Monetized hobbies have some modern phenomenonAs “side hustles” become increasingly common among workers around the world – mostly as a way to cope with tough times. However, some of us are committed to practices that go beyond mere hobbyism.artist and creative individual There’s the potential to turn their work into their sole source of income – but how to market your creative practice?
Your brand is you
First, when considering your creative practice as an emerging business, it’s important to think carefully about what exactly you are “selling”—to the platform, to consumers, or even to potential distributors such as local craft stores or small chain stores. In short, you need to develop a brand from your work. It’s even simpler: your brand is you!
But how do you further define your brand? Your choice of materials, creative output and artistic style will naturally influence the shape of your wider brand, but you may also want to incorporate some personal values or mission goals into your brand. This will impact some of the public-facing aspects of starting to sell your work, such as the creation of a website that will double as a contact form, portfolio, testimonials board, and even a shopping portal.
Calculate your costs
Since you are taking the approach of selling your creative practice like a business, you are right to invest a lot of your time into the administrative and financial aspects of starting such a business. Your art has intrinsic cultural value beyond that determined by the market you sell it to or the materials you use. Still, you need to keep these in mind when you're developing a financial plan for selling your work, even if it's just to set a baseline price for selling your work to ensure you're making an appropriate income.
Depending on the scope of your business, you may also need Consult a legal expert regarding the sale of more expensive works; This can help you navigate complex tax situations and even ensure you remain legally compliant when selling your work.
Speaking of which, as a self-employed person, your income will be subject to UK income tax regulations – this requires you to register as self-employed and declare your income by completing an annual self-assessment tax form.However, this income can be offset to a certain extent by the expenses you incur as an artist, meaning you can reduce your tax burden by claiming materials and studio rent. as expenses.
Find the right platform
As you begin to sell your work to a wider audience, you'll also want to think carefully about how you're going to do this. Today there are countless online platforms that allow unprecedented integration with e-commerce products and access to audiences.
Etsy is the success story of our time, a marketplace for independent makers with sophisticated tracking of financial data and the opportunity to reach hundreds of thousands of potential customers. The downside is that Etsy's selling fees are a bit high relative to their service, and the platform is currently experiencing saturation with non-creative “dropshippers.” However, only you can decide the right platform for yourself!
