Careers for creatives: Turn your passion into profit!

Let’s face it, most of us work because it’s a way to pay the bills- however, when it takes up such a large part of our lives, it makes sense to try and find enjoyment in what we do. If you’re a creative person and already have some great skills in your area, then monetising them and carving out your own path can be easier than you might think.

Thanks to the internet there are so many opportunities these days which can allow you to earn enough money to live and in some cases, far more too. Here are some ideas for careers you could consider and turn your passion into profit!

Writing

If you’re a proficient writer, there are so many ways you can put your skills to use this day in age. Before the rise of the internet, making a career in writing meant you’d need to become a top selling author or secure your own column in a magazine, but no more. Just about every business is in need of writers of some kind, from copywriters to bloggers to content writers. You also have the option to start up your own blog, it can take time to get established but later down the line you could be earning a decent income from sponsored posts and advertising. Sign up to a freelancing website and start gaining a good reputation, meaning it’s easier to get future work. Open a blog and begin working on it, and have a look online for writing jobs- if you’d rather work from home then search for remote work. You could even write and self publish an ebook. Between all of these sources it’s perfectly possible to earn a full time income, and if you get lucky you can really earn big money doing these things!

Music

Again, gone are the days when you had to be a pop god or a rock legend to make music into your career. Musicians these days can enjoy making tracks for creatives, video makers, publishers and others in these kinds of industry often need backing music and other types of sounds for their work. You could sell your tracks on streaming services like Spotify, or even look into playing live gigs. Millennials are huge fans of gigs and live music, research showing that these kinds of events are much preferred compared with things like nightclubs. So the scene is there and you have an audience, there’s no reason why you can’t make a career out of it if you’re good! Another way you can make money with music is to become a tutor, if you’re skilled with an instrument for example lots of people will pay for the privilege of being taught. And passing down your skills and knowledge can be really rewarding.

Art and design

No need to be a starving artist this day in age, art is another skill you can make a really good living in in today’s world. As well as doing your main larger commissions, you could create smaller pieces and make them available for download. Cute clip art style work is very popular on Etsy with card makers and scrapbookers, and once the art has been done it can be downloaded an unlimited amount of times so earns you money with no extra hassle. You could paint or design art prints for home decor websites, or look into a more business side of things such as designing logos and banners for companies. Other kinds of design can involve mobile app development and web design, incredible skills to have in the modern world as there’s no shortage of work for people with these abilities.

Cooking and baking

Are you a keen cook or baker? Chances are you’re already very popular with your loved ones, but why not do more than just feed your friends and family? You could set up your own business from home, a bakery or a catering company and these could both do really well. As time goes on, you could look into moving into commercial premises and getting your own shop with a kitchen. It’s fun and creative, you get to think up all your own flavours and menus. Have a think about your unique selling point here and what makes you different. Perhaps you only use organic ingredients, maybe you’re all vegan or you might have a certain type of cuisine that you base your recipes off. It can be more difficult to break into this market as there’s a lot of competition, but find your niche and you’ll make it a success.

Video creation

Whether you like to be in front of the camera or behind it, if you’re a skilled editor why not make it into your career? You could start a Youtube channel, making videos on a certain subject or all about your daily life. You could simply offer video editing services for other Youtubers that want to make an impression but don’t have the know how. Marketing agencies and advertisers also need video creators to put together their ads, so you’ll never be short of work. Whether you’re self taught, have a qualification or skills gained from a past job, it’s something that’s fun and interesting and can be incredibly lucrative. If you want to go down the marketing and advertising route, it can be worth taking on some study in this area to give you more background knowledge. You can find digital marketing diplomas on most online learning sites these days, and having a background understanding of what companies want can make you even more employable.

If you’re a creative person, don’t settle in a job that stifles you. It’s perfectly possible to use your passion to make a good living.