The PHB argues against that.
PG 159: "Skilled hirelings include anyone hired to perform a service that involves a proficiency (including weapon, tool, or a skill): a mercenary, artisan, scribe and so on. Minimum pay for those Skilled hirelings is 2 gp.
Then on page 187 it tells us during downtime that if you are crafting (which requires only proficiency in a tool) you can maintain a modest lifestyle without having to pay the 1 gp per day or half the cost of a comfortable lifestyle (also 1 gp). The section on practicing a profession says that if you can afford modest 1 gp per day, or comfortable 2 gp a day, if you are part of an organization that can provide you employment, like a temple or a guild. Just having proficiency in performance gives you a wealthy lifestyle of 10 gp per day.
So, if you are working on a personal crafting project, you can still afford half of a skilled hirelings pay per day, which is likely you squeezing in other work around your personal project. If you are just working, and part of a guild (and therefore not needing to deal with not finding steady work) then you get 2 gp per day. Which gets you comfortable, which is the merchants and skilled tradespeople.
Experts would be even more expensive, and beyond this level of skill, which is just baseline proficiency.