5 WAYS TO EARN A PASSIVE INCOME AS A 3D DESIGNER.
Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash
Making money while you sleep. An attractive concept, right? And not as hard as you might think, when you know your options.
As many of us are grappling with change amidst the chaos of COVID-19, we are quickly finding new ways to adapt and create to ensure basic living expenses and needs are being met each week, myself included.
I have explored lots of exciting alternative side hustles for 3D Designers, and listed my favourite 5 below. Hopefully, there will be something here that will work for you too.
1. Publish a Blog.
Evidently, I am starting with this one - Long gone are the days where blogging is simply just an outlet for creative hobbyists. With a wide range of regular content that offers value to its’ readers, blogging can be a powerful tool to build your brand, communicate with like minded designers and earn a little cash on the side as you grow.
Write about the brands you love and work with the most, with an established blog and regular traffic, you may find those brands reaching out to sponsor your content. Top Tip: engage with your readers, start conversations and share your content on your social channels with popular hashtags to increase exposure and reach the right people.
There are many other ways to monetise a blog, check out this great Article by Problogger that outlines all of the strategies, and associated pro’s and cons.
2. share your KNOWLEDGE.
Practise your craft and when you are an expert in your field, selling an online course or guide could be for you.
Now more than ever (with many people on furlough or going through a quiet period at work), aspiring artists and accomplished artist alike are always on the lookout for new content to help up skill and master their professions.
Hosting your courses and reaching the right audiences couldn’t be easier and there are plenty of online learning websites you can use to get yourself out there.
The popular LinkedIn Learning (Formerly Lynda.com) and Udemy, are great platforms to start with. Do some research, structure your content and take a look at some of the successful tutors for inspiration. Many of them have upwards of 5,000 with a select few having over 20,000 students enrolled to multiple courses, with prices set at a minimum of £13.99 per course. That’s a lot of potential revenue!
Overheads on this one are low (assuming you already have a computer and the relevant software), the only extra bits you will need are a mic and some screen recording software (many of which are free) and presto, you are good to go!
3. Develop a script or plugin.
This one is certainly on my to do list, to up skill if nothing else.
Any plugin that improves workflow and productivity is winner in my books! Rhino uses Grasshopper, Unreal Engine uses Blueprints and many of the Autodesk products have built-in script writing tools. Whatever software you are familiar with, it will likely have the option to develop a script or plugin that could help you and your peers perform advanced functions or lengthy processes in a few simple clicks.
Here are a few sites to get you started:
4. SEt up shop
Well built 3D Models are always in high demand, and if you have been in the industry for a number of years, you will have likely built up a library of stock assets that might benefit larger design studio’s and your fellow peers.
There is a plethora of websites out there; Turbosquid, CGTrader, Creative Market to name a few, which allow you to set up an account and sell directly to thousands of creatives across every field. It’s free to set up, but do your research beforehand to get the best deal for your work. Alternatively, if you are lucky enough to have the traffic on your own website or blog, you can set up shop there and retain all of the profit.
5. Make something physical.
Granted, you will need to buy a 3D printer for this one (you can find them reasonably priced these days). Other than that you have all of the tools at your disposal to literally bring your designs to life!
As with any product you need to explore the market, do your research and brainstorm creative solutions for common problems.
Recently, Creality’s inspiring Senior designer Guoliang Ji noticed doctors and nurses were suffering pain on their faces and the backs of their ears, caused by the regular use of face masks. His solution was to create a simple buckle to alleviate the pain. The design is free to use by whom ever has the means to print them and they are now being donated to hospitals all across China.
Whilst I realise this is an example of a very kind charitable donation, the principle still stands, profit or no profit.
In conclusion
There are so many avenues to explore when it comes to earning that little bit extra.
Creating a passive income is not instantaneous nor a guarantee. However, putting in the hard work to begin with means that further down the line you could start benefiting from the work you put in now. At the end of the day, whilst most of us have a little extra time on our hands, doing something to further expose your brand and your design skills is better than doing nothing, especially if that something can help earn you a little bit more.