Category: Art

If you have managed to forge out a successful career with your creative side, then well done you. We hope you find continued success. However, many of us are stuck with 9 to 5 jobs that rarely touch upon the creative side of our lives, be we photographers, artists, writers, or one of the many other creative types that exist in our world today. We need to pay the bills, after all.

However, if you’re looking to spend more time with your creative passion, and make money while doing so, then it makes sense to take on a side hustle. Not only will this give you the incentive to put your skills to good use, but it will also give you something to add to your resumé; useful, especially if you later want to move into a career that allows you the scope to fully use your creative talents.

Here then are some ideas that we hope you find useful.

For photographers

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You can forge out a career as a photographer in many ways. You could open your own photo studio, work as a photojournalist, or take on any one of these interesting careers. However, if you aren’t ready or wanting to commit to a full-time position, then you can still make money on the side.

You could advertise your services online for photo shoots. You don’t need to own your own photo studio, as some clients prefer location and outdoor shoots. They might even want you to come to their home or business premises. Still, you could always rent a professional studio if this was needed, so check the linked article for some useful advice. Types of photo shoot include family portraits, pet photos, and headshots (perhaps for those looking to get into acting or modelling). With your own website acting as a portfolio, and with a marketing push to get your website noticed online, you might one day take this up as a full-time career once word gets around about what you can offer.

Make money from your work online. You could sell prints of your work from your own website, or you could use popular websites such as Etsy and ImageKind to sell your work. You might want to check out Clickasnap too, which offers free photo sharing for photographers and pays out when your photos are viewed. And considering many people need to use stock photos for their blogs and websites, you might also make a passive income by submitting your pics to stock photography sites such as Flickr and ShutterStock.

For jewelry designers

Jewelry designers can also leverage their craft to increase their income. By designing unique pieces that appeal to specific markets, designers can establish themselves as experts in their niche market and secure a steady income. Etsy, eBay or your own personal website provide jewelry designers an avenue for selling their designs globally. Additionally, boutique stores or art galleries often seek unique artisanal pieces as an additional revenue stream. Custom design services allow customers to customize pieces specifically to their tastes and requirements, offering unique selling points while charging premium fees for personalized services. Russian Shungite jewelry has gained significant traction through online platforms and custom design services; you could utilize various materials, styles, and techniques in creating jewelry lines that stand out in the market.

For artists

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Forging a career as an artist is easy(ish) once you become well known after selling your work in galleries, and there are many other careers that can be obtained if you have an art degree or relevant experience. But if you’re looking for a side-hustle, there are options open to you.

You could sell merchandise with your art. Using the print-on-demand services of websites such as Printful and Zazzle, you can upload images of your art to create your own custom-made merchandise that is sold on their sites. These include t-shirts, business cards, home decor items, and more. A portion of your profit will go to these sites, but you will still make money from the endeavour, and you won’t have to worry about packing and shipping costs, as they will take care of that for you.

You could earn an income selling prints of your work. This is also something to keep in mind if you’re a photographer, as by digitizing your work with a scanning tool or graphic design program, you could turn your work into high-quality posters that would make a lovely addition to people’s homes. You could then sell these from your personal website, or use sites such as Etsy or Sellfy. You can also connect your site to these websites, so if anybody likes what they see, they will be able to connect with you and see what else you have to offer.

For writers

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Sure, you could make money by becoming a journalist or writing a best-selling novel, but until you do (if these ideas even interest you at all), you can still make a bit of money on the side.

You could work part-time as a freelance writer. Now, you won’t make big bucks as a freelance writer, especially if you’re only working when you have spare time, but you will get to practice your craft, and this could one day net you a well-paid and full-time gig that will enable you to earn real money. By visiting sites such as Upwork and PitchWhiz, you will be able to advertise your services and search through the myriad of clients who are looking for a freelance writer for blog or ghost-writing purposes.

You could create your own blog. Why write for other people’s blogs when you could write content for your own? Okay, so you could still do both, but if you want an online presence of your own, your blog could work as both a showcase of your writing talents and as a means to make money. You can find out more about monetizing your blog here. Unlike guest writing for others, you can write what you want on your blog, within reason and good taste, and you can also support other aspiring writers by giving them the platform to guest write articles for your site.

