Tag: Arts and Craft

Digital Illustrator Crafts Creative Designs

What It’s About

This graphic designer illustrates why representation matters.

Words of Wisdom

Naa Ardua says that no matter what you do, time will pass. If you don’t start your side hustle, time will pass, and you will have accomplished nothing. But if you start that side hustle, it may take a few years to reach your goals. The time will still pass, but you will have created something to be proud of.

Fun Fact

After a classmate told her son he couldn’t dress up as Batman because Batman isn’t black, Naa Ardua decided to use her artistic skills to bring more positive representation of black culture to the public. She has now written and illustrated a children’s book for her son, who was happy to see himself as the hero of the story.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1991
In 2016, Naa Ardua Flohic was an American expat living in France with her husband and two children. As a legal secretary at an international patent law firm, Naa Ardua was a valuable employee to have on staff. Among other skills, she was fluent in both English and French.

But when Naa Ardua asked to take on more work in order to get a raise, the answer was no. So that door was closed. She knew at that moment that she needed to do something else. She could already do traditional drawing on paper, but she knew digital art was the future.

Naa Ardua began learning to draw on a computer using a free open-source graphics program called Inkscape. It was hard at first, but she practiced every night after she put her kids to bed. An hour of practice would soon flow into two as she gradually developed her skills by watching tutorials, taking lessons, and practicing.

She focused in creating digital art that celebrates the African American community. As her skills improved and she began creating drawings she liked, Naa Ardua posted them on Instagram. People started liking her drawings, so she posted more. After a few months, a man messaged her and wanted to buy a custom illustration of Michele Obama for his t-shirt business that was dedicated to multiculturalism.

But Naa Ardua didn’t know how to invoice the customer for the illustration. He suggested using Etsy, the well-known online seller’s marketplace for handmade and unique items. Using his suggestion, Naa Ardua opened her Etsy shop, created a listing for his custom illustration, and he bought it.

Paper Flo Designs was in business.

Naa Ardua opened her doors in 2017 and has now sold over 10,000 scalable vector graphics or SVG files … which are just digital drawings.

Startup costs were a grand total of $120, which included buying a tablet and the first course she took to learn the graphics program. In 2021 she earned over $24,000, which she hopes to double this year.

Big news: Naa Ardua left her day job in January of this year and now works on her side hustle full time. She’s still figuring out her future plans but is focused on growing traffic to her website and increasing sales.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

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Resources

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Quote of the Day
"If you don’t start your side hustle, time will pass, and you will have accomplished nothing. But if you start that side hustle, it may take a few years to reach your goals. The time will still pass, but you will have created something to be proud of."
—Naa Ardua Flohic #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

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To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Expat Teacher Draws Up Personalized Woodworks

What It’s About

A wood artist creates personalized meaningful art using memories.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

Madelaine shares an important reminder when feeling stuck with a side hustle idea, “shut down your imposter syndrome immediately, be your biggest cheerleader, and never forget the “why” behind what you do every day.”

Fun Fact

Madelaine isn’t your average school teacher…or artist. In a previous life she was a hardcore athlete and claimed that she peaked when competing in the New Zealand National Athletics Championships in the heptathlon, where she finished 4th overall.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1807
The way we share stories from generation to generation tends to go a bit like a long-term game of telephone. Over the years, stories get lost in translation. We miss details. We tend to focus more on the positive than the negative. We may even be telling an entirely incorrect version of the story, and don’t even know it!

Madelaine Rose recognized that this could be a significant problem for families who wanted to preserve the integrity of their history. So, she drew herself a new side hustle, Madelaine Rose Art.

What is this artwork, exactly? It’s nature-inspired, made from wood, and uses items such as oars, wooden circles, and surfboards. She sands the wood down to its raw finish, then hand-stains it. Most of her designs reflect the beauty found in the natural world, with images of vines, trees, and mountains making regular appearances.

Pricing continues to be a bit of a struggle because each piece is unique and tells an entirely different story. So, determining just how much to charge a new customer is a common challenge.

