side hustle – Take on Life After 50

Save Time by Buying Designs with a Commercial Rights License

I honestly don’t know where the time goes. Why is it that the older we get the faster time seems to fly? I wish Social Studies class would have gone by as fast back in high school.

I’ve been working on adding items to my Etsy Shop, with the latest being a set of colouring pages for Valentine’s Day. What makes the colouring pages fun is picking and choosing clip art I downloaded from Creative Fabrica, and using Affinity Designer to arrange it. No matter how many people have downloaded the clip art bundle I did, no two projects will be the same. That’s the beauty of mixing and matching.

Creating your own products for your digital store is much simpler when you’re able to get graphics and clip art with commercial rights licensing. Plus you can also use the designs on physical products. So far I have only used a fraction of what I downloaded for digital products, but I also intend to create a few products for my Zazzle Shop.

Disclaimer: Links within this post are either to my own products, or products I endorse. I may receive a small commission should you make a purchase through an affiliate link, at no extra cost to you. My blog is supported through commissions and sales of my products. Plus, if you like what you read you can show your support by pinning this post, sharing on social media, or buy me a coffee. Thank you for your continued support.

And let’s face it, some of us just can’t draw worth a crap. I have tried time and again to draw something more than a simple flower, but I just did not inherit my mom’s artistic talent. Thankfully I did inherit a love of writing from her though.

By investing a few dollars in designs with commercial licensing you can save time and get your products into your Etsy Shop or website sooner. I use a few resources when it comes to creating my own products, and I do have to say it has been a good thing. Yes, I’ve spent some money along the way but I’ve also created products I wouldn’t have otherwise.

If you’re new to creating printables, check out the Printables by Number link over on my Tools & Resources page. I have learned so much from John & Suzi. Plus they keep updating their courses as they learn new strategies, shortcuts, and ways of doing things. My favourite part about what they sell and teach is they created the tools for themselves first.

The image above is one of the colouring pages I added to my Etsy Shop earlier today. It’s part of the 5-page PDF, and it’s ideal for kids or adults to colour. The images are taken from a few different files and arranged to make this cute colouring page.

I bought the annual membership for Creative Fabrica which gives me access to tens of thousands of designs. If you’re not into designing colouring pages, there are also KDP Ready files available for low-content books. I have taken pages from a few to make my own printable and digital planners, but the files are available to use as-is.

And while we’re on the topic of commercial use files, I have a few sets of digital paper with commercial use rights over on Gumroad. Unlike a lot of other platforms, I’m limiting downloads of these packages to 100 worldwide.

They were created using Affinity and other software I invested in. There has been a learning curve, as there is with everything new. If you’re a planner or journal creator, these are great used as backgrounds and covers. And if you have a Zazzle Store you can use the designs on mugs, playing cards, blankets, tote bags, etc. There are so many options.

Have you bought designs with commercial use rights? Or do you sell your creations on platforms such as Creative Market, Creative Fabrica, or Gumroad? Let me know in the comments below.

Become an affiliate and earn 50% commissions promoting my digital paper packs (which come with commercial use licenses). For more details please visit https://takeonlifeafter50.gumroad.com/affiliates.

How to Spread Your Digital Wings for More Earning Potential

Designing products is so much fun!

Now that the community history book project is on its way to the publisher I can once again concentrate on my own work. Had I known it was going to be so time consuming I never would have agreed to being a part of it in the first place. But for what it’s worth, it was a learning experience for me.

I invested in another program that makes repeat patterns from a simple design or graphic. I really like the look of the black and white made from a simple mandala. I think it’s so neat that I added a mug to my Zazzle store. I can honestly say, there isn’t a mug exactly like this one anywhere.

I am a firm believer we should all have eggs in a few baskets. There’s no guarantee that one source of income will always be there. Life happens, online platforms change their policies, and businesses close. And sometimes, those we rely on are suddenly no longer with us.

As you know (especially if you’ve been reading this blog from the beginning) I have a few things on the go at any given time. I can honestly say none of them have made me millions yet, but what I do earn helps pay my bills each month.

5 ways to spread your digital wings.

