

So do not dim your light so that others may shine. That is not what "Community of Competition" or being in community means. As I elaborated more in this post, it's not about self-deprecating humility where you knock yourself down just to lift others up. Nor is it about being equal.

Because the truth is that some businesses will not make it. For one reason or another that is a fact. You can root for them and support them but we all have a different path. Being part of a community does not mean helping another succeed at the expense of your own success. 

And while I am a huge fan of the COMMUNITY aspect, I am weary of things I have seen when pressure is applied to follow certain thoughts or methods or a process that may not work for all under the guise of "community over competition". I have to wonder if that truly serves the community or is that serving the agenda of THAT group leadership?

I have come to learn and accept, after much turmoil and these experiences, that all Maker groups are not for everyone. There are too many unknown undisclosed factors and agendas (whether it is to sell merchandise or get people to believe in or practice a certain methodology or something else) that work for some and maybe not for others. They serve a purpose to be sure but may not be a good fit for all. And that is ok.

I SAID: THAT IS OK.
(we will talk more about this in posts 2 & 3 of this series)

The journey to discover this for myself was bumpy and not without hurt, but I've got it now. And it is so important for those challenges to shape and help us grow and move forward. And just as important to share them so others can learn and grow.

So I encourage you to sharpen others. Shine YOUR light and lift others up. Serve your community well. Not at your own expense and not out of jealousy or hidden agendas but out of love and fellowship. Show compassion to those who may need it if they hurt you and add value where you can. THAT is the value of being in community. And the value of being YOU!

I go back to that scripture:

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another.
Heb 10:24-25 (NLT)