Rather than lumbering around aimlessly, trying to figure out the perfect price, Madelaine created artwork for a donation auction to see what people would be willing to pay for her pieces. Once she had a baseline number in mind, she could adjust her costs and materials accordingly. (More about this in the wrap-up.)

Over the past year, she’s created and sold sixteeen unique art pieces for her clients … all for a good profit, and with no money spent on advertising!

So what’s next for Madelaine Rose Art? She wants to carve out additional hours to scale her business into what she calls full-time play because the word “job” doesn’t seem right. With a portfolio, improved process, and learning to ship from Japan, she’s off to a great start.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Shut down your imposter syndrome immediately, be your biggest cheerleader, and never forget the “why” behind what you do every day."
—Madelaine Rose #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
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There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Graduate Uses Equestrian Art to Canter Out of Debt

What It’s About

Whoa Nelly! Hear how a graduate student tramples her debts with her horse artwork.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to making money from art, Bettina says that there is more opportunity than people think. “Art businesses have a place and a key portion of that is to educate yourself and learn how to be an entrepreneur. Being an artist can be incredibly lucrative. People need someone who can translate their emotions and experiences into art, doing this well and embracing the business skills associated will take you there.”

Fun Fact

The shortest horse ever recorded is named Thumbelina, a miniature sorrel brown mare from St. Louis, Missouri, who stood at a meager 1 foot and 5 inches short. On the flip side, the tallest horse ever recorded was named Big Jake, who stood at nearly 7 feet tall.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1639
In 2018, Bettina Norton was fresh out of grad school, and had no idea what to do. She had just gotten her MA in Psychology, but there was a problem: she didn’t want to work in that field.

You see, while studying for her degree, Bettina realized that she needed to find a different path. It happens!

Bettina quickly decided that the ‘big thing’ she wanted to put her time into was paying off her debts. She had $55,000 in student loans, and another $10,000 in credit card debts. From what she could tell, the fastest way to do this was to get a full-time job and scale her art business.

Wait, an art business?

That’s right. Bettina had been creating and selling art since she was in her early 20s. The main subject of her art was horses, a passion of hers since she was a child. She created equestrian-themed fine art, prints and lifestyle items.

Bettina knew she could make more money from her art, even if others doubted her. Despite the neigh-sayers (get it?), she knew her business had potential. Not only that, but she knew that figuring out how to maximize her profits could be an important key to paying off her debt. She soon decided to stop horsing around (okay, I’ll stop now too … for the moment) and got a full-time job for a university while working on her plan to ramp up the art sales.

First, she began to build her email list. To do this, Bettina spent a week going back through her inbox and copying and pasting the email of every single person who had ever bought from her before. This got her up to 130 people. From there, she asked every person she was chatting with on Instagram if they wanted to be on the list, and added another hundred people from there.

Bettina also followed the launch process outlined in The $100 Startup, and had her first launch in May 2019. In just a week, she made $15,000 from a collection she called the Simplicity Series. Take note: this was the most money Bettina had ever made in a year before.

By February of 2020, Bettina had paid off all $65,000 of her student loans and credit card bills. However, beyond her side hustle she also credits Dave Ramsey’s steps to get out of debt, as well as being able to live rent-free at her grandmother’s old house, as keys to getting to this point so quickly.

Still, she tripled her profits in just the span of the year. Bettina isn’t ready to slow down any time soon … in fact, she’s firmly back in the saddle.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

  • Quit horsing around and go check out Bettina’s beautiful artwork at her website, BettinaNorton.com/.

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Art businesses have a place and a key portion of that is to educate yourself and learn how to be an entrepreneur. Being an artist can be incredibly lucrative. People need someone who can translate their emotions and experiences into art, doing this well and embracing the business skills associated will take you there."
—Bettina Norton #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau

Origami-Loving Musician Doesn’t Mind Paperwork

What It’s About

When the pandemic cancels a musician’s tour she doesn’t fold, and instead, starts teaching origami online.

