It all started about 6 months ago when I decided I want to get back into drawing and painting. From a freelance group, I read about Udemy and bought a couple of courses ( 10$ each) and that started it all!
So I took the first one but then, I honestly don't remember how I landed on Skillshare and started taking class after class in the 2 FREE Premium months that I had (you can get the same deal here: http://skl.sh/2yPq9sg ) but I liked it too much thus I continued my membership even after the free period was over.
And so after a lot of classes, that I took, projects I have created and knowledge and skills I have gained I was sure I had found my hobby as I desperately needed one. I needed to vent from the 9 to 5 work, caring for a young child and all the little worries in my daily life. My man had his hobby - biking all summer, going to biker gatherings. I sometimes go with him but it's not my thing sleeping in a tent every other weekend, although I do have my own little bike now. :)
Among the thousands of classes on the platform, I came across a class that was about how to make passive income from Print On Demand sites (POD) - I didn't know how many there actually are! But I picked one and that was Redbubble (see more from this link: http://rdbl.co/2ERPfso ). There was a lot to learn about selling online also - there are tips and tricks and sizes and trends but most importantly - you had to not only be able to paint/draw a design but digitize it as well - so I found some free software like Krita and GIMP, I even invested in a creative pen tablet and continued educating myself from Skillshare and YouTube. A few months passed, I had made a few sales and I have to be honest here - it is not that easy to make sales on a POD site among so many amazing artists and designs - you really have to invest time in developing your skills and also promoting your work. There are a lot of possibilities for both using the internet and social media, online support groups, and classes.
One day surprisingly I received an e-mail from Skillshare asking me if I would like to try and become a teacher there and win 1 year of free premium membership and in the meantime earn some extra money, based on how many minutes my classes get watched. I said to myself - why not, I now have some skills I could show to others, I have ideas and it couldn't be that hard to record a class. I have 2 small classes now and I can tell you - it is NOT that easy to produce a decent class - it takes a lot of creativity not only in coming up with a class topic and project but filming it from above as well and also editing. Similar to POD, you have to promote your class, network and keep looking for your next project. I am still learning and perfecting but I am hopeful!
So I wanted to share with all of you that the possibilities are endless once you set your mind to something and give you, creative souls, some ideas about how to make some extra cash from your art.
I am available for any questions you might have about POD and teaching and I hope what I have described above was helpful and encouraging.
