The Art of Passive Income: Turning Creativity into Cash
A beginner's guide to passive income
For years, I've been chasing the idea of financial freedom.
The allure of passive income while earning money as I slept wasn't a myth. But it wasn't until I got that email notification and opened my PayPal to a small windfall of $22.90 that I realised this dream was possible.
That modest earning from simple designs on a Print-on-Demand (POD) platform ignited my passion, reminding me that my creative pursuits could be fulfilling and profitable.
In this article, I will share valuable lessons and platforms for turning your design passion into a sustainable source of passive income, especially in this digital age. Learn from my mistakes to create a reliable revenue stream from your designs.
Passive income involves leveraging your time and effort to generate money, even while you sleep.
This article isn't for you if you're seeking a get-rich-quick scheme; however, if you're ready to invest 5–10 hours to get started and do monthly check-ins, welcome!
From Sketching to Selling
I loved art. As a tomboy, I would compete with the boys by sketching Goku from Dragon Ball Z to see who was better. In art class, the robotic worlds and alien-like creatures quickly leapt from my imagination onto the canvas.
Life happened, and I stopped drawing for some time, so my innate talent faded.
As the newsletter editor in college, I rediscovered my love for art through layout design and visuals.
My career in the hotel industry also reignited this passion, as I created flyers and marketing materials using Microsoft Publisher, Word, and Adobe Photoshop long before Canva simplified the process.
As the wheel of time sprung and money became more challenging to earn from a 9-5, I took that creativity online. I entered the POD world on platforms like Redbubble, Teespring, Printful, and Printify. These platforms allow you to print your designs on products like T-shirts, mugs, stickers and a lot more. Once you create and upload, you follow the set-it-and-forget-it process. These services cover printing, shipping, and customer service.
Where I failed: Consistency. My first mistake to learn from.
Over the years, the set-and-forget-it mentality has been taken too literally. You must check in and add more designs as the market grows and new designers find the space; it will push your work to the back of the line, as you can see from the ancient screenshot of my account above.
Another note is that some designs will do much better than others. When this occurs, it is the perfect sales opportunity to make similar designs and create a collection. Again, this is another misstep you can avoid if you follow my warning.
When my black-and-white swirl design flew off the virtual shelves, I didn't restock, missing the chance to turn $22.90 into $220.90.
Here are some brands that made their online business flourish:
12 Successful Print-on-Demand Stores
5 Best Print On Demand T-Shirts Sold On Teespring
Examples of Top-Selling Designs on Redbubble
How Each Platform Works
Here's a no-frills overview of these platforms, including comparison links and details on other print-on-demand online businesses, showcasing successes, best practices, and recommendations on which platform may suit you best:
1. Redbubble
How It Works: You upload your design, choose the products you want to sell (T-shirts, shower curtains, stickers, baby clothes, backpacks, etc.), and set your profit margin.
Why It's Great: Once your design is uploaded, it's live for the Redbubble community to discover and purchase with no marketing required. You don't need to pay upfront—Redbubble takes its cut after the sale.
Pro Tip: If you are a slower designer, stay consistent by adding new designs monthly or bi-weekly. Look at trends and choose seasonal themes like Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, Oktoberfest, etc.
2. Teespring (Now Spring)
How It Works: Create a design and set a sales goal (e.g., 20 T-shirts). Once you hit the goal, they print and ship your product.
Why It's Great: Teespring is more customizable, letting you set your price and control your earnings.
Pro Tip: Use social media to promote your campaigns. Teespring succeeds when you actively promote your designs.
3. Printify
How It Works: Printify is a backend service for e-commerce stores. You integrate it with platforms like Etsy or Shopify to sell your products.
Why It's Great: It's highly flexible, offering various product options and suppliers.
Pro Tip: This platform is ideal if you're serious about creating a brand and are ready to invest time in marketing.
4. Printful
How It Works: Similar to Printify, Printful integrates with e-commerce platforms and handles the printing and shipping for you.
Why It's Great: They offer high-quality products and branding options, like custom labels and packaging.
Pro Tip: Use this if you want to build a premium brand and can afford upfront costs.
Photographers are also welcome to all these platforms. It’s not just for designers and illustrators.
Special mention: Amazon Merch deserves a dedicated article for a thorough discussion about its POD service.
Lessons from My Journey
Passive and residual incomes don't mean you won't have to invest your time and resources. The fairytale notion that side hustles can immediately give you financial freedom at zero cost and make you a millionaire is not entirely true.
But is it possible to make a monthly income? Yes, with the right plans and execution —
Design Quality: Creating high-quality, eye-catching designs, not just drawing and dropping clip art.
Consistency Is Key: The more quality designs you upload, the better your chances.
Niche Selection: To stand out, target a specific niche. Focus on areas like fitness, journaling, holidays and hot topics.
Bundle Your Efforts: If you have other products or businesses, like a tea line, create complementary designs (e.g., mugs for your tea).
Take advantage of the Momentum: If something starts selling, create spin-offs or related designs to capitalise on its success.
Why Passive Income Matters
It's not about getting rich overnight.
It's about setting up systems that work for you over time. A random $20 may not seem like much, but it adds up , and who knows, your next design could be the one that takes off.
So, grab your laptop or phone, use your Canva, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, or VistaCreate (formerly Crello) account and start creating. Your designs could be the coffee money or life-saver you didn't know you needed.
Now, make that art!
If you enjoyed this article, please consider visiting my store. I've recently added new designs and plan to add more periodically. Taking an unpaid sabbatical from my professional job has allowed me to focus more on my passions and interests. This is my store.