Work Binge
After another bleak holiday season (though not as bleak as the past two) I'm feeling fed up. Apparently fed up is good for my creativity.
Since the book I launched at the beginning of December made pocket change and I hadn't been paid from freelance clients since November and what was to be a part-time staff position at a publishing startup seems to have dried up and blown away I was feeling money-pinched and hair-teary. Yes, it is a common facet of freelance life, but sometimes it just gets wearying.
After the book launch madness of December, I found myself casting about for possibilities. I decided to revisit one of my previous, moderately successful, efforts at creating passive income. To wit, the custom print-on-demand giant, Zazzle.com.
I've had a "store" on their site for many years and I would upload designs that I thought up or that included my artwork. Over the years the store has made a few thousand dollars, but fairly small in term of monthly amounts. It has slowly tapered off as well so that now I get some minimal payment of $30 or so every couple of months. And yet, I've been distantly aware that there are people who make some considerable income from the site.
I took a look at the products in my store and decided I could do better.
I decided to start with a store for journals and notebooks, something I am fond of, personally. On New Year's Eve, Freddy and I sat around and thought up a four-pages long list of ideas for different types of journals people might want. They range from the common (Baby's First Year, Party Ideas) to the esoteric (A Movie Quotes journal and Past Life Regression diary). That list got me so fired up I reluctantly tore myself away to go to a party our friends were throwing.
But on New Year's day (NOT bright and early) I got started on journal designs. Today is two weeks later and truthfully, it's a bit of a fog. I've been working absurdly long hours and sleeping at weird times, absorbed into some sort of creative miasma. But today I counted and I've created 65 designs and put them on around 400 products. Many are journals, but I branched out to quite a few other things as well. (Tangents are a problem for me.)
I did it and I'm still a bit stunned. And unsure how.
To be fair, many of the designs were assembled from stock art parts, but a number are original. I'll never be able to keep up this pace (and live) but if I even do a fraction of the work I should be able to create several thousand products and make them available in a few months. I'm creating multiple stores to differentiate themes.
I've got the quantity working, but how about the quality you say? Judge for yourself. here are some of the fruits of my work binge:
Journals for Life
https://www.zazzle.com/journals_for_life
Country Flower Shop
https://www.zazzle.com/country_flower_shop
A Passion for Books
https://www.zazzle.com/a_passion_for_books
And my old store (which I've added to) JayJay Jackson
https://www.zazzle.com/jayjayjackson
Some of the Journals:
Since the book I launched at the beginning of December made pocket change and I hadn't been paid from freelance clients since November and what was to be a part-time staff position at a publishing startup seems to have dried up and blown away I was feeling money-pinched and hair-teary. Yes, it is a common facet of freelance life, but sometimes it just gets wearying.
After the book launch madness of December, I found myself casting about for possibilities. I decided to revisit one of my previous, moderately successful, efforts at creating passive income. To wit, the custom print-on-demand giant, Zazzle.com.
I've had a "store" on their site for many years and I would upload designs that I thought up or that included my artwork. Over the years the store has made a few thousand dollars, but fairly small in term of monthly amounts. It has slowly tapered off as well so that now I get some minimal payment of $30 or so every couple of months. And yet, I've been distantly aware that there are people who make some considerable income from the site.
I took a look at the products in my store and decided I could do better.
I decided to start with a store for journals and notebooks, something I am fond of, personally. On New Year's Eve, Freddy and I sat around and thought up a four-pages long list of ideas for different types of journals people might want. They range from the common (Baby's First Year, Party Ideas) to the esoteric (A Movie Quotes journal and Past Life Regression diary). That list got me so fired up I reluctantly tore myself away to go to a party our friends were throwing.
But on New Year's day (NOT bright and early) I got started on journal designs. Today is two weeks later and truthfully, it's a bit of a fog. I've been working absurdly long hours and sleeping at weird times, absorbed into some sort of creative miasma. But today I counted and I've created 65 designs and put them on around 400 products. Many are journals, but I branched out to quite a few other things as well. (Tangents are a problem for me.)
I did it and I'm still a bit stunned. And unsure how.
To be fair, many of the designs were assembled from stock art parts, but a number are original. I'll never be able to keep up this pace (and live) but if I even do a fraction of the work I should be able to create several thousand products and make them available in a few months. I'm creating multiple stores to differentiate themes.
I've got the quantity working, but how about the quality you say? Judge for yourself. here are some of the fruits of my work binge:
Journals for Life
https://www.zazzle.com/journals_for_life
Country Flower Shop
https://www.zazzle.com/country_flower_shop
A Passion for Books
https://www.zazzle.com/a_passion_for_books
And my old store (which I've added to) JayJay Jackson
https://www.zazzle.com/jayjayjackson
Some of the Journals:
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