Today I will cover 5 different ways to earn money for creatives that are not working as full-time artists yet or for those who are but would like to gain extra money each month.
Don’t wait for a gallery, sell your art directly
Apart from selling your art through an intermediary, such as a gallery or art dealer, you can also sell your artworks directly through your website, social media or during an open studio event. Indeed, some artists find that they sell the most when the public is invited to their studio. Being able to see the works in person is a totally different experience that helps make the buying decision easier for clients.
Commissions
In addition, open studio events will increase the chances of your potential collectors commissioning new art. Private commissions are great because clients are willing to pay a premium for a custom piece, which translates into extra earnings for you.
You can also earn money from public commissions. These usually entail large scale arts projects, which gives room to experimentation, and tend to have a good budget. Check regularly for funding opportunities nationally and internationally as most public commissions occur through open calls.
Online or face-to-face teaching
Teaching a class or a whole course is a great way to earn money especially if you do it online as it will allow you to work from home or your studio. Indeed, online classes are more in demand than ever since the COVID pandemic.
You can pre record your course and turn it into a passive stream of revenue, selling it directly on your website (don’t have to be in your artist website! there’re many ways to create a free landing page specifically for your educational courses) or through platforms like Teachable or Skillshare. Alternatively, you can do the course live and use platforms such as Zoom or Google Meets to deliver the classes on a weekly or biweekly basis.
You can teach not only your artistic skills, but also all sorts of complementing abilities you may use in your art practice (video editing, photography, animation, postedition, illustration, graphic design skills, etc.).
Create and sell guides and ebooks
You can repurpose the teaching materials of your classes to produce short ebooks, step-by-step guides with images and other relevant resources to be sold through your own landing page or through external digital marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, Canva or Ebay (all these platforms have a category for selling digital products).
Work for the arts industry
If you can and want to work in a 9-5 job I recommend working at a gallery, auction house or museum as this will give you insights and some of the behind-the-scenes of the art world while earning money. Working in the industry would give you access to opportunities to boost your network. In addition, you can also offer services like curating as a freelancer.
If you are not living 100% off your art, do not quit your job just yet. It is important first to make money so that you can make art instead of the other way around. Financial stability should be your number one priority before making art as this will guarantee that you and your practice don’t struggle, allowing you in turn to create more in the long term.
If you want to know how to make money through any of these strategies, book a free consultation call with me!
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