Those are some useful insights, I totally agree with all of this (and I know Johanna will love your comments about the marketing use of the word "craft" - we've had a running debate about that ever since LW began). One of the challenges of an artisan is that we tend to get emotionally attached to what we make. That is good and bad at the same time. Part of the marketing appeal of something made by hand is that it was made with a lot of personal attention ("made with love"). But it also sometimes very often clouds our judgment as to what will sell in a given market, how to present it to that market (assuming any thought is given to the market to begin with), and how our work compares with other choices available to that same market. I see this all the time, and am probably guilty of it myself. After all, if we create a design we like, why shouldn't everyone want it?
More to write, but I'll have to try to come back to this later...
Kate