Article submission by Sheila Olson
Tired of Being a Starving Artist? Try One of These Creative Side Gigs
OK, so you may not be starving, but additional income is usually very welcome as an artist since we often don’t have a steady income stream. Side gigs can fill the financial gaps and help pay bills. Choosing flexible side gigs you enjoy leaves you with extra time to create. Learn how to manage your side gig to maintain balance by following the tips:
Benefits of Side Gigs
According to a Zapier survey, 34 percent of Americans have a side gig. An artistic side gig lets you use your creative talents to earn money. You can use the extra cash to pay bills until your art makes consistent income.
Flexibility is a huge advantage of side gigs. You can take on as many side projects as you want and set your own prices. What starts as a side gig can often grow into a business.
Types of Side Gigs for Artists
The best side gigs for artists use creativity profitably. Here are some side gig ideas:
- Teach. Becoming more and more popular is the digital course arena. You can share your art skills with an online course through the Teachable platform. This generates passive income because you create the course once and sell it to many people. You can also teach local art classes or offer tutoring.
- Social media management. You understand art and creative endeavors. This is a perfect fit to help artists, art supply stores, art galleries, museums, or other artistic businesses with social media. They’ll often pay to outsource posts.
- Online store. Put your artwork on T-shirts, mugs, and other items to sell online.
- Digital designs. Use your artistic talents by selling digital designs, such as fonts, graphics, website templates, stock photos, logos, and other creative assets.
- Freelance writing. Write articles for blogs, print publications, and websites related to art. Freelance gigs often pay per piece or word.
- Blogging or vlogging. Starting a blog gives you more freedom to write what you want. A YouTube channel is also a good option for artists. These methods take time to build income through ads and other monetization methods.
Choosing a Side Gig
Consider your talents and how you can turn them into a profitable business. Factor in your preferences. What do you love to do? What makes you happy?
For example, if you love writing, you might lean toward freelancing or starting a blog. Research the market to identify profitable niches.
How to Find Side Gigs
Find local side gigs by reaching out to artistic businesses to offer your services. You can reach new customers online by building your social media presence. Placing targeted ads on social media can also expand your reach. The Fiverr platform can help you connect with potential clients for creative designs.
Turning Your Side Gig Into a Business
A side gig can turn into a fully functioning business over time. Choose a business that you’re passionate about and that matches your talents. Then, treat it like a business from the beginning. These tips can help you find success:
- Create a business plan. It doesn’t need to be complicated. A few goals and a plan to achieve them is a good start. Define the details to help make decisions.
- Under-promise, over-deliver. Only promise what you can deliver. When possible, give extra or finish earlier to impress clients. I often will send a free print or gift with my art shipments.
- Be respectful. Always treat customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders with respect to develop a positive reputation.
- Be professional. Writing emails in a proper format and using good grammar will identify you as a serious business professional (yes, you are one if you are selling your art).
- Invest. Put hard work and dedicated time into your side gig to help it grow.
- Practice self-care. Take care of yourself by getting the recommended seven hours or more of sleep, exercising regularly, and eating healthy foods.
Start a Side Gig
Side gigs offer flexible earning while letting you create. Choose a profitable and enjoyable creative side gig to maximize earnings.
Keep honing your painting skills to sell more art, but using some of these side gig ideas can help “fill the gaps” between sales!
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