Ready to stop dabbling and start selling?
Humans have a psychological need to make art. That’s why art is one of the most saleable skills online. Whether it’s business or pleasure, art is in everything we do. The internet offers more opportunities than ever for artists to make money with what they love to do.
So, it’s time to express yourself and learn how to make money online as an artist.
#1. Create an Online Space
The first step to making money from your art online is to have an online space. Obvious, right?
An artist can live off social media if they know what they’re doing. But we recommend a website to give you a real hub for your activities – and another opportunity to monetize what you do.
Your site doesn’t need to cost you much. Services like WordPress can help you get one up and running at minimal expense to you. You won’t even need to know a scrap of coding.
Choose a style of the website which lets you show off your portfolio. Let your art take center stage.
As your hub, your site is where your fans will come to find out more about you. It’s also where you can direct them to monetized options, like your Patreon or a storefront.
You can also monetize your site to bring in extra cash. Ad revenue isn’t a practical end goal for most small sites, but it’s some extra change for the jar.
With your site as a hub, you can hook up your social media accounts. These will allow you to reach a far larger audience for free and draw fans to where they can spend their money.
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#2. Establish a Patreon
What’s a Patreon, you ask?
Patreon is a crowdfunding service allowing your fans to support you in what you do. Unlike similar services such as Kickstarter, your patrons don’t back a specific project. They back you as an artist.
Having a Patreon page is free, so maintaining a Patreon is a fantastic way to bring in the cash. It’s also an excellent way to feel the warm glow of fandom. There’s no endorsement quite as glowing as people willing to spend money on what you create.
Patreon lets you establish a variety of patron levels, so people at all income brackets can support you. If you’re lucky, some well-off and generous patrons could skyrocket your income.
Some creators have also found success using an open format where even the smallest donation unlocks all backer content.
Make sure to tell your story when you set up your Patreon. Putting a human story to the work can build a real connection between you and your fans. The more you can break down the barrier between an abstract creator and your personal self, the more you’ll find fans will loosen their purse strings.
#3. Sell Prints
One of the quickest and easiest paths to making money from art is to make it available as a direct purchase.
Offering prints, wall art, and other similar items is a great way to do this. Visitors to your site can then click to buy. For this, you’ll want to pair with a print-on-demand service. This means you won’t have to do anything except sit back and make money when you sell a print.
If you only have a set number of prints available at any one time, then keep an eye on what’s popular. If a certain image starts trending, make sure it’s available to buy.
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