30 Creative Side Hustles To Monetize Your Creativity

Ready to start a creative side hustle? One of these 30 ideas could be the answer you’re looking for. 

1. Freelance Writing

If you have a way with words, freelance writing could be the ideal creative side hustle for you. You can write for online and offline publications and even for brands that have on-site blogs. Consider finding a niche topic to become an expert writer in.  

2. Graphic Design

Graphic design spans everything from creating branding toolkits for brands to designing infographics, social media content, and campaign artwork. Combine your creative mind with technical skills and offer graphic design services. There’s even AI graphic design tools to help you out!

3. Photography

If you have an eye for good photo composition then why not start a photography business? Some photographers choose to focus on a specialty such as weddings or portrait photography and remember you’ll need to take, edit, and distribute the photos. 

4. Social Media Management

Social media managers are responsible for all of the content a brand puts out on social media and the role includes coming up with content ideas, creating and following a content strategy, scheduling content, analyzing content success, and communicating with followers. 

5. Selling Art & Crafts 

Selling your homemade arts and crafts can be lucrative! Just make sure you choose a niche to focus on, such as a specific design style or product type, that will help you stand out from the crowd. You can sell your art side hustle pieces on your website, on online marketplaces, via social media, or at in-person events. 

6. Web Design

Every business needs a website so it’s never been a better time to brush up on your web design skills. You can offer bespoke websites from scratch or you can choose a website builder such as Squarespace or Wix to build your websites on. Whatever you choose, make sure you become familiar with the platform before you charge for your services. 

7. Content Creation for YouTube

You can make big money on YouTube these days, you just need to choose a niche, create informative and engaging content, and most importantly, build an engaged audience so that you can monetize your channel.

8. Podcasting

Podcasting has become an increasingly popular side hustle in recent years and is a great way to position yourself as an expert and engage with your audience. It’s also pretty cheap to do, you’ll need a microphone but there are loads of platforms that you can use to record for free such as Audacity.

9. Online Tutoring

Teaching and tutoring can be one of the most rewarding side hustles. If you’re an expert in a specific area such as maths or languages, why not pass some of that skill on to others? You can even take your side hustle to the next level by offering specific online courses for people to enrol in (more on those later).

10. Design and Sell Jewelry

People are always looking for a special piece of jewelry to buy either for themselves or as a gift. Designing and selling your own pieces therefore can be profitable. We recommend choosing a niche to focus on such as repurposing vintage jewelry or creating silver-plated items. 

11. Become an Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is when you promote a brand’s products or services on your own channels (e.g. social media, YouTube, or a blog) and earn a commission each time someone purchases off the back of your recommendation. You can combine affiliate marketing with other side hustles such as blogging and podcasting.

12. Create a Clothing Line

Creating your own clothing line may take a lot of work at the start – you’ll need to set up your online store, build a brand, and source your clothes – but once you’re established it can be one of the best creative side hustles to earn money.

13. Design T-Shirts

Graphic tees are always popular so why not launch your own line? You can create designs based on popular TV shows and current affairs, or put your drawing skills to the test and come up with unique patterns. You can also get them printed online using platforms such as Printful. 

14. Proofreader

Always got your head in a book? Do you have a strong attention to detail? If so, you’d make a great proofreader. By offering proofreading services you could find yourself checking over everything from business proposals to book manuscripts. 

15. Create an Online Course

Online courses are a great way to earn some extra money online. You’ll need to have a strong offering and remember to focus your branding and marketing on why users should trust your guidance over your competitors. 

16. Write a Book

Although writing a book won’t be the quickest of creative side hustles, it could be one of the most rewarding. From self-help guides to fictional tales, if you have an idea that you think could be a bestseller, why not put pen to paper and give it a go?

17. Build an Ecommerce Website

Online shopping isn’t going anywhere which means if you want to sell any kind of product to customers, you need an ecommerce website. Building an online store will allow you to sell whatever you want and once set up, can be a great source of passive income. 

18. Voice Acting

Voice acting for commercials, cartoons, and marketing videos is not only a great way to earn money from your creative skills but often you can do it from the comfort of your own home. Nice! 

19. Become a Consultant

Consultants are essentially people who get paid to offer their expert advice on a topic. If you have an area of expertise, offering consulting services to brands and individuals could be the perfect creative side hustle. The more experience you have the higher fees you can charge too. 

