Creative skills are important to have in our quick-changing world. Here are 11 of the best creative skills to learn to make money. Includes a list of creative skills to learn, and creative skills examples to find the perfect creative side hustle for you.
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Creative Skills to Learn to Make Money
Hey!!
In our data-driven world (is it, anymore?), there is still lots of room for creative skills to make money.
Sure, STEM is important, and I am all for reading a good math or science book from time-to-time (anyone else miss math classes? Just me?)
But there are lots of creative skills to learn to make money.
Many of these creative skills to learn work well with making money from home, and making money online.
First you’ll learn the list of 11 creative skills that will help you succeed in today’s world.
Then you’ll find out creative skills examples to get your creative juices flowing.
This post will have helpful ideas too for creative souls: Unique side hustles: 35 unique side jobs that pay well.
List of Creative Skills
Here are 11 in-demand creative skills to grow so you can make money:
- Developing your photography skills
- Creative writing
- Using creative software
- Mastering AI
- Social media creation
- Creative organizing
- Culinary skills and recipe creation
- Develop creative solutions/strategies
- Starting and growing a blog
- Website design
- Creative thinking
Related posts:
Creative Skills Examples
1. Developing your Creative Skills of Photography
There is a lot you can do online if you are adept at photography.
You can offer in-person photo shoots for couples, families, or even pet photography.
You could also niche down and do specialized photography online.
Two creative options are food photos and foot photos.
If you start a food blog, high quality food photos are a must. This quick course will make you a pro at food photos to entice people to your food blog.
This is my food blog; I get lots of traffic to it and my food photos are taken with a good quality phone camera (and then edited).
The second type of photography you can get paid for online is foot photos.
This has an even easier entry point because you don’t need to start your own blog.
You take cute feet pics and upload them to a feet pics site (this one is popular and rated highly with sellers!), and make money selling feet pics.
If you want to develop your photography skills, this course will teach you everything you need to know.
2. The Creative Skill of Creative Writing
Creative writing isn’t only useful for school or writing short stories.
If you are adept (or learn how to be good at) creative writing, there are a lot of work-from-home jobs that would be open to you.
One high paying online job that uses creative writing skills is a Facebook ad manager.
Ad management is a growing field of remote work, and creativity is key in writing compelling copy for ads.
This Facebook side hustle course can teach you how to make an extra $2000/month with only working 2-3 hours a week.
Creative skills can make money, folks.
3. Using Creative Software
Learning how to use creative software gives you the freedom to apply for lots of different online jobs.
You don’t need to be a graphic designer to make beautiful graphics, or get paid well for this creative skill.
My favorite graphic design program is Canva.
You can try a free version, but if you want to use Canva to make money from home, I recommend Canva Pro. I have Canva Pro and use it almost every day for my blog and to create graphics for social media.
It has an easy learning curve (waaaay easier than Photoshop!) and has lots of functionality.
You can check out the different versions of Canva here (free and pro).
You can then market your design skills either on your own blog, through Fiverr, or in Facebook groups to get clients.
Some graphic design sellers will even specialize in one platform – say creating pins for Pinterest, or making Instagram graphics.
If you want to increase your hirability with the creative skills of graphic design, this graphic design masterclass will teach you great design.
4. Mastering AI
Initially when there was the boom with AI programs, I thought they were the death of creativity.
How can AI relate to creative skills to learn to make money?
AI Software like ChatGPT and Jasper are here to stay. Maybe not necessarily that exact AI software, but AI is here to stay.
There are creative skills you can learn, to apply to AI and be in-demand for online jobs.
With the way AI software is currently, it’s easy to use, but also easy to sound generic and boring.
If you’re able to master the art of creativity combined with AI, you will be able to create more content quickly, while standing out from the generic robot-sounding AI content.
You can offer copywriting services, blog writing, freelance writing of different genres, or create content faster for your own blog.
5. Social Media Creation
If you have creative skills with social media, you can make money as a social media manager.
I’m pretty sure almost every business that exists now has an online presence. Even Trappist monks that make and sell cheese have an online presence.
Businesses of all kinds need social media managers for lead generation, and turning those leads into sales.
Some social media managers work with all the main social media platforms, while others specialize in one or two.
If you don’t have stellar social media skills yet, but this online career interests you, you can take this Social Media Marketing & Management Certificate Course.
It will teach you the creative skills you need for social media marketing using Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, email, SEO, Medium, and Reddit.
6. Creative Skills of Organizing
Do you think of organizing as a creative skill?
