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As creative designers in 2023, we are blessed with so many amazing options to make money from our skills. That can sometimes mean getting paralyzed by perfection, and becoming inactive for having too many options. The cost of inaction is high. I've explored a ton of avenues myself and want to share some of my learnings with you. Despite what you might be worrying about, there has never been a better time to profit from our creative passions!

Selling Digital Assets

Like this. Or this. You can even see it with Cedric's success (the developer behind Dashfolio) On my website, you experience a highly customized version, I found that it helped solve a million problems at once, and so far have been loving the framework.

Offering digital products is a total gamechanger for making passive income. After creating some minimal icon sets and uploading them on Creative Market, I now make sales every single week without lifting a finger! It feels so great to design something once and sell it indefinitely.

With the rise of sites like Gumroad, Creative Fabrica, and the Framer Community, there’s a huge appetite for quality digital assets. If you make music, you may find yourself as a vendor on Beatstars, Splice, or making samples / composing for Apps, Games, Films, Etc…. EVERYONE is building digital experiences, we'll use design in general as an example, but this can apply to many creative fields. We tend to overlook the small things, people are looking for UI kits, icon sets, templates, brushes, fonts, and almost any little thing you can think of. Top sellers even make over $100k a year consistently.

For example, take UI and icon kits. Study the top-selling ones to understand optimal pricing and what buyers want. Comprehensive kits with multiple themes, hundreds of components, and all the major file formats tend to sell best. A basic kit can go for $28, while an advanced bundled kit with extras can sell for $98.

Use gorgeous visuals and animations in your previews. Clearly describe what buyers get in the bundle. Make sure to polish your assets thoroughly before selling—people will scrutinize! Set up your own website too for a professional brand presence. This allows you to build an audience and subscriber list over time.

The key is what people are calling 'passive' revenue. An asset could sell for years and years with little added effort. Tweak based on feedback and promote on social media to maximize discoverability. It’s extremely rewarding to design something once, but get paid for it indefinitely!

Online Courses & Workshops

Teaching your skills is incredibly rewarding, plus generates a great income stream. I was nervous to start a course on Skillshare, but the feedback from students makes it so worthwhile. Now I earn revenue passively from my classes.

With platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, and now the Framer Community, you can share your knowledge through online courses and workshops. Whether it’s mastering Figma, getting started in UX, or deep diving into typography, people are eager to learn from experts.

The key is structuring your course for student success. Start by outlining lessons and sections in a Google Doc. Break concepts down into digestible pieces. Script videos succinctly to explain each part. Budget 5-10 minutes per video. Walkthrough real examples and share your screens to make lessons engaging and clear.

Effective marketing is crucial too. Optimized titles, thumbnails and descriptions will get you clicks. Use student testimonials and solid ratings to build social proof. Bundle added resources like cheat sheets, Q&As, and discounts to boost perceived value. Price intro courses from $20 to $200 for comprehensive packages.

Keep content evergreen, promote newly via social media, and update based on feedback. Teaching is extremely rewarding, plus the recurring revenue compounds over time with every new student. By sharing your expertise, you can do well and do good!

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a more passive approach, but those small commissions from your links can really add up over time. As designers, we already recommend and talk about products we love. Why not get paid for it?

Sign up for affiliate programs with Creative Market, Adobe, Skillshare, Canva, and any other tools or resources you use and recommend. You'll get special referral links and discount codes to share with your audience.

Naturally mention and review products you genuinely like in blog posts, videos, and newsletters. Hyperlink text to affiliate links when relevant. Display affiliate banners or assets on your website sidebar.

Small commissions of 4-15% per sale may not seem like much at first. But when you have referrals coming from website traffic, email subscribers, and social media followers, it compounds. $50 here, $100 there really starts adding up!

Merchandising & Print Products

Merch gives you a powerful way to showcase your best designs on real world products. Art and graphics get transformed into apparel, phone cases, mugs, and more. The options are endless, just get creative!

Top artists like Mike Winklemann actually make over $1 million per year selling merchandise with their signature designs and artwork.

Platforms like Redbubble, Society6, and Teespring make the process seamless. Just upload your designs and pick products to display them on. The site handles printing and order fulfillment all over the world.

When designing merchandise, look at popular themes and evergreen topics that will appeal broadly. Vintage pop culture and niche hobby references tend to sell well. Upload fresh designs frequently to maximize new discovery on the platform.

Leverage each product page and description to optimize for search. For example, a backpack with a music festival theme can target that event name, location, and related keywords. Smart SEO means more sales.

Run promotions and sales around major gifting holidays like Christmas to boost revenue. Experiment with Facebook and Instagram ads to find winning products. Then scale up ads to maximize sales. Spreading your art far and wide on merchandise is an amazing feeling!

Consultation & Services

For designers with particular expertise, offering paid consulting can be quite lucrative. I was surprised how much I learned from helping clients, while also making great income sharing my knowledge. It's an invigorating experience.

Create a menu of consultation services around your specialty. For example, design strategy, UX, branding, app/web design, etc. Offer tiered pricing from $50 for 30 minutes up to $500+ for intensive multi-hour sessions.

Reach out to potential clients directly asking if they need help in your wheelhouse. Build case studies and results from past consultations to showcase your value.

Allow booking and payment for consultations directly on your website for convenience. Video chat tools like Zoom, Calendly, and Doodle help seamlessly deliver remote consultations.

Record your sessions to repurpose content into courses later. Take detailed notes on key insights as well. Offer discounts in exchange for client testimonials and results you can feature on your site.

Consulting allows you to earn generously while refining your expertise. It's extremely rewarding to help guide clients through challenges and make an impact. Plus you expand your network and credibility.

Multiple Income Streams

Phew, that was a lot of ground we covered! As you can see, the options are plentiful but not overwhelming once you take it step-by-step. Find 1-2 monetization methods that excite you, then fully commit to optimizing them. Multiple income streams allow you to earn diversified revenue from your skills and audience.

I hope these strategies provide ideas to further profit from your creative passions. We live in amazing times with boundless opportunities to leverage our skills. Wishing you great success as you build course creations, commerce, and consulting into your business and brand! Let me know if you have any other questions.

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Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase any products after clicking on my affiliate links. By purchasing through my affiliate links, you help support me and my work at no added cost to you.

I only recommend products/services I personally use and believe will provide value to readers. The small commissions I earn from affiliate links help fund the operating costs of my blog. This allows me to continue to create quality content and share my insights with you. 

I only endorse high-quality products and services that align with my brand. I appreciate you supporting me by purchasing through my affiliate links when they are provided. But please note I never recommend anything solely for the commission - I genuinely believe in the value of the products/services I share. 

Thank you for understanding and supporting my work! I'm grateful to be able to keep sharing my knowledge with you.