Finally

To be honest, we have barely touched the surface of the side-hustles that are available to you, so use our suggestions as a springboard for what could be possible for you, and then continue your research online. No matter what your creative passion is, you are sure to find a money-making idea that will supplement your regular income. And let us know if you have any other ideas for our readers too, especially if you are already making money on a part or full-time basis. We should all be supportive of each other, after all.

Take care, and thanks for reading.

 

Working smart is even more important when you’re self employed. Sure, all of us should be putting the effort in when it comes to our job or career, but when you’re self employed, you only get paid for the work that you do and not the hours. For most employees, taking an extra long break or skiving off when they can makes sense as they’re getting paid regardless. But it doesn’t make sense from a self employed perspective. Here’s how you can work smarter and more efficiently to get the most out of your time.

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Get organised the night before

Most people that work a traditional job will get their stuff ready the night before- their clothes, their lunch and their work bag. If you work from home, it’s tempting to skip this step but it’s something well worth doing. You won’t be wearing a uniform, but some clean, comfy clothes to change into when you get up can get you in a good frame of mind instead of staying in your pyjamas. Preparing a lunch and keeping it in the fridge saves you from having to mess around midday. If there’s any prep you need to do, such as writing a to-do list of tasks then get it sorted the night before, so you’re on top of things and feeling good in the morning.

Learn shortcuts

Even something as simple as keyboard shortcuts can save you time when you’re working. Whether its the snipping tool on Mac to screenshot (https://setapp.com/how-to/snipping-tool-for-mac explains how to do this) to using the correct cut, copy and paste shortcuts. If you regularly use softwares, these will all have their own shortcuts integrated into them too which are worth learning. Photoshop is one example of this, it can make designing anything much quicker when you’re not having to manually search the tools that you want.

Turn off distractions

Sometimes it can feel like you’ve worked a solid eight hours, but actually, a good two or three of them were spent messing around procrastinating. If you check Facebook between every email you send, have a quick browse of Instagram after every paragraph you write or get up to make a cup of tea every hour then this time soon adds up. If you get rid of distractions and focus on getting through your tasks, you get to finish sooner which is far better than stretching out your working day. Turn off your phone, or put it away from arms reach if you’re in bad habits of checking it. Before starting a task, make sure you have everything you need, and work on powering through it distraction free. It’s not to say you can’t have breaks, breaks are healthy and essential. They give you a chance to stretch your legs and rest your eyes, but it’s no good if you’re getting up every five minutes. You’ll be stopping your flow of productivity.

If you’ve been struggling to live the life you want to live lately, you’ve got to ask yourself why. Why is it that you feel you can’t do what you want? What do you want to do that you’re being held back from? These are both important questions and as soon as you know what the answer is, you’re going to be able to make waves in your life. In this article, we’re going to be taking a look at some of the things that you can do in order to free yourself and live your best life. If you want to know more about this topic, keep reading down below.

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Be On Your Own

The first thing that we’re going to suggest is that you learn to be on your own. If you’re not happy, then you may not be happy in the relationship that you’re in right now either. It’s best for you and the person you are with if you let this go now, rather than dragging it out. This is of course, unless you are in love with them and they can understand your need to be alone for a little while. If this is the case, then there is no need to break up as you go and have your freedom.

However, for a lot of people, they don’t know how to be on their own and that is hindering their life. You wouldn’t think of being alone though if you wanted to be with your partner as much as you think you do. If you’ve decided to be on your own and you’re married, make sure that you have all the necessary things such as the form e divorce paper. 

Travel The World

If you want to live your best life then we highly recommend traveling the world to some degree. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that not everyone gets, so you would be silly to turn down such an opportunity. Choose the places that you want to go. Go and experience something new, see how other cultures live and so on. There is always something for you to find when you’re in another part of the world, so get looking!

Live For You

The final thing that we’re going to suggest is that you start living for you. A lot of the time, you find that the reason you feel trapped and like you can’t live your best life is because you’re not really living for you. There might be others in your life that you are more focused on making happy to the detriment of yourself. We know that it is difficult, but you need to stop doing this as much as you can, and learn to live for yourself first. You are the only one who can control you, so start doing it.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the best things that you can do to free yourself and live your best life. Take the leap of faith that you need to, and get ready to experience new things.