14 Side Gigs for Artists and Designers

Have you always had an artistic ability that creates envy? Did you doodle beautifully on your notebooks when you should’ve been paying attention in class? Try out some artistic side gigs to make some money off your talents.

From writing, to singing, to painting, artistic ability can come through in many different facets. If you don’t already have a passion, go down the list trying things out to see what calls to you. Some of these can be tricky. There’s no harm in learning a new skill, even if you’re horrid at it. It’ll be a fun experience on your journey to the perfect side gig.

Selling art is an extremely fulfilling experience few have the privilege of doing. Even if you don’t make money right away, the thrill of selling your own product will bring you joy.

1. Writing Fan Fiction

Want to explore alternative endings in your favorite series? Write fan fiction for your favorite video game, book, movie, or series. When your website gains traction, you can run ads and have a side hustle.

Media: Choose a fanfiction world you’re already close to. This is a passion project, not something you need to research from scratch.

Fanfiction: Read other people’s fanfiction. You may think your idea is the most original in the world, until you see a hundred others who thought the same.

Dream: Dream of where your story should go. Think about compelling, new plot points for the characters.

Write: Write your fanfiction as long or short as you’d like. “Drabbles” are only 50-100 words. If you’re a beginner, this may be a good length to dip your toe in the water.

Enjoy: Entertain yourself with various theories. If you’re entertained, the rest of the world is more likely to drink your fanfiction Kool-Aid.

2. Social Media Influencer

How great would it be to get paid for posting on social media? Companies will pay big money to reach customers online. Become an influencer.

Quality: Producing quality photography will enhance your profile and encourage followers to commit.

Quantity: Some people really put thought into whether you’re worth following on social media. If they see you post daily, they’re more likely to consider themselves the winner of this transaction (a follow for consumable content.)

Marketing: You can market your feed towards different demographics. Young people will like colorful, simple photos. Older teens, or the opposite sex, will like a sensual look. Young parents will enjoy content that helps improve their parenting skills. 

Money: If you gain enough traction, companies will contact you to represent their brand. A resort in Bali wants more visitors? Free trip, Tammy.

3. Sell Your Art (Yes, you can really do this even if you’re new.)

Paint pretty pictures and sell them to loving families. Fun to make, fun to get paid for them. You never know what will attract people. Jackson Pollock paintings just look like splatters and those are worth millions.

Take classes: If you’re not artistically inclined, you can learn to fake it. Take a painting class to get a basic understanding of dimensions, fore/background, and how different types of paint should be used. 

Practice: Do a couple of practice runs before selling. Painting is a skill that will improve with time and effort. If your art is poor quality, no repeat customers.

Signature: Curate a signature style that will distinguish your paintings from competitors. Find a style of painting you’re best at and let your talent flourish.

Selling: Go to a local craft fair to get your art out in the world. Once you run out of friends and family, you’ll need to sell to… *dun dun dun* strangers. 

Fun: Painting is fun, relaxing, and rewarding. Paint what excites you!

4. Write Romance Stories

Did you know that 50% of all fiction sold on Amazon is from the romance genre? Start your own series tonight.

Simple: All you need to get started is a word processor and some basic graphic design knowledge. And you don’t even need that. Hire someone to make your covers for you. Costs less than 20 bucks.

Formula: You don’t need to reinvent the wheel here. All you need is a few classic story beats. Guy meets girl, guy loses girl, guy gets girl back. Obviously it’s a bit more complicated, but that’s the basics of it.

Forgiving: Readers of self-published romance novels will forgive your typos, grammar, and general inability to craft a good sentence. They’re not looking for a perfect essay. All they want is a fun story with a happy ending.

Repeat: The romance game is about cranking out as many books as possible. Finished one? Great! Publish and move on to the next book.

5. Singing/Live Music gigs

Picture this. Rebecca is singing in the dimly lit lounge. She makes eye contact with Jack, and it’s love at first sight. This could be you. Try out singing in a bar for some extra cash and some love on the side.

Practice: Practice your singing in the car, shower, or club. Vocal cords can improve with time, so sing any chance you get.

Opinion: Find someone who will give you an honest opinion. You don’t want to go on stage thinking you’re Adele and leave knowing you’re Selena Gomez. Get the truth beforehand.

Lessons: If your critic responds negatively, fear not. Vocal lessons can improve the tone, pitch, and consistency of your singing. If they respond positively, you should still get one. Great singers still work with a vocal coach.

Audition: Go to a bar and ask if they’ll give you a gig. Be ready to audition on the spot. Whatever you do, don’t sing the classic go-to “Man in the Mirror,” and you’ll be fine.

6. Themed Calendars

Create your own themed calendar to sell online. Combine your photography skills and a passion of your choice to sell to a niche audience.

Photography: Get a good camera or find a friend with a good camera. High quality pictures are important in a calendar as printing requires higher resolution.

Theme: Pick a theme you’ll be able to photograph well. This could be another passion, such as ballet, horseback riding, or football. Ask your teammates to help by starring in a photo for each month.

Diversity: Choose different settings and people for each photo. Make each month as unique as possible.

Compensation: Pay the models for their efforts. Or at least give them a free calendar.

Selling: Post it online and sell it to your niche audience. Parents will love to submerse their child in his or her passion. Feed the horse girl/hockey boy energy.

7. Downtown Street Entertainer

Many people have survived travelling by busking on the street. Bring out your favorite instrument and play for tips without leaving your hometown. 

 Instrument: Play the instrument you’re best at. If you aren’t good at any, learn guitar. You can learn a couple of easy cords from popular songs to get people to sing along.

