Monday, January 29, 2018

Turning Talent Into Cash Is Easier Than You Think

No matter how old you get, hobbies are incredibly important. Hobbies enrich our lives. They grow our skills, help us build confidence and build new neural pathways in our brains, helping our brains to stay young and healthy regardless of our years… All while giving us a sense of true purpose and fulfilment and allowing us to feel like ourselves in a way that our day jobs rarely allow. Making time to indulge your creative mind can be difficult when you work full time and have kids to look after, but no matter how hectic your schedule, you owe it to yourself to spend an hour a day or so doing something that makes you feel good about yourself.

Not only can your hobby be a wonderful activity, it can also be an enjoyable and rewarding way to make money. Thanks to the wonders of digital technology people all over the world are making money alongside their day wage (or even replacing their day wage) by peddling their wares in the enormous marketplace that is the internet. If you yearn to turn your passion into a side hustle, it really can be easier than you’d think...


Build a portfolio

Firstly, it’s time to prove that anyone can be an artist. Building a portfolio of work will not only help you to hone your craft and find your voice creatively, it will help you stand out from the amateurs and chancers looking to make a quick buck. Whether you turn your talents to crafts, graphic design, painting or photography, you must have a healthy body of work to be taken seriously. 

By the time you’ve built up a substantial body of work, you’ll know which works are worthy of selling and which you should keep to document your growth as a creative.


Choose a platform

When you have your portfolio of work assembled, you need to choose the right platform to enable you to sell your work quickly and easily while enabling you to keep enough of the money to make the process of selling worthwhile. You’ll also need a reliable courier like Shiply to ensure that your items (even large or heavy items) reach your customers intact. There are numerous options open to you;

  • eBay- Quick and easy to use, with a potentially massive potential market for your work. There’s also a lot of competition and more fees than…
  • Etsy- Etsy is the go to site of choice for those who want to buy and sell art but while it also brings with it a huge market, there’s also a lot of competition. Plus Etsy’s search algorithms make it hard for new artists to get noticed.
  • Shopify- Many people who struggle with Etsy have found success with Shopify. You can even port your inventory from Etsy over to Shopify quickly and easily. 
  • Your own online shop- If you’re prepared to put in the time, effort and money to build your own online shop you’ll be able to keep more of your earnings… But you’ll have to grow your own audience.

Get social

Being active on social media is a great way to grow your audience while engaging with a wonderful and supportive community of your fellow artists. Post pictures of your work in progress as well as any items you have for sale. You should also start up a blog allowing your followers to peek behind the curtain of your creative efforts, so that others can learn to better their craft through your endeavors. You’ll organically grow a market of appreciative repeat customers.

18 comments:

  1. My sister went to art school after she graduated high school. She's made A LOT from her art over the years.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My daughter started painting a couple of years ago and when people saw her paintings, they wanted to buy them. She never dreamed she could actually sell her art work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Always great to encourage our children to be creative and if they want to try and sell what they produce. Never know where their talents might lie.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Your daughter is so talented. Love her paintings! Thanks for sharing these resources. I had no idea how easy it was.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like your list! I have sold stuff on eBay before. I am not talented enough for Etsy, but I have bought plenty from there ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your daughter is incredibly talented! This is definitely a good idea and I think I'm going to try this. I love that picture of the barn that she has painted. It is absolutely gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I know you say we all can be artists but I am definitely challenged. Your artwork shown here was so good I would pay for it. I have to admit my son has an artistic flair that I could monetize sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the idea that everyone can be an artist, but I'm not so sure if just anyone can make money as an artist. It takes a real talent, and I'm not one of those people who can pull it off!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've sold a few things on ebay over the years, it's useful. I'm awful with art and I dislike direct sales so cannot see myself selling any art.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think this is a great idea. When I was little, I tried selling friendship bracelets. I actually sold a few in my grandmother's garage sell. I don't remember making a ton but I was excited that they sold.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have done this for 2 decades successfully in one way or another. I admit though, at times it becomes daunting. When you do what you love FULL TIME as your sole source of income it does take away slightly from the enjoyment of it. Balance is key. If you do not HAVE to make your living doing what you love I suggest just keeping it as a side gig so you do not lose sight of the pleasure. Your daughter is amazing! I wish I had artistic talent like she does!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think Etsy is a great place to monetize your talents. I myself love browsing as a customer and discovering new products!

    ReplyDelete
  13. How talented is your daughter and how lovely she really enjoys doing something she is good at.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I agree. I think my passion is writing...but I also do it for a living...so I'm not sure. Maybe I'd say cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I need to share this with my sister in law. Having talent like this NEEDS to be harnessed. It's a gift!

    ReplyDelete
  16. These are great ideas. My niece uses Etsy as her platform to make money. She built a small portfolio and now makes a decent income from digital files.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nancy at Whispered InspirationsApril 11, 2018 at 6:50 AM

    These are really fantastic ideas. I agree that you should totally harness your talent.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That's so true. You can definitely make a profit out of your hobby. I think these are wonderful suggestions on how to do that. Also, your daughter is talented!

    ReplyDelete

I love comments so leave me a line or two and I will follow your trail and comment back.

Sugarcreek Roadtrips

It's been a while since we last visited Sugarcreek.  We used to go there almost every weekend just so we can drive around and see other ...

Thanks for Subscribing.

Enter your email address:








Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin

Pages

Search This Blog