Many people find that they have time on their hands all of a sudden – perhaps the children are now at school, or have grown up and left the house. Perhaps you find that you have more spare time and are looking for a hobby that could possibly make you some income. For whatever reason you are looking, there are plenty of places to find ideas that will spark your creativity and enthusiasm.

If you want to browse from the comfort of your own home then look no further than online and you will find plenty of ideas to get you thinking. How about any of the following art or craft hobbies?

• Painting
• Drawing
• Beading
• Scrapbooking
• Pottery
• Felting
• Knitting
• Decoupage
• Paper Crafts
• Dressmaking

Many, if not all, of these crafts require little previous experience. You can often find beginners classes in all of these crafts at your local school or adult education center. Browse through the local newspapers and you might find classified ads from people offering private tuition in these arts and crafts. Alternatively, you can do these crafts from the comfort of your own home when you have the time, and there are plenty of resources available to teach you.

You may have previous experience of some of these hobby ideas from your school days, for example, did you do art at school, enjoy it, but never took it any further from there? When not brush up on your painting and drawing skills and have another go, maybe using different mediums this time? Perhaps you have always had a passion to be able to draw your friends or relatives or even to make up your own comics?

Or you could try something completely new. Have you ever tried knitting or crochet? Have you got lots of memories that you would like to keep in a scrapbook for your kids to cherish when they are older?

Think of the types of thing you like doing – for example, do fiddly things frustrate you or do you relish the challenge? How much time do you have to spend on your new craft hobby? Would you want to make some money out of it once you are good enough? All these things could lead you to a new hobby that will fill your time, bring you joy and maybe even make some extra cash.

Source by Marian Lishman

To make a good listing for making a good sale of your handmade art and craft items, you should log on to Craigslist website and select your locality. Search for the ‘Post to Classifieds’ hyperlink and click on it to create you own listing by following the procedure. Write a detailed description about your creations.

Use Pictures in your post since a picture is the first thing that attracts a customer’s eye. Take a good picture of your craft work and upload it along with an informative account of the item to ensure that you get a good deal.

The right cost for any handmade stuff is difficult to judge. Your price must not be too high since it is very likely to be the first thing that a buyer notices. At the same time, a very low cost would not be fair to you since you have put too much time and creativity on your project. A reasonable price would be to calculate the individual cost of raw materials and the added cost of your hard work and time.

Offer customized services for getting a better deal. Since your handicrafts are your own design, ask your customer if they want something special and charge them a small fee for painting their name or painting the craft in their favorite colors.

Source by Jyotsana T Ramani

Using an Online Marketplace

The biggest advantage to using an online marketplace or an online portfolio service is the ease of setting up your own site with little or no technical skill. Most services allow you to set up an account, create pages, and add products. Most even take care of sales transactions. So even if you don’t have a shopping cart or merchant account, you’ll be able to take payments online. As long as you know how to click buttons and fill in boxes, you can can easily use these services.

Another advantage of an online marketplace is that there is often visitor traffic already built into the service if it’s well advertised. A service like Etsy has hundreds of thousands of people that visit and use the service. That’s a lot of potential customers available to you if you have a presence on Etsy.

However, there are a couple of disadvantages to using these services as well. How your store functions and looks is determined by the service. Essentially your Etsy or ArtFire store will pretty much look similar to the hundreds of other artists using that service. In addition, you’ll also be competing with the other artists using that same service. While these services may bring in a lot of traffic, you still need to make your store stand out from the hundreds of other artists who also have a presence there.

But perhaps the biggest disadvantage is the fact that your store is under the control of a third party. If the service shuts down or suddenly goes out of business, then your store is gone and you’ll have to start over again. Plus the terms of use on a particular service may limit what you can sell and what you can do in your store.

Building Your Own Website

Creating your own website, with or without the help of a web designer has some pretty great advantages over the use of a service. First, you can make your website look and function however you like. You’re only limited by your time and budget. Another advantage is that having your own website with your own domain name makes you look more professional, and that’s important if you also sell your work to galleries, wish to take commissioned work, or want to sell your craft wholesale.

Most importantly, building your own website means that you have complete control over your web presence. If you don’t like your web host, or you feel that they charge to much, or they’re unreliable, you can leave and go to another host without even changing your website address. You’re not held hostage by someone else’s rules, nor do you have to worry about your website suddenly being shut down by a third party.

But, the biggest disadvantage to building your own website is the time and expertise it takes to build it. Building a quality website does take time, effort, and money whether you build it yourself or hire someone to do it. Also, if you’re planning to sell directly online, you will have to deal with setting up the e commerce aspects of your website such as getting a merchant account, payment processing, security, and a shopping cart.

