This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
These iPad paint brushes never run dry. Not only do they not run dry because they are digital paint brushes, digital virtual paint brushes. Not only do they not run dry, they also make a lot of money. They make a lot of money for this New Zealand software developer. We're gonna hear from her today.
Her name is Karen. We first featured her way back in episode 457. That was what, almost 3,000 days ago? Many years, however many years that is. A lot of years.
KiwiCoder earns extra $50,000 a year from digital paint brushes. I'm pretty sure she's earning more than that now. But it's a very cool story. I love the story because it's a classic example of something that could only exist in this new economy, broadly speaking. I mean, it's been going for a while, but basically the internet economy.
So Karen has turned her hobby, her passion into a business. It's done very well. She's also got some updates here on how her industry has been changing. She's got more competitors and so on. So naturally she's thinking ahead.
Gonna pass the mic to her. Throwback Thursday on Side Hustle School featuring Karen Newport from iPad Lettering. [Music]
I'm Karen Newport. And since I've been featured on episode 457, I've actually moved to Queenstown. When I was featured, I was still living in Auckland, but now Queenstown, still in New Zealand.
But unlike when I first started my side hustle, I've now got a lot more space and that's actually really amazing. I've always been interested in hand lettering and calligraphy, but I haven't pursued my passion because I used to live in this tiny little apartment and then I didn't have the space for all the required art supplies. But when I got my first iPad Pro and Apple Pencil at the end of 2015, everything really changed. I was able to practice to my heart's content without requiring all the supplies or worrying about wasting paper. So I found an app called Procreate and I started making Procreate brushes and it's kind of like Photoshop brushes.
It's a software setting that you can apply to the Procreate app and then it creates sort of different characteristics for these brushes. And then at the same time, I also started an Instagram account to share my work. And because iPad lettering was quite new, but not really knew what an Apple Pencil was. I was actually really lucky to get one of the first Apple Pencils that Apple pulled out. I managed to get followers quite quickly.
They were really curious to see how this all worked. And so they started asking me about the brushes and what I was using. And so I started sharing those brushes and I just had a Dropbox link in the profile of my Instagram account. But then I made more brushes and so I couldn't really have a link there anymore. So I decided to make a website and share the brushes on my website.
And then I thought, well, there's a lot of people downloading these brushes. So maybe I should make some more or maybe I should put a price on those brushes. And so I did, I made, I think I made three sets and I was a bit worried about putting a price on it because I was sharing it for free. And then, all of a sudden it's not free. So what will people say?
But I was extremely surprised. I put them up for sale and I announced it on Instagram. Back in the day, I only had maybe 3000 followers or something. But within three hours I bought my first sale and so it was amazing. And that's how it all started.
Yeah, I was jumping up and down. Literally, it was just the most exciting feeling ever. Like I made something and someone bought it on the internet. It was like, oh, this is crazy good. I'm working for a software product studio.
It's my main job. And now I want to build this up to the point where if I don't have a job anymore, instead of working more on my side hustle, I actually get a lot of free time because I would have figured out how to optimize it and how to run it efficiently. And I just get a lot more spare time without having to sacrifice my income. So that's the current plan, but let's see how it goes. I've actually started making a lot more YouTube videos as well.
So what happened also over the years is that a lot more people have started making appropriate brushes. So it's a bit more of a crowded market. It's not so rare anymore. So the income from that hasn't sort of gone up as it did at the start. So it's time to think about other things you can do as well and sort of diversify and figure out how to help people in other ways.
And one of the things I've noticed is people really want more help about how to use the brushes. It's good that they are there, but then there's so many different characteristics. And also Procreate has brought out a new version late last year. So really helping people use the brushes. And that's where my YouTube channel comes in.
So one of the things that's actually made a big difference to what I'm doing is having an accountability group. There's a group of people who, they don't do exactly the same thing, but they have similar aspirations to myself. And we've come up with a set of goals and we're holding each other accountable. And we have a call every week and there's groups with that. They're all around the world.
Well, actually most of them are in the U.S. But yeah, it's an international group of people with similar aspirations to myself. And they know my goals and they hold me accountable. And I really find that super helpful. [Music]
Hey, thanks, Karen.
Really appreciate the update and so glad the business is going well. iPad lettering with Karen Newport. Check it out for yourself listeners on YouTube. More than 100,000 subscribers there. You can also visit ipadlettering.com to check out her products and just see more about how this all works.
As I said, I think it's a wonderful story, wonderful example of the kind of thing that can exist in this day and age. And that's why I always encourage listeners to make a list of the things that you know about. The special skills, knowledge, education you have acquired in different ways it may not relate to higher education. It may not relate to your day job, but just all the different things you have learned to do over time and consider maybe this will be your next side hustle, right? Your first or your next side hustle, whatever it is.
We're all about encouraging you to take action. I hope you will take action and get closer to a goal you believe in. I also hope you'll continue to listen. The podcast is always free. Subscribe or follow wherever you get your shows.
My name's Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
