Guide artisanat - Comment bien préparer votre rendez-vous de création de projet

The importance of preparing for an appointment

When you are considering working with a tradesperson (regardless of their specialty), preparing for your appointment is essential to ensure that both parties are on the same page and that the project runs smoothly. Being well prepared will allow you to clearly communicate your ideas and expectations, while establishing a relationship of trust with the craftsman or woman. It also demonstrates your seriousness and commitment to the project.

Find out about the craftsman or woman

Before contacting the artisan, it is crucial to find out about their previous work, their style, and their price list. Visit their website, check out their social media posts, and ask friends and family if they have worked with them before. This will not only allow you to determine if their aesthetic matches yours and if their services are within your budget, but also to see if you can work together. When you place an order with a craftsman, you are working together on the project—at least in my case. This way, you will avoid asking questions that they have already answered a thousand times and ensure that the answer is accessible.

Create an effective mood board

A mood board is a visual tool that brings together images, textures, colors, accessories, and other elements that you want to work with. Bringing a mood board to your appointment will help the artisan understand and discuss your vision. It will allow them to quickly assess your preferences, constraints, and the style that suits you. By taking this approach, you maximize the chances that the final result will meet your expectations. Nothing is worse than seeing someone arrive and say, “I want a costume, but I don't know what,” without any guidelines—yes, it's happened to me before.

Know your constraints

It is essential to have a clear idea of the constraints of your project before going into your appointment. The requirements will not be the same whether you are embodying a princess, a warrior, or a princess-warrior! Identify the essential elements that must be included to facilitate use and optimize your comfort. If you fight, let the artisan know; if you are uncomfortable with your body and want to cover it as much as possible, say so; if you are a thief and want to hide a pocket as well, all these elements will help tailor the project specifically to you.

Your budget

Remember that when you hire a craftsman or craftswoman, you are not buying an object but expertise, and expertise comes at a cost. However, don't hesitate to discuss the budget you've been given. If it's too high, perhaps some features could be removed (lining, sleeves, shirt, etc.), or the payment could be spread out over several installments. These different ways of adjusting the budget and payment are not negotiations, and are therefore perfectly acceptable.

When quoting for a jacket, the customer was unsure about the cost of the fancy lining, not certain that it was worth the extra expense if she wasn't sure that the fancy lining would suit her. So I suggested adding the following clause to the quote: the customer pays a deposit of 50% of the cost of the jacket, I offer her fabrics for the lining at my next hunt, if she doesn't like any of them, we don't do the lining, if she falls in love with a fabric, then the lining is invoiced. This way, I was guaranteed the sale of a jacket, and we were able to find a fancy lining that suited my customer without her feeling trapped.

However, don't expect to get a unique creation for €150; at that price, you might only get the raw materials.

Appointments here

Appointments to discuss your project are charged to my company. This is for one reason: to filter out serious clients. Too often, I have had clients who expected unique creations at Mytholon prices, others who ghosted me afterwards, and even some who came to me asking for a creation that was not at all in my style. In the end, it's a waste of time and therefore money for me.

However, in order not to penalize people who are properly informed about my work, I have decided to deduct the reservation fee from the quote for your order.