12 Ways Independent Artists & Designers Make Money

While some artists such as illustrators or graphic designers can be hired by a company and work in-house, there are many other ways an artist can make money with their work.

Freelancing

While similar to a typical office job, freelancing is when you are your own boss. You find clients and work with them to create what they need. Some examples include wedding photographers, logo designers, book illustrators, etc.

Online or Physical Store

Whether it's an Etsy shop, your own website, or a physical store, allowing customers to buy work directly from you is always a good option. Many artists sell physical goods, such as paintings or art prints. Another option is digital goods, such as art you can print at home, Instagram templates, fonts, icon sets, etc. Digital goods allow you to sell the same item multiple times, and customers can instantly download it after purchase.

Print on Demand

This is a type of business where you have your own shop on a larger company's business. (Some include Threadless, Society6, & Redbubble.) You upload designs to products you want it applied to, and when customers purchase them, the company creates the product and ships it for you. While profit you take home per sale can be low, you can make quite a bit if you market your shop and get more sales. Since you can make any amount of sales from the same design, it can have more potential than making and selling physical goods on your own.

Dropshipping

This is an extension from your own store's website. The key difference is you work with a dropshipping provider and link them to your store. When a customer places an order on your store, your dropshipping provider prepares it to ship directly to the customer.

Markets & Events

A great way to spread awareness of your business in your local community would be to join an art market, craft show, bazaar, farmer's market, etc. Depending on the show size, it may require an application, application fee, and juried review of your items. Events like these usually limit you to a 10x10 ft booth space and will charge a fee to have a booth there. Most will only provide the space, so you'll need to buy tables, chairs, a tent, and anything else to display your work.

Teaching

You don't need to be an expert, or have a degree to teach others. This can take many forms, but can include writing a blog, videos on YouTube, Skillshare, Udemy, etc; in-person studio classes, and live online classes (like held on Twitch).

Wholesale

Most items sold in stores are being sold via wholesale. In this case, the store buys items from you, then sells it at a higher price. It's typical for stores to offer items at double the price they paid for them. This allows them to make money and offer it at a discount if needed. While it sounds like you're not making much from this transaction, if you price your items correctly, it can become a great source of revenue.

Consignment

This is when you've made an agreement with a business to sell your work for you, but they don't buy from you ahead of time. It's only once an item is sold, that you get your cut of the profits. Consignment is usually done with smaller, local businesses and they can be more flexible on how much of the profit you take. It is typical for them to offer 50% though. It can be a good idea to get a contract made just so everything is in writing, and expectations are clear.

Galleries

Selling through a gallery is very similar to consignment work, but is more likely to involve signing a contract, and is specific to high art. If a gallery likes your work, they will sell it for you for a profit. It's typical for them to take 50% of the profit.

Licensing

This is when you sell the rights of a piece of art to another company to use on their products. (They may want pre-existing art or have you make something custom.) Then each time the product sells, you earn royalties from it.

Tips & Support Services

Usually funded by loyal followers, you can earn a little (or a lot) on the side by their support. Services like Patreon and Kofi allow people to send you money by one time payments or monthly subscriptions. Although not necessary, it's common to give patrons special gifts for their contributions. This can be as simple as sharing content with them before it is shared with the public, offering them the chance to vote on ideas, behind the scenes videos/photos, etc.

Affiliate Links

You can get paid a small percentage when a person clicks on a link and purchases an item. This is commonly seen in blogs that review items, or possibly YouTube videos.