20. Plan Events

If you’re super organized and love making others happy then why not offer event planning? Event planners take on every aspect of an event from the guestlist to the canapes. You could choose a specific type of event to specialize in such as weddings, children’s birthday parties, or business functions. 

21. Virtual Assistant 

With the world becoming increasingly more connected online, the role of virtual assistants is growing. Virtual assistants help businesses and individuals with tasks that don’t need to be done face-to-face and can be anything from appointment scheduling to venue booking. 

22. Interior Design

Do you know what makes good feng shui? If so, you could make a great interior designer! Interior designers can offer various services including sourcing furniture and home decor, consulting on home renovations, or designing digital mock-ups and design plans. Be sure to build a portfolio website to showcase your work to potential clients. 

23. Create Stock Photography

There is always a demand for stock photography so if you’re a whizz behind the camera, why not set out to create a bank of images for people to download and use online? You can sign up to various stock image websites and earn a commission back each time your work is downloaded. 

24. Music Production

Whether you have the voice of an angel or can give Jimi Hendrix a run for his money on the guitar, music production can be fun and profitable. You don’t need to have the music skills yourself either, many music producers focus on producing the music for other artists. 

25. Public Speaking

Public speaking isn’t for everyone but if you have the confidence to get up in front of a crowd and speak in your expert field, you can offer yourself up as a public speaker available to hire for events and conferences. 

26. Translations

For those who are bilingual or multilingual, translations can earn a large amount of money. Brands and organizations are always on the hunt for people who can translate texts, materials, and books accurately into other languages. 

27. Domain Flipping

The right domain name can make or break a business and brands are often willing to pay big money for the domain they want for their website. Domain flipping is where you buy domain names you think could be lucrative and then place them on auction sites such as GoDaddy to sell them to brands at a profit. 

28. Video Editing 

If you know your way around platforms such as Premiere Pro or iMovie then offering video editing services could be a great creative side hustle. You can work with a variety of people such as YouTubers, artists, and big brands looking to dip their toe into video marketing. 

29. Start a Dropshipping Business

Dropshipping is a great way to sell items online without needing to store large amounts of stock and fulfill orders yourself. Even though a dropshipping model usually means choosing existing designs and products, you can still get your creative juices flowing in the branding and marketing of your business.  

30. Test New Apps and Websites 

Do you consider yourself to be a bit of a whizz at tech? Know what makes a good app (and what makes a bad one)? If so, you could become an app and website tester. Sites such as Enroll and UTest match businesses with individuals to test new app launches and provide feedback before they are launched to the public. The best part? You’ll get paid for your time. 

Find Out More

If none of these side hustles jumped out at you, make sure to check out these 26 best online side hustles for more ways to make money online. 

Starting your artistic side hustle is a big step and we know it can seem daunting at first. Below we’ve listed some of our top tips to help get you started. 

• Build your own website and social media presence to create personal branding and marketing for your services.
• Set up an online portfolio of your work to help attract clients and secure freelance work.
• Be realistic with how much time you have to dedicate to your chosen side hustle.
• Research your potential market and ensure there is an audience willing to spend their money with you before you commit.  

Running a successful side hustle isn’t easy and some challenges may crop up on the way. Having a plan in place to overcome them is essential which is why we’ve listed some of the most common challenges you may face and how to manage them.

• Lack of time – be realistic from the start about how much time you can dedicate to your side hustle. Set aside specific days or times for certain tasks and try to stick to a routine.
• Lack of consistent clients – every business needs clients and customers and the best way to have a consistent client base is to be consistent in your marketing, branding, and advertising efforts. 
• Client relationships – be sure to focus time and effort on forging positive relationships with your clients to ensure they return to your business and recommend you to others.
• Burnout – if you’re running your side hustle alongside a full-time job and other commitments it’s important to set aside time for recovery and rest to avoid burnout.

Phew! There we have it, 30 art side hustles for you to explore and consider launching to earn extra income.

It’s one thing to launch a side hustle, but the important thing is to make it a success. You’ll need to be willing to commit time, resources, and likely some budget, to build your hobby into a business. 

Ready to learn more about side hustles? Take a look at these side hustle statistics to give you an idea about the industry and what you should expect.