Birds need to spread their wings and fly and so do creative, aspiring artists. Check out this list of creative side hustles that aspiring indie talents can start anytime for extra money or even get a jumpstart on their own business.
Table of Contents
1. Event decorator
One of the things that artists can do to earn money is to create decorations for events such as weddings and birthdays. According to Thumbtack, the salary of an event decorator depends on the size of the event. A simple Bat Mitzvah can give you an income of $580 while a wedding can fetch as high as $2,120.
2. Sell your designs
Selling design, whether for t-shirts or for book covers, can give you both money and recognition for your art. Your income will vary, but the more you establish yourself, the more you will earn with your designs.
3. Become a 3D artist
Now that art is also digital, being a 3D artist is also in demand. 3D artists usually need to create CGI artworks or samples that the company can use for planning or for a certain product. According to Glassdoor, the average base pay of a 3D artist is $64,075 a year.
4. Paint houses
If you have the time and you know a homeowner that needs painting service, you can offer your service for a lower price compared to a painter. According to Angie’s List, a painting contractor usually charges between $25 to $100 per hour. The price will depend on the size of the property, location, and the weather.
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5. Cake decorator
You don’t have to know every fancy technique used in baking when decorating a cake. However, it is recommended that you know basic techniques in putting the frosting, as well as using baking tools. According to PayScale, the average hourly rate of a cake decorator is $12.01.
6. Photographer
When it comes to photography, you can find a lot of niches where you can earn money by clicking at your camera in the right place at the right time. One of the most profitable photography niches is Event Photography (weddings, birthdays, etc) with an hourly rate of $50 to $300, depending on the event.
7. Technical illustrators
A Technical illustrator is an artist that draws complex diagrams, concepts, and schematics of concepts, equipment, and other things. Technical Illustrators usually works with engineers, doctors, manufacturing companies, or scientists and make an average of $56,305 a year, but you can also make this as a side hustle by taking projects in contractual basis.
8. Landscape designer
Being a landscape designer is a good side hustle during the weekend. Gigs vary, sometimes you’ll get a request from a homeowner or from a company. According to Chron, the hourly rate of a landscape designer is $32.42 per hour.
9. Mural artist
This is for artists that don’t want their creativity to be confined in a small canvass. You can register to sites like Find A Muralist so someone who wants a mural can find you. Just a reminder that if you want to be a muralist, you must have a strong portfolio and height in order to do this job more efficiently.
10. Print illustrator
This job is kinda similar to the technical illustrator. What is different between the two is that a newspaper of magazine illustrator can do scenario illustrations or more. According to Zip Recruiter, a magazine illustrator usually charges $22 per hour.
11. Entering contests
Although there are contests that offer monetary prices, there are others where you can win art books, supplies, and publication in magazines or other published materials. You can’t always win, as well as win money, but you can get exposure by joining contests.
12. Be a makeup artist
Makeup artists are always in demand when it comes to entertainment, whether it be in movie, television, or in the theater. In fact, the demand for makeup artists has an average growth of 18.55% according to Recruiter. If you’re skilled in makeup, you can do this as a side job for the weekend or on your free time.
13. Police sketch artist
If your cup of tea is making a portrait out of face description, you can take the professional training programs and become a police sketch artist. The major task of a police sketch artist is to make a sketch based on the interview from victims and witnesses for public release.
14. Barista
Those coffees will not beautify themselves, its someone’s job to pour the cream and make beautiful images on the top of a hot coffee. According to Reader’s Digest, a barista in Starbucks make between $10 to $15 an hour, with healthcare benefits for both part-time and full-time employees.
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15. Art therapist
Art therapy is a kind of therapy where a client uses a creative process in order to express their emotions and overcome trauma or other conditions. One of the things that an art therapist do is to help his or her client to cope up with life circumstances using art. This could be a fulfilling job for people who want to help in making other people’s lives better.
16. Independent curator
A curator is someone who is knowledgeable in art but is not the one who creates art. Instead, curators put collections together for a museum, gallery, or special exhibits. This job is for those who like to travel a lot and see more kinds of art instead of doing the artwork.
17. Art tutor
Depending on your experience and your specialization, giving private art lessons can give you an extra income once in a while. For example, if your specialization is in painting, you can teach art students from $15 to $87 (average of $43) in 30-minute teaching, according to Take Lessons.
18. Instrument repair
Musicians can also get a side gig in repairing instruments, especially on instruments such as drums and guitars. You can also do maintenance for other people’s instruments. Music repair shops usually charge $50 to $80 per hour, so it would be a good deal for you and the customer if you can undercut them.
19. Teach music lessons
Since its summer once again, some students are finally able to learn their favorite instruments. If you’re an instrumentalist and wants to get an extra income, you can give music lessons for children during their summer vacation.
