Can you live off your hobbies?
June 23, 2009 by Jennifer Chait
Filed under Make Money
My son is always coming up with wacky money-making schemes, likely because he’d like to be able to afford his Lego obsession. Cedar’s ideas include things like photo-copying money (yes, I told him that’s illegal), bending metal and having people pay to watch (HUH?), and creating his own line of wooden Pokemon cards. Now, while none of Cedar’s ideas are really a hit (he is only eight), your great hobby might be a viable way to make a good income.
According to Free Money Finance, plenty of people have taken hobbies, even obscure ones, and turned them into money making ideas. Handmade birdhouses, pet jellyfish, and tracking lost pets are just some of the hobbies turned job, featured in the above piece.
What about your hobby?
Well, my old hobby was blogging, and now that’s what I do for a living; although I did have a leg up since I’d been writing for companies before I jumped into blogging, but still. My best friend in high school was always drawing and doodling, which got him into trouble, but now he has a growing freelance graphic design company. And just look at Etsy – all sorts of folks are showcasing their hobbies there for cash, although, I’d guess a smaller, rather than larger amount make a living via Etsy.
It would seem the most valuable hobbies are one, those you enjoy, and two, those you know a decent amount about. Freelancing in any form is too hard and too volatile to waste your time on a hobby you’re not absolutely keen on.
Other hobby to job tips…
- Dangers to Avoid If Your Tech Job Is Also Your Hobby
- Turn your hobby into a career
- Turn Your Hobby Into a Career in Five Steps
- How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Successful Business
Have you ever made any money off a hobby? Which one?
[image via stock.xchng]
I am currently making some money from my hobby of blogging. More substantially, though, I’ve always had music as a hobby. I play organ in church; accompany people for juries (like final exams for musicians in college), auditions, and recitals; play flute, piano, or organ for weddings, funerals, and parties; and teach. I don’t do any of these on a hugely regular basis since I haven’t tried to market myself, but it does work out to several hundred dollars a month, sometimes more.
My blog design hobby turned into a business. The second year’s sales tripled the first year’s, and this third year’s sales have already matched the second year’s. I’m excited that I have actually been able to build a business from my hobby!