We want y’all be as clued in as the new HP Spectre laptop, which is perfect for work and play (even when you find it hard to make that distinction). More on that below, but you can suss out the lush piece of work HERE, getting amongst them on Facebook HERE / Instagram HERE / Twitter HERE.
Do you know how many people would kill to be able to draw, sew, play an instrument, decorate, photograph, or, well, just be good at anything in this life? So many, and you can bet your lifetime collection of Beanie Kids they’d lap up those skills as money makers were they given the chance.
So, if you’re one of those people who’s been #blessed with a talent but aren’t exactly sure what to do with it, we want to offer you the below tips so that you can make some dosh off doing what you love / you’re good at. ‘Cause if you’re going to do it anyway, you may as well make some $$$ in the process, you know?
CHECK THE JOB OPPORTUNITY SITCH
If there’s something you love doing and would do it for free anyway, it makes sense to slot into an industry that’ll facilitate your passion and interests. I think philosophers call it job satisfaction or something?
Love shopping? Become a personal shopper. Love cooking? Become a chef. It’s not rocket science. You know what they say, “Do what you love and never work a day in your life.“
Sydney-based musician Rorz Rawkuss (yes, that’s his moniker) has had a passion for music pretty much since the womb. Now 26, Rorz has found a way to turn his love for the art into a myriad of musically inclined and paid-for roles. He tells PEDESTRIAN.TV:
“I’ve worked as a professional musician for many years as a session musician, performing artist, disability music program co-ordinator, children’s entertainer, student and teacher.”
Rorz also admits he’s done all of these for free (and at times still does) for the emotional reward alone, so we know full well that he’s been able to monetise his love without jeopardising his inital passion for the industry in the process (which, let us tell you, can happen in a lot of fields).
“When you love creating art and are filled with passion for what you do, sometimes it’s okay to leave money out the scenario. Monetary gain is purely a bonus – it’ll never ultimately dictate whether or not I continue to provide my services.”
Is there’s something you love doing, it’s beneficial to get the proper training in that area so you’re more appealing as a service. For example, just because you love photography, it doesn’t mean you’re ready to snap someone’s wedding day and not live up to their expectations. Do a course, training, what have you, and polish your craft so that you’re that little bit more worthy of cash-monayyy from others.
Upskill as well. People will be more likely to pay you to photograph a special event if you can also edit the result, and the same applies for a bunch of other hobbies too.
Take Miranda Drew, social media and marketing manager at Bounce Fit Body, for example. She loves social media and does it in her spare time just like everyone else on the planet, so she figured out a way to get paid for it.
“I didn’t have all of the skills I needed (like design skills) so I had to come up with a plan for how I could learn these myself. I self-taught myself mostly through tutorials online. I also had to learn all the terms associated with digital marketing – there’s lots of tutorials and online courses you can do for this.“
PUT YOUR HOBBY / TALENT OUT THERE
We know y’all aren’t shy in 2016. If you’re happy to share what you had for breakfast with the world of social media, then why not include your hobbies? If it’s out there and in the public sphere, chances are that your mates will reach out and need your help for a present, event or general service.
For example, I thought it’d be an A+ idea to get a memorable photo of me and my BFF made into a drawing (our friendship has spanned 20 years and I was legit running out of ideas), remembering that someone I had on Insta, Loren Sheehan, was really bloody good at art thanks to photos she posted of her work. I hit her up, told her I’d pay her to do it, and voila – she made some decent cash off her hobby. None of that would’ve happened if her socials consisted of selfies only. Share, and the people will come, you know?
She now uses her art as a side hustle. “While it’s not a main income, it does help,” Loren tells P.TV. “Most of what I do is portraits, so Xmas and birthdays are a big thing. I usually make a lot around Chrissy time.”
Also, have an online folio because you never know who might stumble upon your work (cheers, Google). Considering a lot of your contact will be coming on through online, you’ll want the best tools of the trade to grab those opportunities with best hands. Enter the v. sleek, v. efficient HP Spectre which is lush as all hell (aesthetically and practically) for the thinnest laptop in the world. Check it HERE.
Go on – your side-hustle awaits. (If you manage to make it a full-blown hustle in the process, power to you, my friends.)
Photo: Orange Is The New Black / Netflix.
