4 Creative Side Hustles
That can start making you money right now
*Some links below are affiliate links meaning that if you choose to click through and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Here's how I make money.
Need to make a little extra cash? Want to work those creative muscles while doing it? Here are a few of my personally proven methods that I know can make money for you ASAP. No driving strangers around in your car required. These sides hustles are fun, don’t require an audience, and can grow into a thriving business.
SELL YOUR PHOTOS
Companies and brands, now more than ever, want authentic and natural images that their customers can relate to. I’m willing to bet your phones are filled with images like this. You don’t have to be a professional photographer to do this, you just need to understand who these agencies are and what they are looking for. I paid off over $30,000 in student loan debt thanks to stock photography.
2. SELL PRINTABLES ON ETSY
Etsy makes it so easy to set up a shop and sell just about anything, but I’m a huge fan of passive income. All you need is a digital file of your product. Need some ideas? You can design printable calendars, lists, budgeting templates, party games, invitations, art prints, tutorials, patterns, and more! Simply upload your listing and the file you’re selling. Etsy’s platform practically does the rest.
Here are the steps:
Create your design for free in Canva,
print it out and take a great photo of it,
Upload it to your Etsy storefront. BOOM, you’re ready to make sales and you never have to worry about shipping a thing!
Pro tips: Once you open your shop, try to upload a new design every couple of days for at least a month. This will boost your chance to make sales. Also, Pinterest is probably the best way to market your Etsy shop!
3. SELL YOUR CLOTHES OR OTHER USED TREASURES
You may not think this sounds like a creative side hustle, but I disagree. I’ve had a lot of success selling clothing on Poshmark and Mercari. If you have a creative eye for current trends and decor your shop will make sales quickly. It helps to know what people are buying so that you can curate your shop. I’ve recently been buying up all the baskets I can find at thrift stores and curating basket wall displays. They’re selling like hotcakes! Even though the baskets cost close to $1.00 each I can sell these sets for anywhere from $30-$50. Goodwill even has an online auction site that you can scour from home for items to resell.
4. SELL ALL YOUR CREATIVE WORK ON CREATIVE MARKET
Creative Market is another website where you can get in front of an audience and start selling right away. It’s a creative marketplace for art and design where you can sell photos, illustrations, fonts, Canva templates, Instagram templates, quotes, and so much more! I’ve personally spent $100’s on Creative Market, so I know how addictive it can be!
Compared to Etsy, Creative Market is more exclusive. They have a vetting process to make sure the digital products sold meet their quality standards. If you don’t get accepted right away you may want to start with Etsy while you improve your products and skills.
Why these side hustles work
Every one of these income streams involves using a popular website or app. Although they take a cut of every order you make, you can instantly benefit from their traffic. They may even feature your designs on their front page or newsletters. My wedding invitations started getting featured by Etsy on their front page and newsletters. Within a few months I got so many orders I was able to quit my day job! I never could have gained so much momentum that quickly on my own.
No Instagram required
These days a lot of creatives are finding success for their small business through their social media platforms. If you’re an introvert like me you might not be ready to put yourself out there on social media. That’s why these platforms are wonderful to work on. Combined with Pinterest you don’t necessarily need a following on social media.
Pandemic approved
If you’re looking to make money from the comfort of your own home all of these methods can be done while social distancing!
Which one are you ready to try?
Let me know in the comments!
Wanting more tangible advice and guidance for selling stock photography? Sign up for my ultimate stock photography starter pack, PHOTO TO PROFIT.