Ways to make money as an artist

NessIllustration

Hello illustrators!

I wasn't going to link my newest Youtube video here because I don't want to spam every week when I release a new one! But... This one is actually doing exceptionally well (my first bit hit) and everyone seems to find it extremely helpful, so I thought you guys might be interested to check it out too

It's about the different revenue streams I use personally and explains how I make money as an artist.

You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YloNuTLjeFw&list=PLcDSaDyKmuWltxtrzdSI5EbZHMuXx8dZK

Coley

@NessIllustration it is a great video! Thanks so much for doing these. They are so helpful

NessIllustration

@Coley I'm so happy that you and others seem to enjoy these

Denise Tonner

It's a great video - thanks for posting

aska

@NessIllustration Great video! I got very interested in you digital planners. How do you approach it technically? Its it only for iPad Pro, or any tablet? If you don't want to reveal your secrets, no worries.

NessIllustration

@aska Hi dear! Digital planners are actually simply PDFs with hyperlinks that go to the different pages of the PDF. To use it you need a PDF annotation app. Most people use Goodnotes, which is only available for Apple devices right now. Android users have to use Xodo or Metamoji, which are more clunky but still manageable. To create an hyperlink PDF, I create all my graphics in Photoshop, and then put in together and add the links in InDesign. However, a lot of people use Keynote (or PowerPoint on PCs) to create their hyperlinked PDFs, and that works just as well! There are tons of tutorials on how to do this on YouTube

Kat

Hi @NessIllustration , great video! I really appreciate you sharing so openly, it's really helpful. I'm wondering what are your thoughts about POD sites like Zazzle? And if you wouldn't mind a second question do you find there's a lot of customer service with digital products on Etsy? Such as, people who can't figure out how to download or have a problem with it - do you have to deal with solving their issues?

Thank you so much for your insight! I'm a subscriber!

NessIllustration

@Kat I think sites like Zazzle, Society6, Redbubble, etc. can be great platforms to easily create products and set up shop on a done-for-you platform. However many people imagine that they can just list products, put the link on their Instagram bio and sit back as sales roll in. This is sadly untrue... A Zazzle shop is a business like any other, and requires a full marketing plan to be successful beyond the occasional sale once every few weeks. This includes things like a mailing list, promotions, a Pinterest strategy, and even paid ads. Whether it's Zazzle or Etsy or a Shopify store, you need to drive your own traffic and your generate your own sales to achieve any substantial success. In that regard, using a done-for-you platform could be useful in allowing you to focus on that part of the business

I do have to do customer service on Etsy, but I usually don't receive too many messages. It's maybe 1-2 a week on normal times, but it can be 10 in a day during a sale or a launch. I get questions on the product itself (before purchase) and then I also get messages of people having trouble downloading their files, unzipping their files, or using them. I've filmed a couple videos explaining some things I get asked often, so I can link that directly. I intend to film more of those in the future, they're helpful! I always respond to messages the minute I see them, so they don't pile up and I don't have to schedule time to catch up. All in all the customer service is very manageable at the size of my shop It would have to like... at least quadruple for me to start maybe needing help.

Kat

@NessIllustration thank you so much! Very good info I’m still working a full-time job but hopefully in the not-too-distant future I’ll have time to focus on something like an Etsy or POD shop.

Thanks!

aska

@NessIllustration Thank you! I use Indesign sometimes so I might try! Maybe, one day... Too many plans and nothing really working for me at the moment ... Nice to see how your YouTube channel grows. Congrats on your success!