Can you make money as an artist or designer?
The answer is yes! Long gone are the days of "starving artists". We live in the day and age where creatives all over the world are selling their artwork, and making a decent living without a formal education. I'm sure it's no surprise when I tell you that the internet has changed everything for us creative humans. I'm not saying it's easy, but it CAN be done! Here are some ways to start earning money online as a creative today:
Sell your art on Etsy. (Tip: digital art prints are a great way to get started!)
Upload your work on Printful, create a website (I recommend WIX or Squarespace), and sell products with your design!
Design T-shirts on TeeSpring. This company will sell and ship for you!
Upload your work onto products on RedBubble. They will also sell and ship products with your design.
Society 6 is another great website that allows you to upload images of your work to sell!
Minted is also a fantastic website for selling fine art. The only downside is that you have to send your original artwork to them, and they take a hefty percentage off the top of your work once it sells.
Don't under estimate the power of your social media - let your friends and family know that you have art pieces to sell, or you could even offer to do commissions! You don't have to have a huge following to start getting the word out. Word of mouth is powerful and effective.
Now, despite what some of the "gurus" on YouTube and Tik Tok say, the logic of making your design, uploading it onto a website, and waking up in the morning to hundreds of sales is pretty rare. Driving traffic to your website is essential to your success. Here are some ways to get the ball rolling once you have some art pieces online:
As mentioned above, social media and creating a following is going to help you tremendously. Tell your friends. Grow your following. Ask people you know to share your posts.
Tik Tok, currently, is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the world. You don't have to show your face! Just start showing off your art and get it out there! Open up a "business account" so you can put a link to your website in your bio.
I cannot say this enough. REPURPOSE YOUR CONTENT. Once you make a Tik Tok video, share it to your Instagram as a reel, and share it to YouTube as a short. You can also share your TikTok as a story on Instagram and Facebook. See what I'm getting at? Create once, then share on multiple platforms. This is free exposure. Take advantage of it! (***A word of caution, when sharing on multiple platforms, be very careful that the music you use on Tik Tok is not have a copyright infringement on another social media plaform.)
LINKTREE! (Also known as Linktr.ee). If you are selling an art design on multiple websites (Etsy, RedBubble, Minted etc.), you obviously can't have multiple website links in your Tik Tok, Instagram, or Facebook profiles. Linktree is one link that gives you a landing page for all your websites! AND. IT'S. FREE. There are limitations to a free Linktree account, but this is an excellent way to solve the problem of having your art/designs for sale on multiple websites.
Pinterest. One of my favorite ways to drive traffic to my Etsy shop is Pinterest. I create a pin of a product that's currently for sale in my shop. I create multiple pins for the same item and I do that several times a week. Yes, it's that easy.
Lastly, you can create a social media ad. This is not for the faint of heart. This starts to get rather complex and can cost an uncomfortable amount of money when first starting out. I suggest doing some in depth research before diving in, and be willing to loose some cash when you begin. However, once you find what works, you can get some incredible results!
So there you have it! It's hard work, Girl, but it pays off! Consistency is key. Just take it one step at a time. If you are looking for some practical guidance for growing your following, or on social media ads, I want to suggest some of my favorite books:
As mentioned above, consistency is key. Create, drive traffic, keep learning, and repeat. You won't always feel like doing the things you have to do to succeed as an artist, but doing it anyways despite the "I-don't-wanna" feelings is called "discipline", and it's going to completely change your life if you stick with it. Believe me when I say, I completely understand the hectic priorities of life - work, family, chores, bills etc., but JUST. STICK. WITH. IT. Ten minutes of working on your art future is better than nothing!
The last little bit of guidance would be as follows: YOU CANNOT DO IT ALONE. Whether or not you have some awesome friends and family supporting you, you are going to need God, Girl. Just sayin'. Life is tough, but if this is your calling, you are going to need God to get you through the tough times and help you stay the course to fulfill that calling as an artist. By the way, He also happens to be in charge of the universe, and He can make some pretty cool things happen if you simply ask Him for help. The best part is, He's good and loving, and he has the following message for you, "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed" Proverbs 16:3 NLT.
Here's to your success as an artist in 2023!
Cheers! xoxox
DISCLOSURE: I do use affiliate links on here, meaning if you purchase anything through my affiliate links I receive a commission at no additional cost to you. My opinions and views are never swayed because of this. I only recommend products that I love!