On one hand, DIY culture teaches us that it’s better to make than buy, better to do than accept. On the other, the New Economy tells us that we can embrace our entrepreneurial spirit, do what we love, profit from passion.

In the middle there is a choice – buy or make – where the two collide and threaten our happy little arrangement.

in practice

On Saturday, I had the privilege of speaking to the Pittsburgh Craft Collective about blogging. As part of my shtick, I asked them to think about their ideal audience. Often, when I ask people this question, they just describe themselves.

“Wrong!” I say. “You wouldn’t buy from you, you’d create it yourself.”

And not only that, DIYers not only do their own work, they do others work. On purpose. Not maliciously, of course, but out of a distinct desire to do it themselves. Which means, they’re not buying.

I’m generalizing, of course, but isn’t always easy to see things when the picture is painted in broad strokes?

new direction

The thing is, I have a lot of faith in folks at the Pittsburgh Craft Collective to figure out how to use their creative talents to make an honest living. Perhaps, the most honest living that can be made – one that emanates from your own passion & skills. A job where there is no pink slip except the one you give yourself.

As the old economy withers away and a new economy is born, we have more freedom than ever to do what we love. To approach the world with the eyes of an entrepreneur. To create our own career. Answer our vocation.

Heck, even Suze Orman agrees:

With one in six Americans currently unemployed or underemployed, the competition for work is fierce. So focus on what is in your control—selling yourself and your skills.

But you can’t do this if people aren’t buying. This is the quintessential case for mindful spending.

The new economy is a cycle in which our dollars are spent in our communities – whether local or virtual – and then come back around to our wallets as we sell our own skills & services. The new economy relies on creativity & innovation from a whole class of people and not just the creativity of an individual.

The new economy dares us to sell what we love to do and purchase what others love to do.

If you want others to support you with their dollars, you have to support them with your dollars.

We’ve learned SO MUCH from DIY.

• how to sew
• how to remodel
• how to grow food
• how to build
• how to cook

I am so thankful for all that knowledge. And at the same time, I’m thankful for the people who do each of those things professionally. I am thankful that I can seek out high quality and save myself time by paying for it.

At some point DIY falls a little short and it pays to be aware that fact.

That might mean buying that painting for above your sofa instead of trying to recreate it – sorry, Martha. Or it might mean hiring an accountant instead of trying to keep your books yourself – sorry, Quicken. It might mean purchasing custom invitations instead of trying to design them yourself – sorry, Photoshop.

I’m of course thankful that, with the myriad of DIY websites out there, many people choose me to build websites for them.

The danger of DIY culture is that we can lose track of where we fit into the bigger picture of the new economy. We concentrate on becoming less commercial, more “by hand.” And so we stop buying and start making. But buying keeps us all in business and it allows others to try their hand at selling their craft, whether it be quilts or technical writing or biomechanical engineering.

When we do everything “in house,” we miss out on the expertise of others. Not to mention their passion & enthusiasm.

I want to continue to make a living doing what I love so I choose to support others who do what they love.

Embrace DIY when it comes to expression. Embrace conscious consumption when it comes to expertise.

Which way do you turn in the intersection of DIY and the new economy?

{i am an artist not a waitress rings by kathryn riechert}