If you’re a digital product designer, you can sell your designs as printables, or incorporate them on physical products through a POD platform (such as Amazon or Zazzle).
Another way is to create designs and sell them with commercial rights. (I listed my first in my Etsy Shop last night.) This opens up new avenues because you can charge more for your designs. On Creative Market there is an application form you’ll have to fill out to open a shop, but it appears quite simple. I haven’t opened my own shop but continue to buy elements from others. You’ll have options as a seller because you can sell your designs for personal use, commercial use, or extended commercial use. Each level commands more fees, which you set.
Create and sell templates. This is not something I’ve done (yet) but have purchased a few over the years, so I know there’s money to be made. You can sell these with personal or commercial use licenses.
Create low-content books such as journals, planners, notebooks, etc for POD platforms such as Amazon. This is something I’ve mentioned before, and the numbers show some people do really well with it.
Sell PLR which you create. This could be articles, templates, planners, journals, colouring pages, motivational cards, etc. This is especially nice if you enjoy writing but don’t want to submit your articles to different platforms. You do the work and give the buyer the rights to use the materials however they see fit. Oftentimes a limited number of the same package is available, so higher prices can be commanded.

As you can see, the digital world offers unlimited potential. As much as I enjoy creating physical products for sale (crocheted items), the digital creations offer much more profit potential. I can create the product once and sell many copies of it. Plus, by uploading my designs to be incorporated into physical products I can increase both my visibility and revenue.

What are your thoughts on creating digital products to be incorporated on tangible items? Let me know in the comments below.

New Year and 3 New Opportunities for Side Hustles

Happy New Year! I hope you’ve had an enjoyable holiday season and brought in the new year on a good note.

Now that the holidays are over and life is returning to somewhat normal, it’s time to get back to work. I’m enjoying writing for my 3 blogs, and am having fun creating new planners, colouring pages, and activity books.

The frost on the trees makes it look like a winter wonderland; so very pretty when it’s thick. The snow and frost are sparkling in the sun today. We had several days where it was overcast and didn’t get to enjoy the sun at all. (It’s days like those that my energy level goes to shit.) I’m very much a “need sun” girl. After spending a few November days in Vancouver several years ago, I realized a coastal home is not for me. I’ll take the minus 40 and sun any day.

I know I haven’t talked much about side hustles for awhile, but with the beginning of a new year I’m going to give you a few ideas for them. I do have to say, one of my best resources is Printables by Number (John & Suzi Whitford). I have purchased courses and templates, and am very happy with the information that they provide. If you’re interested in creating a printables business as a side hustle, I highly recommend them.

If you’re not interested in starting a printables business, you can start with a blog. Blogging has been, and will continue to be, a lucrative side hustle. The key, however, is to stay consistent. If you want to know more about starting a blog, Suzi has a great free beginners course. The link is for an ebook, which I suggest you print out for offline reference. (I’ve been blogging for awhile, and I still refer to my copy.)

In addition to creating printables and having a blog, you can use your knowledge to create courses. The nice thing about a course is once you create it, you can almost set-it-and-forget-it. It doesn’t have to be a long course, and your lessons should be bite-size. In my experience as a student of online courses, I would rather have more lessons of shorter duration than one or two an hour or more long each.

Notice I said almost? Even if your course content is evergreen, you’re still going to have to do some updates over time. In Suzi & John’s Printables by Number Course they updated from the 2.0 to 3.0, just since I became a student. They realized they needed to include more information, and any existing students got the new version at no extra cost. (New students will get the updated version, which includes all of the updates.)

I’m partway through a course on Systeme.io and am learning so much. My next step is to create my own, but I’m torn on which niche (printables or yoga) I want to start with. I have invested in the software and accessories to create; now I need to make my decision and actually do it.

And yes, I know I’ve talked about printables, blogging, and courses before, and they’re not an opportunity you haven’t heard about. But, any one of them can be a new opportunity for you. And with the cost of living on the rise, and the expense of Christmas weighing heavily on many, it’s the perfect time to invest some time in yourself.

Don’t wait until you’re in dire straights and need thousands yesterday. Take the steps now to start building something for yourself. Whether you want to retire early, start an education fund for grandbabies, or just take a few more vacations a year, investing in yourself is never a bad thing.

I recently invested in some software to create activity books and puzzles, and have created my first. I’m still learning the ropes on the platform I’m using, and would love your feedback. Click on the photo below (or the Activity Book in the sidebar) and let me know what you see. I’m not sure if my funnel system is set up right; so if it isn’t I want to know so I can fix it.

Once again, I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year! And may the year ahead bring you happiness, joy, and prosperity. Enjoy each day and be grateful for the good it brings.