When you’re a creative person, it’s safe to say that you will be full of ideas. Whether you currently work full-time in a creative field, work in an entirely different industry and would like to change that, or are doing your own thing, maybe you’re looking for ideas on how to start side hustling. At the same time, you’re likely a visionary and because of that, you are always thinking of ideas or what you’d like to do in the future – but you’re unsure of what exactly to do or how to get started.
Well, you’ve come to the right place.
Side hustles look different for everyone who has one, but a tattoo artist would invest in the best tattoo stencil printer and an IT specialist would invest in the most powerful servers. The tools you use are what helps you to be a success no matter what, but none of it can work if the surrounding environment is a mess.
Because when you’re a creative person (and more specifically, you love to write), there are a whole range of options for you to be able to turn that into a profitable hobby or even a full-time gig. It’s all about knowing what options are available to you and deciding what you’d quite like to do with your time. So in this blog post, we’re going to do exactly that.
Let’s run through some of the options you have so that you are inspired to get started today!
Skip To The Best Bits...
What is a Side Hustle?
A side hustle is something that you choose to do alongside your main job or career with the idea of making money. Now, you may find that you don’t actually make money right away – sometimes, you will do it for free until you get the hang of it. But the main idea is that you’re pursuing an activity with the intention of making extra cash on the side.
This can be great for you if you want to be able to supplement your income but also learn something new. Maybe people actually begin a side hustle to boost their career, open up new opportunities, or learn skills they can use in the future!
Types of Side Hustles
As a creative person, there is a full range of side hustle ideas that are available to you. They can also come in many different shapes and sizes too – meaning you should be able to find something that speaks to you. Let’s take a look at some for you to explore…
Freelancing
Let’s kick off with a classic in the side hustling world – freelancing! Whether you want to become a freelance writer (like me!), designer, or something else, becoming a freelancer gives you a lot of freedom and flexibility. You can do it around your day job, work with different companies and clients, and build up a portfolio and new skills along the way. And, of course, you’re free to make money along the way too.
Blogging
Next up, we have blogging. Blogging has been around for a good few decades already and it’s still a great option for a side hustle. If you enjoy writing or you have an interest in a set topic, you could get started on it right away. Even if you don’t have a clear interest but you do have the intention of making money, setting up a blog in a niche that will be profitable is a great idea.
Crafting
If you really love to make things and you’re particularly crafty, you could use your skills to make products to sell. Maybe you’re an artist or you have a specialist skill? You could create your items and sell them online! Regardless of what you love to do, you could even look to make and sell a full range of crafts online for a profit!
Content Creation
From here, we have another popular choice in content creation. It could be that you want to create content on social media and become an influencer or create what’s known as user-generated content for brands and companies to use. This could be a great way for you to express yourself creatively, build an audience, and create money in your spare time.
Creating Digital Products
Another idea linked to creating is the idea of creating a digital product. Right now, there are so many examples of different products you can create. It might be a planner, an eBook, templates for something in particular, printables – the possibilities are endless. Plus, you can sell these alongside other products and services as an additional income stream too.
Graphic Design
As with freelancing, you could also look to take up graphic design too. You could sell this as a service, yes – but you could also create designs to sell or an online marketplace or on your own website. It could become an add-on service that you offer, or – if you begin to build up graphic design skills over time through your various side hustle ventures – you can start this as a completely new income stream.
Podcasting
Another creative medium that has become increasingly popular over the past decade is podcasting. If you love to have conversations, this could be great for you. It could be something that you’d like to do to get into the entertainment industry or to create your own platform with the intention of monetising it.
Video production
Video production could be another path for creatives. This could include making videos for businesses, charity videos, music videos and more. The only potential issue with this is that you’ll need to invest in the right video equipment to pursue this side hustle. That’s not always an easy option, but banks like Evolve Bank Fintech can offer flexible and fast financing options to fund your equipment. Just be careful you don’t outlay a huge amount for equipment before you know know you’re going to recoup it (and some!) or you’re defeating the whole point. Start small, build your kit as it’s justified.
Tutoring
At first glance, this may not seem all that creative. However, you also have the option of tutoring in a creative field. Perhaps you’re a skilled artist or writer? Maybe you even speak a language (a little less creative, but let’s roll with it) or have another skill? You could utilise a few hours of your spare time to add more cash to the pot by teaching what you know!
Becoming a VA
Finally, if you want to offer a service on the side with the sole intention of making money, why not consider becoming a virtual assistant? You can earn money by taking on tasks for people and businesses, and choosing your own hours to work each week. Again, you can choose to offer creative services here (such as social media management, writing, or designing) or even go with general administrative services instead.
Monetisation Options
Alongside the sale of products or your services, there are other ways that you can monetise your side hustle to make some extra cash from what you’re doing (after all, this is often the intention, right?). So now we’re going to run through three of the most common options:
Advertising
First of all, if you have a website as part of your side hustle project, you could make money by hosting ads! One of the easiest ways to get started is by using Google Ads. There are a few requirements to get started, but if your site is approved you can start making money right away. Over time, you might then want to explore different ad networks or even consider selling ad space privately.
Sponsorship
Next up we have the idea of getting sponsorships. This can work in a variety of ways. It might be that you create collaborate with a brand, work with a business on a certain project, or promote a product for a company as part of a marketing campaign. There are lots of different options you can explore here to suit what you’re looking for.
Affiliate Marketing
Finally, there is also affiliate marketing to consider as well. This is where you will promote a product on your website or simply place an ‘affiliate’ link to it. You will then be paid a percentage of the sale amount if someone goes on to make a purchase after clicking through from your site. This can be a great monetisation option for blogs and content sites – whether you have a specific niche or not.
The good news is, you can use all three monetisation methods on your website alongside charging for products and services too – so there are lots of ways you can look to make money this way!
How to Get Started
Now that we’ve run through a comprehensive list of options for you, you might be wondering what’s left to do next. If that’s the case, you’ll want to get started by following these steps:
- Choose what you’d like to do.
- Decide on a business or passion project name.
- Set up your website
- Promote your services or products (or start creating content if this is the route you’re going down)
- Add in your monetisation options
- Start making sales!
You may find that it might take a little while for you to build things up – but that’s normal. All that matters is that you’re interested in what you’re creating, you’re enjoying it, and – of course – that you’re able to make money as you go!
Final Thoughts for Your Creative Endeavours
When it comes to flexing your creative muscles in your free time, the side hustle potential really is endless. As you can see, there is a full range of options open to you. All you need to do now is to think about which of them might tickle your fancy! Maybe you’d even like to give a few of them a go and see which one you enjoy the most.
And remember, you can start off small and build up from there. You may even want to get started with something as a hobby, to begin with and go on monetise it in the future. Just get started and see where it takes you!