Location: Find an area with heavy traffic. Popular places include subways, busy streets, and markets.

Hat: Get something people can put tips in. If you’re playing guitar, or any instrument with a large case, you can just leave the case open. 

Weather: If you live in a cold climate, dress appropriately. It can get cold sitting outside for hours. 

Participation: Invite excited listeners to join in, but don’t take offense if they walk past.

End time: Set an end time to go inside, rather than waiting to make a certain amount. This way, you won’t tire yourself out and give up after a week.

8. Part-time DJ

One of the most fun side jobs: DJing. Spin the records and get the party pumping in a fun, energetic atmosphere.

Equipment: Buy DJ equipment to start mixing your songs. You must be sure you’re going to commit to the DJ life because mixers are hella expensive.

Find music: Search through libraries of music to find new bangers, but also don’t stay away from the tried and true. If old Sean Paul gets the party started, don’t play a new song only you’ll like. Focus on entertaining others.

Flexible: Don’t stick to one genre if the party isn’t feeling it. You love rap, but the crowd loves country? Suck it up and play country. It isn’t your job to educate them on music. It’s to make them happy. 

Clients: Find a repertoire of clients to DJ for. Becoming a house DJ at a club is great due to the consistency. However, you can make more money at weddings, so freelance can work too. Keep your options open, Pauly D.

9. Design Your Own Jewelry

Make beautiful, handmade jewelry for your friends and family. I promise it probably won’t look too elderly.

Supplies: Go to a craft store and start with a jewelry kit. It’ll come with basic tools, chains, and jewels. Once you get more experience you can buy individualized accessories. 

Practice: Try different combinations of chains and jewels to see what looks good. Practice putting it together as seamlessly as possible. Make a few testers you can give away as free samples.

Clients: Show off your work to your friends and family. See which ones they like most and offer to make one for them. Once you’re confident, post them online to further expand your clientele.

Social Media: Post your jewelry in your social media pictures to attract new customers. Online shopping through Instagram is super easy, you can even link your website to the photo. Insta-success.

10. Arranging Flowers/Plants

I know, dandelions are weeds. But, with these tips on making floral arrangements, you could make a dandelion bouquet look like roses. Then, you can sell your talents to local stores or clients.

Learn: Research how to grow flowers without killing them. How much water, fertilizer, and sunlight they should get to grow big and strong.

Flowers: Choose flowers that are in season and compliment each other. Choose a variance of one color or tone, such as all cool or warm tones. 

Greenery: Add some texture with in-season greenery. You need background to help the flowers contrast and pop.

Vase: Find pretty, cheap, bulk vases that will be your staple. Something simple that anyone can enjoy in their home.

Clients: Offer to make floral arrangements for your friends and family, local shops, and online to strangers. Once you get established, you’ll be doing weddings and large events in no time.

11. Sell Your Doodles

Draw your heart out. Sell the sketches to willing customers. Buy a poodle with your noodles.

Draw: Sketch out your favorite drawings. Add some pizzazz with colored pencils if you have time.

Online: Post your drawings online with a watermark (a digital stamp so that they can’t print it) to gain traction. 

Art shows: Go to art shows and craft fairs to showcase your talent. Prospective buyers will be there.

Contact: Once you get some interest, keep in contact with your clients. Send out a mailing list with your new art once a month to see if anyone would like to claim the new pieces. Turn your mailing list into an exclusive club. 

Rewards: Give your frequent buyers a free personalized sketch every several drawings.  This will encourage them to buy more in order to receive more. Keep going! Eventually, people will catch on to your talent.

12. Make Fancy Pottery

Are you able to find a diamond in the rough? Beauty in the mud? Learn how to make your own pottery.

Classes: Pottery is a skill that can take a while to master. Depending on how competent you’d like to be, it can take years. Many people do it as a hobby to get better over time.

Friends and family: Give your friends and family free samples to spread the word. Their friends will see the beautiful bowl you made and want one for themselves. 

Art shows: Go to craft fairs to sell your pottery.

Advice: Get advice from other potters. They will help improve your designs to fit the market requests.  

Online: Post your pottery online to find buyers. Consumers love the ease of online shopping, so make your product accessible.

In store: Go to local art stores to sell on consignment. You’ll never have to buy your own plates again.

13. Selling Stock Photos

Use your photography skills to make a profit. Sell your photos to an agency to be sold as stock photos.

Camera: Get a high-quality camera. Stock photos are chosen by companies for ads, so they’ll pick the best-looking ones. However, these cameras can get expensive, so you must commit to this job prior to buying.

Edit: Use a software of your choosing to edit photos. Bring out the contrast and colors to make your photo the best it can be.  

Release form: Get your model(s) to sign a release form for any photos you take. These forms can be found online.

Agency: Submit your photos to a stock agency. Add in key words so that they’ll come up when users search.   

Sell: Now that your photos are out there, see which ones sell the most. Then, continue with that photography theme and see where it takes you.

14. Building Gift Baskets

Great at shopping for other people? Buy several different items in bulk to make gift baskets. Create beautiful pieces for “hard to shop for” people.

Shop: Find quality items in bulk. This way, you can sell them for more than you paid and make a profit. For example, buy a package of lipsticks, washcloths, and facemasks and put one of each in the baskets.

Packaging: The appeal of these gift baskets will be their ease, utility, and beauty. Showcase the unique products that would take someone hours to buy from different stores but are now in a cute little basket. Use pretty bows and sparkly tissue paper to increase visual appeal.

Sell: Market these baskets as gifts for periphery friends. Your boss, neighbour, bus driver, and other acquaintances you aren’t sure how to shop for. This will be a great way to thank them in the holiday season.