Money Talks

aging, current events, ME/CFS, Thoughts, , , , 28 Comments

“What’s this?”

My husband slides the sheet of paper onto my keyboard just as I’m shutting down and preparing to leave the house.

“Our current budget based on static expenses only.”

I don’t look at it for a few days. Procrastination? Maybe. Financial issues always exhaust me. I think it stems from all those years as a single mother, when scraping by was a reality.

“Not much left for living,” I finally admit.

We need to find a way to generate more income, but how at our age and given our situation?

I’m not interested in crypto, or pyramid schemes, or get-rich quick investments. Ric suggests self-publishing my poems, or setting up an online gallery of art work. He wants to sell his woodworking creations. Is it viable? I don’t know. There is definitely a learning curve involved first.

I monetized my blogs years ago, hoping for a return on the ads WP puts up on my posts. Nothing. You have to generate $100 worth of views before they pay out. Hasn’t happened yet. I also tried Redbubble and Society6. I was my best customer and a friend from BC. Not viable for steady income.

So, I’m looking for ideas.

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Permission to write, paint, and imagine are the gifts I gave myself when chronic illness hit - a fair exchange: being for doing. Relevance is an attitude. Humour essential.

28 thoughts on “Money Talks”

  1. And one more outside of selling your art or writing, because income from those would be sporadic. You have mentioned you have a room downstairs, so can you tutor individuals, or teach a small group there? That could create regular income you can count on.

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    1. I did this before I stared traveling. Designed s course, started small in my home and advertised in the local paper, for beginning adults and older public school children. Separate classes, of course.) It became so popular, I expanded snd rented space at the public library, and I was filling classes continuously.

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  2. Further to my other reply: I came upon a young poet who sells her poetry on Etsy. Don’t remember her name, but she seemed pretty popular. How about some inspirational short poetry, combined with an art accent, in a standard size image(s) that people can print and frame inexpensively for desktop or wall, for themselves or give as a gift. You could develop themes or categories. Think of them as framable greeting cards. You’re very talented, the sky is the limit. You don’t have to start your own store for either of my suggestions. You do need to market, but you already have a following who love your work here on WP for starters. 🙂

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  3. Hi VJ, I have a couple friends, an American photographer and a Canadian artist who sell their art through fineartamerica.com. Maybe you want to check that out. Basically customers can buy various types of products with your digital art on them. This might be the easiest place to start, as you already have some supply of art. And when you see the products possible, this may give you some ideas for new images that would be applicable to certain products.

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  6. That’s a tough one. The people I know who make money selling their work have actual physical gallery representation. I would suggest that for both of you if it’s something you really want to explore. (K)

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  7. I published my book using Amazon’s KDP. It cost nothing at the time, but it is a lot of work. Most people that bought the book were friends and family and a few unknowns. I even did a post here on WP but nothing came of that. The little proceeds I made I donated to cancer research. You write wonderful poetry and create amazing art. Maybe you would have better luck using a self publishing company. If you have the time to put it together it might be worthwhile. All the best to you VJ.

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  10. You do such beautiful artwork, VJ. I hope someone who has experience with one of the online markets will comment and give you the scoop on that. It would be wonderful for you both to be able to sell your art, without the hassle of having to go to shows and other events. Some friends of ours do different events, and they say it’s exhausting. You know I love your poetry also – you’re the one who actually changed my mind about it – but I think self-publishing gets quite expensive. Maybe someone has some experience with that also…. I really hope you can find a way to share your work with the world and make some money in the process.

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  11. I am wrestling with the same sorts of issues. I’m aging out of doing involved and complex shows, and online shops are fraught with their own perils ( scams and fraudsters). I’ll be very interested in any new perspectives you get.

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