You’re also responsible for your own website maintenance and for getting traffic to your website. If something goes wrong with your website it’s up to you to get it fixed, keep up with upgrades, and so forth. And while you can tap into the existing traffic at an online marketplace, you’re essentially starting at zero with a brand new website. Putting up a website does not mean that people will that it’s there. You’ll be responsible for letting everyone know it exists and encouraging people to visit.

Source by Nicolette Tallmadge

It can be said that comprehensive plans certainly do take many resources to formulate and appear as formidable documents. These large plans do however still follow a basic structure which is fleshed out to suit the purpose that the business needs the plan for. The process of writing a plan for your own business is also a great journey that will allow you to focus and elaborate on each element resulting in a clearer business path.

There is no specific right or wrong way to write a business plan but the seven key elements as mentioned below will be suitable for nearly any arts and crafts business.

1. Executive Summary

This section is often written last as almost a precis of the body of the plan. Normally the purpose of the arts or Craft business and how you intend to achieve this purpose is written in a very succinct manner.

2. Company Information

Generally a few paragraphs on essential contact information including start up date, incorporation numbers and so forth will do the job here. If the craft business is not yet formed, your intended dates and information can be entered here.

3. Craft Products or Art Services Offered

With regard to any designs or processes that you may use, you would provide in some detail an explanation of the origin or inspiration of any art or craft piece and what components may make that up. This would include techniques that you use to manufacture these products. There are subset areas within this heading such as the operational plan which defines who by and how the product is manufactured or if parts are outsourced.

4. Market Analysis

Here is where you elaborate on your niche art market, the size and potential growth of that market and who the main competitors are. Often a S.W.O.T analysis ( Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats ) grid is useful in defining how your art and craft business will fit into the market overall and how you will beat the competition.

5. Organization and Management

For a one man show this is a fairly concise section. Larger businesses should use a flowchart to detail job roles and accountabilities such as who is responsible for financing, production or human resource issues.

6. Craft Marketing Plan

Paretos rule is often applied by the business man in the street which states that any business involves 20% internal administration and 80% marketing. This is one area that you should brainstorm heavily. All your efforts are in vain if nobody even know’s you exist. Searching to see how your successful competition promotes their arts and craft business is a good way to start your marketing juices flowing. Note all your ideas down and then present them in a bullet format.

7. Operational Plan

Imagine waking up in the morning and heading down to your arts and crafts business whilst writing down every process and system that you use to order stock, create your gifts or artwork, fix the plumbing and pay your employees. Describing how all these essential daily elements work is essentially the focus of the operational plan. A successful operational section should enable an external manager to come to grips with the day to day running of your business very quickly if it has been written correctly.

8. Financials

An established business can draw on history if presenting a business plan to a bank for funding, but a start up arts and crafts business has to do a lot of guesswork. If you have spent the time in the sections above with regard to market size, costings etc, you increase your chance of being somewhat accurate within this area.

Source by Marc Brook

You know your passion. Now how do you translate that passion into profit? What steps are required to turn a hobby into a income?

How do you follow traditional goal setting systems that to many creative types, seem constrictive, leaving little room to work from inspiration?

These are questions I have struggled with personally. An artist with a marketing degree, I have built my art licensing business from the ground up. How do I balance the need for marketing and systems with the need to be free to create the art at the core of the business, when inspiration hits? How do I continue to balance things as my business grows?

I have concluded that to succeed in building a creative business, you need to set goals in three core areas on a regular basis: goals to create your art, promote your art and recharge yourself.

1. The core goal is to CREATE. Without creating art you won’t have much of a business. If, in any given month, you feel you can only focus on one of the three primary goal setting areas, creating art is the one I never want you to miss.
2. The second type of goals should help you to PROMOTE your business. People need to know that you are in business. So someone, either you or an agent or an employee, needs to get the word out.
3. The third type of monthly goal is to RECHARGE. Since you, the artist, personally create the heart of your business, it is important that you don’t run out of steam. You need to relax, refuel and rejuvenate your mind, body and soul. Recharging will help you stay inspired, creative and passionate about what you’re doing.

Source by Tara Reed

Are you an artistic soul? Do you have an entrepreneurial attitude? Are you looking for a way to quit your 9-5 and work in a field you are truly passionate about? There are many creative and highly talented people out there that never got the education needed to succeed in the business world. Or perhaps you did but the career you have studied for is not what you are truly passionate about.

Those that do quit their “day jobs” to pursue their artistic love are often left poor and unemployed. They struggle to get published, get noticed or get jobs. Is there a way to have your cake and eat it too in the business world?

Actually there is! But you need to be aware that it’s not always easy. You will have to work hard if you want to get paid for doing what you enjoy. However, there are many options now available for someone who wants to work in the arts and has the talent and the drive to do so.

What kind of jobs are we talking about here?

