Let's face it - Artisan is useless right now. It's a niche market. You can go on your whole life without buying any artisan items. So here's a few changes that (I think) need to be made:

Remove pipes from the Arts skillset. Even better, do away with Arts entirely and give everyone who had it a full lesson refund. Put everything from Arts into Artisan. Having both Arts as a common skill and Artisan as a trade skill really looks like a kludge that had to be made so that Lusternia would have vials and pipes before Artisan came out.

Add a trinkets skill in Artisan, relatively low, full of custom patterns that can be used to make interesting but entirely useless props, which are cheap and decay relatively fast - Like dolls, toys, music boxes, the kind of thing you give to someone as a gift. People buy flowers, after all (Or at least I do).

Musical instruments - they can be played (A special type of custom emote). Alternatively, they can be enchanted to have special effects when played. And quite obviously, if we ever have a bard-like archetype, they'll need them.

Dont destroy the arts skillset, it's vital, getting rid of pipes in arts would be good, since artisan pipes last longer and like look alot cooler anyway. I already had a post about having dolls and small things like that in artisan, and there was moderate interest, but i dont think anything ever happened. I'm not sure if TM's are meant to be able to influence the skills though if they can, i can always write something up on the boards there.

The whole trinkets thing give artisan something that wont cost mountains of commotidies which are quite costly, it'll give it something that's not so benificial but is worth buying just for having them.

The musical instraments idea would work well, though they would have to be high up in artisan, while the trinkets would be low, gifted or expert, mainly since i'm annoyed the fact that kegs, the only real money make in artisan, can be gotten in 15 lessons or less.

THere is a trinkets section in jewelery.

I'd be cool with splitting Arts between Artisan and Discernment. It makes a lot of sense. As long as it doesn't bump Contemplate too high.

All we have in Trinkets so far is needles, be nice if we could make little jeweled things. Maybe even something that can be displayed in a room, which Artisans could get a showcase for stuff like that if there isnt one already, well, not just for trinkets, but for showing off anything you want without cluttering the room.

I just not long ago learned what artisans can make and what it do.
There is a lot usefull thinks, from weapon rack(weapons dont decay in it), candelabre (reveal dramweavers), curtains(hide exits) throne(boost to charisma) tables and few other things. Artisans just need to make an ad campaing over market and let people what those all cool things do. I bet you get a lot more oders for them.
Not to mention that you would love to have furniture in your manse.
When me and Catarin add more rooms to our manse we will be need more furnitures. One room can have all that we need, and we would like to haev more then just what we need.

This reminds me that i need to buy some nice pipes.
Anyone have some cool designs for pipes?

Everything in Artisan is horribly expensive and can only be bought for manses or guildhalls. Most people simply can't afford an Artisan item, or would rather spend the money on credits. And yes, the arts skillset has to go. I never understood why we still need it; put the illusion detection skills in discernment, pipes, statues, vials, sketches and paintings in Artisan, spread nicely.

I know that furnitures are expensive but if you can affore manse you wil lbe have gold for furnitures too. Same for guild halls or other buildings in city. Guild and city have a lot more gold then avarage player. Just charge reasonable for your service and you should be fine.
Right now we have 2 chairs, desk and weapon rack in a manse. And we need a few more furnitures: throne or two, maybe a large table, bed cabinet, chest.
We provided comms but we give gold to Vanthan for his work too.

And still looking for nice pipes designs.

Very few people own manses compared to the general playerbase, and many simply don't buy furniture. Artisan isn't like other trade skills, which are necessary; even Bookbinders sell something that people actually need (Scrolls). Artisans don't, except for pipes. Since art pipes are cheaper, not even that.

EDIT:And since furniture takes a long while to decay, the market for Artisans is sparse.

And what, pray tell, are Geb, Sierus, Kaervas and I (and anyone I missed) going to do with about 1800 lessons? Do away with arts and give everyone a refund? That's a horrible idea.

Save them for when you switch guilds? Use them to trans everything you haven't transed yet? Switch tradeskills several times to see which one you like the best? Seriously, the Arts skillset is redundant. At the very least, making vials should be moved to Artisan. The way it is now, everyone has a steady income of money, even if it's small. Except for artisans.

Ok maybe Artisan need some skill that will be more usefull for larger playerbase but art skillset should stay.

Ekard do you mean tapestries to hide exits, but i'm not sure they're working. Drapes make it so it's night in the room if they're closed.

Vials are very artisan link, we're meant to be making furniture and the like, we dont work with gems, Vial is we destroyed the arts skillset would go to Jewellery, since jewellers use gems and craft stuff out of them.

I'm a transcendent Artisan and I have had no problems with making money with my chosen profession.

I am also a transcendent Artist, and I love the skill. We probably don't need pipes in arts, but then what about tinderboxes or shovels, or vials for that matter? Don't do away with Arts, I love Arts.

If you're having a hard time with your profession, maybe you should try a different profession. Herbs, Alchemy and Enchantment are all things that people need, and I'm always hearing a need for Tailors.

Tapestries do hide exits. I have an exit in my manse that no one can see due to the tapestry hanging over it.

Lord Shikari action figures with Sword-Fu grip!