[podcast_details]

Words of Wisdom

When it comes to searching for a side hustle, Kat has some advice. “Your story is important. What is it that makes you unique? For me, I know one of the reasons I do so well in Origami is because it’s part of my story, from being a musician writing the song for my grandmother and my Japanese background allows me to share a lot of stories during the workshop and gives me some authority in that area. Everybody has a unique story and something that you can do.”

Fun Fact

There is a legend in Origami that if students make more than 1000 paper cranes, their wishes may come true.

Notes from Chris

Episode 1548
Kat McDowell’s love for origami bloomed as a young girl growing up in Japan. Her grandmother’s room was full of different paper creations, from geometric shapes to cranes hanging from her ceiling.

Despite moving to New Zealand when she was five, Kat’s love of origami remained throughout her life. It was a way to be creative and connect with her grandmother.

As she grew up, she became a musician but never forgot about origami. This is why in early 2020, she released a new song called “1000 Paper Cranes” as a tribute to her grandmother.

No longer being able to have in-person events, Kat still wanted to find a way to promote “1000 Paper Cranes.” So, she decided to have a virtual paper crane folding party with her fans and anyone else who wanted to join in. She taught them how to do some simple origami, just like her grandmother taught her, and then premiered her music video.

The origami party was a hit, and doing it virtually posed fewer barriers than she’d expected. This gave Kat an idea— what if she could bring this sense of fun and connection to others during the pandemic? On a whim, she began reaching out to the same colleges she had partnered with before, asking if they would be interested in the workshops.

Within two weeks, she had booked nine workshops, at $500 each. This was a low-cost side hustle for her to start. She already owned a phone, computer, and recording setup. All she had to buy was the origami paper.

The workshops were a hit, and Kat even got to play some of her songs in the background. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it sooner—but I don’t blame her, because who would think of virtual origami?

In 2020, Kat made $8,000 from these impromptu workshops. She loves that she has been able to help people relax and take their mind off of the pandemic. She’s even had to bump her price up from $500 to $750 due to increased demand.

Kat never imagined that her passion for origami could unfold into a side hustle. As a musician, she hasn’t ever had a stable income and the pandemic has made that even worse, with all of her shows cancelled. Yet by leveraging her skills, connections and passion, she was able to create another stream of income.

She’s also thinking ahead. Kat knows that the demand for origami workshops won’t last forever, so she is also planning new workshops around the art of Kintsugi, a Japanese art form where broken objects are repaired with gold and made more valuable. She now believes that her art and music are destined to be intertwined.

 

 

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

SEE ALSO:

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,

cg-sig-newsletter

Resources

GET $625 IN FREE TRAVEL

Earn 50,000 travel rewards points (enough for 2 round-trip plane tickets or $625 in travel credit). You'll also earn 2x points on all travel and dining spend, with zero foreign transaction fees.

I use this card every day all over the world! ✈️ Learn More

CREATE YOUR ONLINE STORE

Create your online store with Shopify using an exclusive discount for Side Hustle School listeners. For a limited time, get a free 21-day trial and a 10% discount for a whole year.

Many Side Hustle School listeners are building sites using Shopify's easy-to-learn platform. Try it free today! Learn More

Quote of the Day
"Your story is important. What is it that makes you unique? Everybody has a unique story and something that you can do."
—Kat McDowell #SideHustleSchool

Sponsors & Gratitude

Learn More With Skillshare!

Supporting the sponsors keeps the show free. Today’s episode of Side Hustle School is brought to you by Skillshare. 📷

Skillshare is giving Side Hustle School listeners 2 months of unlimited access—for $0.99! Join the 2 million students learning everything from street photography to SEO on Skillshare today!
Get Started Here!

Like the Show? Leave a Rating!

Side Hustle School is for you! If you’re enjoying it, please take a quick moment to leave a rating or write a quick review. It's really easy and it makes a difference! ✅

It also makes a huge difference when you tell your friends about the show. Remember, it's 100% free and listener-supported.


Here's How

Keep in Touch

There’s a new story every single day on Side Hustle School. Episodes are produced to be short and to the point—I know you’re busy. Be sure you subscribe to get instant notification of the day’s broadcast!


To infinity and beyond,

Chris Guillebeau