The ideas below are possibilities if you want to earn a living while still doing what you love.

Here are 10 great business ideas for those of you with artistic aspirations:

1. Illustrator
2. Web design
3. Writer
4. Interior designer
5. Graphic artist
6. Painter
7. Book editor
8. Photographer
9. Musician
10. Floral design

There are markets available online, in your community and even through freelance markets and third party marketplaces. You can sign up and get connected with people who are looking for people just like you with your talents and expertise!

There are many organizations dedicated to helping people who want to pursue jobs in these fields. Do some research and find out how you can get started even if you don’t have any prior experience.

Source by Lisa A Mason

How do I learn the business of selling art? For upstart artists, this is the most important question that they can ask themselves and the most crucial to find the answers to. One mistake young artists make and even some older veterans make is they think of their art as an artistic creation rather than a business.

The truth is, if you intend on selling art you’re in the business of selling just as much as you are the art of creation. It is just as important for you to learn the business of selling art as it is the business of creating your art. While there are many opinions about how selling art should take place there are some solid business ideas that should go behind the selling of art.

Marketing your art is the most difficult and time-consuming part of being in the art business. It is important for you to realize all the available art marketing options that you have today. Some of these include newspapers, radio, TV, and Internet just to name a few. Each one of these comes with a positive and negative side, but not understanding the benefit to each possesses and how to harness these marketing outlets will substantially increase the duration in which the artist makes little if any profit.

Out of the before mentioned, art marketing options. Probably the most beneficial to an upstart artist would be the Internet. There are more opportunities via the Internet to get your name and art in front of millions of people than in any other conventional way.

When starting out in the business of selling art you should consider creating a website, blog, Facebook page and a Twitter account. Your website should showcase your work and be a place to sell your paintings online. Use your blog to keep potential buyers informed of your activities in any new or recent paintings that have been added to your website. Use your Facebook page to engage potential buyers and create frames and lasting relationships that can help foster or encourage others to buy your art. A good use of a Twitter account in addition to trying to make daily posts on your twitter account you should also set it up to post short clips of your blog postings.

If you are interested in the business of off-line marketing in here are some ideas for getting noticed. Participate in local events such as art fairs, charity auctions or the like. By participating in your local community you will build a name and reputation for yourself and you will be able to tap some additional off-line resources such as radio or TV or even a write up in the local newspaper. Something to keep in mind is to try and not oversell yourself, but rather let the business of selling art become second nature to you and a part of who you are. Today, buyers are just as interested in the story behind the artist as they are the quality and beauty of the art.

Source by Juzer S Kimti

India is indeed one of the major exporters of handicrafts and gift items. Owing to a heritage of rich art and craft culture in ancient times, Indian Handicraft sector is recognizable for their most popular craft items like earthenware, pottery, woodwork, sculpting, scarves, shawls, textiles, embroidered and knitted goods, zari items, jewelry, etc. Indian Handicraft goods have a great demand overseas, as they are a perfect mix of traditional designs with modern techniques. The export of Handicraft items in India is growing exponentially, and so-much-so that it is emerging as the second largest employment generating sector after Agriculture. Hence, a large number of artisans are engaged in designing pottery and other craft work.

The Agriculture Export Business is increasing at a consistent growth rate and is spreading its wings to various nations. India has been exporting its products to USA, UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, UAE, Canada, Belgium and others countries. From various exported handcraft items, few that are high on the demand list are Wood wares, Hand printed textiles, Shawls, Zari Goods, Imitation Jewelry, Crocheted Goods and more.

Another reason for the popularity of Indian Handicraft goods is the exceptional and varied design items. Consisting of 28 states, India offers an enormous range of handicraft products, where many states have their own handicraft USP. Following is listed the various Handicraft items and the Indian states they are associated with it.

• Wooden ware- Saharanpur, Hoshiarpur, Srinagar, Amritsar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mysore, Madras, Kerala, Behrampur
• Marble and Stone Craft- Jodhpur, madras, Agra
• Zari Goods- Madras and Rajasthan
• Art Metal- Moradabad, Aligarh, Rewari, Jodhpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Madras, Beedar, Kerala, Jaisalmer
• Jewelry- Delhi, Moradabad, Kohima
• Papier Mache items- Kashmir, Rajasthan and Bihar

The Indian Handicraft goods are used for leisure pursuits and as a style statement. The manufacture of Handicraft goods is giving employment to many people in India, and has forged an unsurpassed reputation in the international market.

Source by Sanjeev Pandey

It can be said that comprehensive plans certainly do take many resources to formulate and appear as formidable documents. These large plans do however still follow a basic structure which is fleshed out to suit the purpose that the business needs the plan for. The process of writing a plan for your own business is also a great journey that will allow you to focus and elaborate on each element resulting in a clearer business path.

