You don’t have to look far to find side hustles these days. But a lot of the popular ones, like driving for a ride-hailing app or a food delivery service, can be, well…boring. You might have difficulty motivating yourself to work beyond your regular 9-to-5 job if you don’t like the work you’re doing. That’s where finding a side hustle that enables you to use your creativity is helpful.
There are a lot of these out there — including the five options outlined below. It can take a little longer to get them going because you need to build a platform. But if you pull this off, you might even earn enough to kiss your day job goodbye.
1. Writing
I have to start with writing since that’s how I make my living. Though some worry about AI taking over many of these jobs in the future, there are still plenty of opportunities for us humans right now. A strong command of the language is essential, but it also helps if you have some sort of niche. More specialized knowledge can open the door to better-paying opportunities.
There are several ways you could take this. You might start your own blog or you could work as a freelance writer for existing publications. You could also do both at the same time. Just make sure you read the terms of any contracts you sign carefully to ensure you understand what you’re agreeing to.
2. Photography
Photographers can make serious money, especially if they work events. The average wedding photographer in the U.S. makes about $48 per hour, according to ZipRecruiter. If you’re there for eight hours, that’s $384 in one day’s work.
Or you could go the route of stock photography. You can upload your photos to popular sites like Getty Images or Shutterstock. When people purchase them, you’ll get a portion of that sale. This could provide passive, albeit inconsistent, income after you’ve posted the photos. Just make sure you get any people who appear in your photos to sign waivers permitting you to upload the image for sale.
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3. Graphic design
This is another area where AI appears to be gaining popularity, but there’s still a lot of graphic design work these technologies aren’t able to handle as well as a human. If you have skill designing logos, formatting ads, or page layouts, you could turn this into a valuable side gig.
Freelance work is an option here, or you could turn your talents to custom crafts. You might design T-shirts, mugs, or other goods that you can sell through online marketplaces.
Some of these sites enable you to upload your designs and earn money on sales without requiring you to actually make the product or ship it to the customer. This could be your best option if you’d like to limit your work to just the graphic design aspect.
4. Self-publishing books or courses
The internet makes it possible for anyone to write their own books and create their own educational courses — either text or video — and share them with others anywhere in the world. There’s upfront work in creating the materials, but after you’ve finished this, it can lead to a passive income source.
This side hustle pairs well with some of the others on this list, including freelance writing. Many bloggers offer courses or e-books to supplement the advertising revenue they earn from their blog.
5. Creating content for social media
Social media influencers can make hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases, if they manage to earn some lucrative sponsorships. This isn’t likely to happen for most people, but you could still earn some ad revenue by getting others to watch your videos or otherwise engage with your content.
Much as with writing, having a niche is crucial here. Posting regularly is also important for building up a fan base. Keep track of how each piece of content does over time, so you know how to direct your future efforts to get the greatest bang for your buck.
Weigh the pros and cons first
Most people with side hustles focus on filling their bank account, but it’s important to remember the costs associated with these accounts as well. You’ll have to budget for your own taxes and pay these in quarterly installments.
You may also face other start-up costs, like purchasing materials or a website domain. Using a business credit card for these purchases could help you earn valuable rewards that could save you money compared to paying out of pocket. Just be careful not to carry a balance.
You ultimately must decide if the side hustle is a good fit for you right now. If you go ahead with it, be patient. It takes time and practice, but if you stick with it, you could make quite a bit of money.
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