20. Online art tutor
Tutoring is available for both online and offline, so you can choose whether you would like to be a private traditional tutor or give your classes online. However, benefits in teaching online include flexibility and more income opportunities. Hourly rate will depend on the topic and the art medium.
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21. Sell digital designs
One of the most common online gigs for creative artists is selling digital designs online. Artists can sell fonts, themes, photos, or even a Google Slides template for as low as $2. You will be the one to set the price, while the platform you will use will take a percentage from your earnings.
22. Create custom designs / logos
In this side hustle, you can either create custom logos for a company’s specific needs or sell your pre-made logos on bidding sites. Salary for this varies, as some businesses will only want a logo, and some would also require a business card, a Facebook cover, and more.
23. Sell apparel designs
There are sites such as Spreadshirt that buys designs per order basis. You will submit your design to them and they will print the t-shirt for the customers. Earnings are usually based on a commission basis including your design price.
24. Start your Etsy shop
Creating an Etsy shop is another side hustle done by a lot of creators online. What makes this side hustle a good option is that products can be either digital or not. Depending on your dedication, you can make this gig a full-time job.
25. Create “how-to” videos on YouTube
YouTube has been a platform where creators make money for living by making their own content. The platform is also known for tutorials and “how-to” videos. Creating a basic video or a video series about your specialization and monetizing it is one of the ways to make a passive income.
26. Freelance video creator
If you’re more on multimedia, and you have quite a lot of time to edit a video, one of the gigs you can do is to take freelance video creating gigs. A lot of businesses are in need of constant video content because marketing now revolves around digital advertising.
27. Powerpoint creator
Almost anyone can create a powerpoint presentation, but not everyone has the time for that. The pay will depend on the task, whether it needs a lot of animation or if it needed additional research, the number of slides, the charts, and tables needed, and the time of submission.
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28. Website developer
If you’re willing to learn a little bit of programming, you can also become a web developer. This gig both includes working with technical and creative stuff, but has an average of $61 to $81 hourly rate, depending on the technology used for the project and the client’s overall demands.
29. Creating music campaigns
Being a musician is also being a part of the creative population, and most of the side hustles available for them is creating music for occasional purposes like campaigns. This side hustle is not only a good opportunity for an extra income, but it can also help in building your portfolio.
30. Freelance photo editor
A photo editor is usually the one who performs the editing of the raw picture in order to meet a client’s needs. These photos are often for, but not limited to advertisements in social media or on the official website. The average hourly rate for a photo editor is $15.47 according to PayScale.
31. Freelance animator
Being a full-time animator is the usual choice for a creator pursuing this field. But if you already have a full-time animator job, you can take up 30-second animations side gigs from sites like Upwork.
32. Answer questions
Yes, you can earn money just by answering questions on the Internet with sites like JustAnswer.com. Users of the site will ask a question, while experts will give an elaborate answer and examples (if applicable) for a base price of $15. Answering urgent questions will fetch you more earnings.
33. Become a blogger
Because art covers a lot of things, you can still make an art blog and make it significant. You can focus on a specific genre or different kinds of art each month. Make your blog grow via collaboration with artists.
34. Online art therapist
According to Good Therapy, Art therapy is the therapy that uses creative process in order to help people address their physical or emotional conditions. In online art therapy, instead of conducting a session face to face, the session happens via video call through the Internet.
35. Sell plugins and material packs
When you’re a CGI artist, saving time makes you more efficient and take on more projects. Selling plugins and material packs are always a good side hustle because there will always be an artist that need those digital products, especially if the project is urgent.
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36. Make an online course at Udemy
Another side hustle that can provide a passive income is by earning royalties in Udemy. Udemy is a platform for online education, and by creating an engaging course, you can earn based on how premium students watch your videos.
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37. Freelance music mastering
A lot of show makers and people in the entertainment profession use outside help for the music they use during their performances. If you think you can carry on freelance music mastering, especially if you already have your mastering gear, taking a project or two each month will be worth it.
38. Sell your own font
It’s not new for a majority of creative professionals to explore fonts, free or paid, in order to get use the right one in the right project. Artists who want to share their own fonts and make money out of it can sell their designs through sites such as MyFonts or HypeForType.
39. Digital marketing
Before becoming a digital marketer, you need to have the skills needed to develop, implement, and manage marketing campaigns for companies and professionals. You can do this as a full-time job, but if you’re planning for a side hustle, get projects from smaller companies instead.
40. Sell your artwork to a curator
If you’re not into selling digital products, but you’re not into selling on Etsy either, there are online platforms that let you submit your artwork to a curator. Platforms such as Singulart and ArtPal can help you find your next customer online.
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Excellent info for artists. Much needed snd much appreciated. Bravo!