Maybe that’s not the first thing that comes to mind, but consider Marie Kondo and what she did with the field of organization.
It takes creativity to turn a disorganized mess into order and tidiness.
Many people do not have these creative skills, and would pay someone who does. Living in an organized home increases peace and lowers stress, and people will pay for that.
You can learn how to become a professional organizer in my blog post here.
And to find professional organizer jobs, check out this post.
7. Creative Skills in the Kitchen
Do you have culinary skills in cooking or baking?
You don’t have to be a trained chef to make money with your creative skills with food.
One option is to start your own food blog.
My second blog is a food blog, and I make money blogging with that site, as well as The Curious Frugal.
You could also start a dog treat bakery from home.
A dog treat business has advantages over a bakery business from home that makes food for humans. There are still rules and regulations involving food, but they are usually more relaxed than for human food.
Read about how to start a dog treat business here.
And you can try out this free recipe for a dog treat to see how you like making gourmet dog treats. You might want to use your creative skills in baking to start a dog treat bakery!
8. Develop Creative Solutions/Strategies
Are you a good problem solver?
Problem solving requires creative skills to be able to look at an issue from different angles, and come up with the best solution.
If you are the type of person who friends turn to with their problems, this could be a skill you can make money from.
Online coaching is a booming work-from-home industry right now.
Depending on your background, you could be a business coach, life coach, fitness coach, weight loss coach, art therapy coach, etc.
Having had multiple successful businesses (a local bakery/catering business, selling books on Amazon, and now two different money-making blogs), I have been business coaching online for 2 years.
With my expertise, I help clients start and grow online businesses, shaving years and hundreds of mistakes off their learning curve so they can start making money faster!
Apply to be a client here – I have limited openings so I can best serve people (and still have time for my 7-year-old :)).
I have coached people who have wanted to start up coaching businesses, so reach out if you’d like to help people, and have a great income doing it.
9. Starting and Growing a Blog
Speaking of blogging, and making money blogging, this is one of the creative skills that is in high demand.
Everybody and their dog seems to have a blog.
But gone are the days of diary-style blogs (except maybe for dogs).
To blog successfully, and get traffic so you can monetize your blog, there are specific strategies that work (and lots of things that don’t work).
It is more competitive than ever, but it is very possible to make money blogging.
As I’ve mentioned, I have two blogs that make money, and have coached people to grow their own monetized blogs.
I have the best program out there if you want to start and grow a money-making blog. You can get on the waitlist for it here:
10. Website Design Skills
Related to blogging, but with slightly different creative skills needed, is website design.
Some website design skills are needed if you are going to be a blogger, but you can also freelance as a website designer and create blogs for other people.
Many website designers offer packages such as a basic 5-page package where they create a home page, about, disclaimer, privacy policy, and category page for example.
Other packages could be to create an entire website.
If you have the creative skills of web design, you will have no shortage of job options.
Find freelance jobs in website design here.
11. Creative Thinking Skills
Last but not least, creative thinking skills are important for pretty much anything you do in life.
They will help you with problem solving, coming up with ideas, writing, interacting with customers, promoting your new products, and much more.
A businesswoman in my Facebook group epitomizes creative thinking.
She married her love of books, with her artistic passions and has come up with a creative line of jewelry and whimsical decorative pieces for the home.
What works for her is that she embraces what makes her unique, and brings this to her business.
She uses her creative thinking to come up with unique products to sell. Her business does not look cookie cutter or like every other jewelry seller out there.
You can check out her creations here at Deb’s Midnight Art.
Creative skills can help you develop a niche in your business, which can help with branding, which can help with sales.
If you want to sell on Etsy (or already do sell on Etsy), check out this post on the best free Etsy AI tools to give you an advantage over your competition.
Also check out this post: How to Make More Sales Easily (without Selling Your Soul).
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EsmeSalon
Monday 10th of July 2023
Thank you for this post. I also clicked through to your food blog (fellow foodie) and love what I saw there. I visited you via the Linkup Party at INSPIRE ME MONDAY #428 My entries this week = 7+8. If you have not joined us at SSPS yet, come and share your posts with us and you can be our next featured post. We're open Monday through Saturday every week. You will find the linkup information (1) In the Top bar under Blogging: Weekly Senior Salon Pit Stop OR 2nd image In the sidebar We hope to meet you there virtually.
Pam
Monday 10th of July 2023
These are all such great ideas, some of which I've used myself! Great post!