I used to post quite actively in r/soapmaking since, well, I’m a soap maker.
My wife and I raised the pigs, rendered the lard, and mixed it with other oils and lye to make soap. You know, soap making.
r/soapmaking was filled with people who bought soap that other people made, melted it, mix in perfume and glitter, poured it into moulds, and sold it. I pointed out that they weren’t actually making soap but were doing arts and crafts with soap that other people make.
They set upon my like a bunch of extremist vegans at a BBQ. I said that there wasn’t anything wrong with doing soap arts and crafts but that it wasn’t really soap making since they didn’t actually make soap.
They called me arrogant for not accepting that not making soap was soap making and banned me. I can’t remember whether it was permanent or temporary but I never went back.
I think you’re absolutely right to the point where no reasonable person could disagree with you.
If I buy a bar of soap from someone, I have not made that soap, regardless of what I do with it after. Changing the shape, adding perfume, packaging it, whatever. The final product I’m selling is someone’s soap + my labor. Which is perfectly valid, however, I remain distinctly not a soap maker.
It’s like saying you produce paper when what you actually do is buy a notebook and draw in it. Just makes no sense to say, and there’s nothing wrong with being an artist anyway. So it makes more sense to just say you’re an artist
Yup.