Why are most crafts "cute"

I'm not into "cute" myself, I prefer the dark, the slightly sinister, gothic etc. in fact, the only "cute" stuff I like is Goth Lolita...(yes, that's my idea of cute!), and if you look at my projects you'll notice a predominance of black!!
the thing is though, that if you have a stall at most craft fairs, you'll notice that it's the cutesy crafts and cards, and knitted baby bootees etc. that sell the most, that's what the "general public" seem to want to buy..... of course, I can only talk of craft fairs here in Scotland, perhaps it is different in other areas.

You're about right with craft fairs being booties, cards etc except for the ones at Whitby goth week. The only knitted booties I saw there were black with red ties and little skulls...... So sweet. Everything else there craft wise is black, with a touch of black and the occasional bits of red, purple & white......except for the cyber stuff which is just electric any colour!

Wish I could go to Whitby Goth week........

I've seen the little goth bootees before, I love them!

My mom and I had a ritual of watching Carol together, for years! We were so mad when her show was canceled, why the heck did they think we ordered DIY network? Now even Uncommon Threads and Knitty Gritty, and all the other craft shows are gone, and all that's left are stupid renovation shows...boo. Unless you own your own home, and are renovating it...in which case...GO YOU!

So, yeah, I'm a rambler, too. BTW, I'm 25, and have been crafting practically since birth. As soon as I learned that there was such a thing as taking 2 or more items and attaching them to each other, or painting them, etc., I started wanting to do it. My parents are Baby Boomers, and I'm the oddball child (6th of7) who's always been into older things. Before it was trendy to do 'vintage', I loved my grandmother's large, bright colored flower and bug brooches. I'm an old soul. I go to yard sales looking for old pots and pans, dishes, tablecloths or fabrics...and anything else I might be needing or wanting for my home at the moment. I prefer Thrift Shopping to chain stores. Rambling again, sorry.

An idea for you is to get a booth at a flea market, or Renaissance Faire, or even check out local book stores, especially nerdy ones, that hold Magic The Gathering and D&D meetings. On that last idea, you could bring pictures of some of your work, and ask if they'd like to sell your items, and give them a small percentage of the profit. In my hometown there are a ton of stores devoted solely to local artisans work, as well as several book, consignment, second hand media, and vintage clothing stores that sell local artists' jewelry, knitted/crocheted items, and other things. Of course, it's a college town, and our colleges are heavy on art...so it makes sense. Maybe there's something like that in your area, or in a nearby town?
And, yes, it's hard to get started on Etsy, but you should look around on that site, to get your belief in your work back, believe me, there are some strange things on that site, and they sell. I'm talking animals which have been taxidermized together, like a fish/squirrel hybrid. There are plenty of people who'd buy fantasy and darker things from you.

I not only sold my art in what you called the Nerd Stores I owned a comic book store for 3 years. I guess that is why I am having such a withdrawal. I made many DM screens and journals for the players from my store. Had built in customers! Closed the store 2 years ago Thank you Wall Street. But hey you are right about the Ren aissance Faires, we have a couple of fair sized ones here in Omaha, but only 2 hours away from KC which has a REALLY nice Faire. Thanks everyone for your input.

P.S. The picture I use as my id is one of my art dolls. 7 feet tall and completely made of paper. When I take this to fairs here I get some really interesting comments.

That's awesome! I figured you'd sold them in your comic shop. By the way, I'm a BIG nerd myself, so I wasn't ragging on that or anything. I just know that set are the customer types for fantasy artisan pieces. Cuz I would buy them, and so would my fiance, and his sister, and his dad...I live with his family, and they have a HUGE collection of dragons, wizards, and medieval weaponry. They even have a big fake suit of armor. And guess where we live? In the middle of 'country-cute' town, U.S.A. So, even if you don't have a LOT of people who'll be interested, there's bound to be someone local who will get your style. Craigslist's art pages might even be a could starting over point for you.