There is no specific right or wrong way to write a business plan but the seven key elements as mentioned below will be suitable for nearly any arts and crafts business.

1. Executive Summary

This section is often written last as almost a precis of the body of the plan. Normally the purpose of the arts or Craft business and how you intend to achieve this purpose is written in a very succinct manner.

2. Company Information

Generally a few paragraphs on essential contact information including start up date, incorporation numbers and so forth will do the job here. If the craft business is not yet formed, your intended dates and information can be entered here.

3. Craft Products or Art Services Offered

With regard to any designs or processes that you may use, you would provide in some detail an explanation of the origin or inspiration of any art or craft piece and what components may make that up. This would include techniques that you use to manufacture these products. There are subset areas within this heading such as the operational plan which defines who by and how the product is manufactured or if parts are outsourced.

4. Market Analysis

Here is where you elaborate on your niche art market, the size and potential growth of that market and who the main competitors are. Often a S.W.O.T analysis ( Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats ) grid is useful in defining how your art and craft business will fit into the market overall and how you will beat the competition.

5. Organization and Management

For a one man show this is a fairly concise section. Larger businesses should use a flowchart to detail job roles and accountabilities such as who is responsible for financing, production or human resource issues.

6. Craft Marketing Plan

Paretos rule is often applied by the business man in the street which states that any business involves 20% internal administration and 80% marketing. This is one area that you should brainstorm heavily. All your efforts are in vain if nobody even know’s you exist. Searching to see how your successful competition promotes their arts and craft business is a good way to start your marketing juices flowing. Note all your ideas down and then present them in a bullet format.

7. Operational Plan

Imagine waking up in the morning and heading down to your arts and crafts business whilst writing down every process and system that you use to order stock, create your gifts or artwork, fix the plumbing and pay your employees. Describing how all these essential daily elements work is essentially the focus of the operational plan. A successful operational section should enable an external manager to come to grips with the day to day running of your business very quickly if it has been written correctly.

8. Financials

An established business can draw on history if presenting a business plan to a bank for funding, but a start up arts and crafts business has to do a lot of guesswork. If you have spent the time in the sections above with regard to market size, costings etc, you increase your chance of being somewhat accurate within this area.

Source by Marc Brook

There are a few ways to get into the business. You can be completely independent; creating, printing, marketing and distributing your own images. This is a worthy aspiration. You can also work with a publisher and have your work published by them so that the bulk of the financial responsibility rests of their shoulders and you receive a royalty based on sales. Both of these work, yet are vastly different. It’s up to you to learn the difference and decide which direction to go in.

If you decide to publish your own work then it’s a matter of making your images print ready as you will be responsible for selling them. Preparing your art for printing means cleaning it up through Photoshop to make sure colors are working, the digital files are clean and there is proper copyright notice included. Your digital files should be at least 10 megabytes but not much larger than 50 or 60. You may want to create the digital file so that the images can be printed in a variety of sizes.

Once you have cleaned your images and they are print ready you can upload them to user generated on-line galleries that will feature your work and sell it and you will receive a royalty. They will be the printer – all you have to do is add your images. Imagekind and Finerworks are two sites that offer this feature. If you decide to be entirely responsible for printing it then you will need to work with a printer who will give you a cost per print, decide with you on the paper quality and will be open to drop shipping to your customer. It is up to you to market your work. You can do this through blogs, Twitter, word of mouth, brick and mortar galleries and Facebook. It’s a tough way to go but if you enjoy social web sites and marketing then this is all part of the fun. You reap the rewards of 100% of the profit.

If you decide that working with an art publisher is the direction to go then it’s up to you to do the research into which publisher. You can attend tradeshows to meet them or gather information through internet searches. Once you have a list review their sites to see if the work they publish is similar in style to the kind of work you do. If they are a publisher of very traditional western art and your work is urban inspired and very digital then this is probably not a good match and you are wasting your time. Look for a good fit. Once you have found that fit you will need to find out who the product development manager is and contact them. They will want the quickest and easiest way to review your work. Try sending them either your web address or a photo sharing site like Flickr that can be a quick way to review it. If they reject it, don’t take it personally…everyone gets rejected some time or another; just keep trying till you find one that fits. However if you have little success signing with a publisher then you may need to take an honest look at your art. No one wants to hear that their art isn’t good enough however a publisher is making large investment in your art – they need to be reasonably certain that it will sell. If they don’t feel good about it then they won’t work with you.

Finally, do your research. Find out what the hottest trends are and try new artistic directions. Be bold and understand that making money from art is a good thing. You aren’t compromising yourself if you earn money from it, you are making a living and being paid for something you are good at. Rejoice in that.

Source by Jan Weiss