There are so many ways to make money with calligraphy. But what are some of the things you, as a calligrapher, can do right now to get started making side income with your lettering?
Maybe you’ve thought about selling things on Etsy, but you don’t really know how to use the site, or you’re unsure about shipping. Well, how about selling products to your network of friends and contacts first through your Instagram?
Maybe you want to host public workshops, but you think it’s so much work because you need a location, worksheets, a set curriculum, etc—but what if you could start making money just teaching friends?
Here are 6 ways to get your side calligraphy business started today.
Yes, today. Because if not today, then when will you ever get started?
1. Sell handmade greeting cards
You don’t even need to know graphic design and go to a print shop and print in bulk for this option.
As a calligrapher, you probably have tons of different kinds of cardstock and paper that you can use to make a handmade card—not to mention all the different coloured brush pens and ink bottles that you have splayed out on your desk. (Click here for my favourite brush pens to use!)
What can you do today to start a greeting card business?
Make 10 handmade thank you or happy birthday cards.
Buy 10 envelopes at a local craft store (or on Amazon here).
Take some pictures and post it on your social media for friends to buy at $3-5 per card (they will buy cards anyways at a store if not from you).
2. Sell framed inspirational quotes
Quotes are the craze right now—I’m sure you follow some Instagram accounts that are dedicated to inspirational quotes or quotes about a certain topic that you care about.
Why not take that offline and sell framed quotes to your friends? All you need is paper, your calligraphy supplies, and some frames from a local art store.
What can you do today to start selling framed quotes?
Think of something inspirational you yourself would like to have in your home and write it out with your brush pen or pointed pen.
Buy a frame. (You can always buy them for cheap in bulk like this.)
Take a picture and post it on your social media for friends to buy at $10-20. Is that simple or what?
3. Sell personalized gifts
Everyone loves customization. With the holiday season coming up in a couple months, now is a good time to start letting your friends know that you have holiday products up and available for purchase.
There are so many things you could do for the holidays. Some ideas are personalized home décor, Christmas tree decorations, Christmas stockings, candles, mugs—have fun brainstorming more!
While the holiday season is a gift-giving season, that doesn’t mean you need to wait until November to start promoting these gift ideas.
What about Thanksgiving Day?
What if someone has a family member or friend with a birthday that’s coming up?
What if someone just wants to give a gift just ‘cause?
With your brush lettering, pointed pen and faux calligraphy skills, there are a million different things you could personalize and sell.
What can you do today to start selling personalized gifts?
Browse a crafts store for items to do calligraphy on and buy some. (Recommendation: flat Christmas ornaments!)
Write nice words like love, peace, inspire, wanderlust or some friends’ names on the items.
Take some pictures and post on your social media, saying you are open for custom orders.
4. Teach your friends calligraphy
I’m sure you get a lot of friends asking you if you can teach them how to write so beautifully. But you’re probably thinking, “I have no idea how to teach!” or “I don’t have worksheets!”
Hey, friends are forgiving and they will love you anyways.
You don’t have to host a workshop to make money teaching calligraphy.
You don’t need to make worksheets to start teaching people calligraphy.
You don’t need to rent a location to get started.
Maybe in the future you do want to teach some public workshops, but you have so many questions about how exactly to host a workshop.
But why not teach some friends first? They aren’t strangers so you’re already comfortable with them.
What can you do today to start teaching calligraphy?
Reach out to a couple friends who you think are interested in learning. Ask if they want to learn calligraphy from you for $10-20 for fun. Mention that you will provide all the supplies.
Once you find a couple people interested, find a date that works for all of them and invite them over to your place.
Prepare some lined paper or notebooks for your friends. Go grabsome brush pens.(Best beginner brush pen is the Tombow Fudenosuke hard tip brush pen.)
When they come over, start with the basic strokes and then the alphabet. Do demos on their page for them to copy. At the end, get everyone to write a quote for themselves to take home.
After you teach a few friends, you’ll probably get a better sense of what people struggle with as beginners.
You’ll also feel more comfortable teaching. Maybe then, you’ll start thinking that you hosting workshops is more realistic—in any case, congratulations on becoming a calligraphy instructor, even if it’s just to your friends!
5. Sell table/escort cards to friends getting married
Know someone getting married? Why not see if they need any table or escort cards?
Yes, you might feel like you shouldn't charge friends who are getting married for your services, but I'm all up for it.
Usually, I will give "gift" a portion of the value of the service to a good friend. For example, if you usually charge $1.50 for a table card and your friend has 200 guests, you could say to your friend, "Usually for this project I would charge $300, but because you're my friend, I'm happy to gift you $150 value. So if it's in your budget, I could do your 200 cards for $150.”
Don't feel super obligated to do work for free for a friend (unless they are super super close to you, in which case I would do it all for free).
What can you do today to start selling table cards?
Cut 20 small pieces of cardstock (business card size) and write some names on it. Take a picture.
Make it known that you offer this service by posting on your social media.
If you know someone getting married, mention to them that you offer this kind of service.
Personally, I don't reach out to friends who are getting married to buy name cards—because I don't want to presure them or make them feel obligated—but I have a few name cards on my Instagram just so it's there.
If friends are interested in name cards, they'll message you, but you need put it out there that you offer this service.
6. Do signage for local shops
With this one, you might need to do some free work to build some momentum, but it's worth it anyways for some fun side cash or a free drink.
Do you ever pass by a local coffee shop, restaurant or bar with a sign outside that's just hideous?
Do you ever think to yourself, "I could make their sign look a million times better with my calligraphy"?
Or maybe they have a menu that is illegible because of the messy writing?
What you can do today to get started doing signs for local shops
Approach your local shop and offer to redo their sign for free. Have a chalk marker in your bag just in case.
Take a picture of it afterwards and tell them that you live in the area and offer signage services for next time if they liked their new sign.
Do this a couple of times, then approach other shops, show them the pictures, and ask them if they are interested in getting a new sign.
Of the many ways you can make money with calligraphy, these are some easy ways to jumpstart your business.
Literally you could spend one Saturday doing 2-3 of these things and getting a lettering side business up and running. Easy as pie or what?
DO YOU KNOW OTHER WAYS TO MAKE MONEY WITH CALLIGRAPHY? LEAVE A COMMENT, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
If you found this article useful and you're interested in learning more about starting a side calligraphy business, welcome to join the Facebook group Calligraphy Business Bosses | Biz Community for Creative Entrepreneurs, which is a group I created and dedicated to helping calligraphers like you reach their goal of making income with their hobby. (Yes, it's free!)
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