We all have some things that we are passionate about – things that we do just because we find them amusing and interesting, but we don’t feel confident enough to pursue them full time, since it is unlikely that they will pay off, financially speaking. What if I told you that this doesn’t necessarily need to be the case? Most people tend to mark their favorite occupations as an unmarketable way too easily and without even attempting to put up a struggle for their occupation of choice. A lot of times people steer clear of their favorite career options due to outside pressure (e.g. parents think it is not a viable career choice) or the fact that none of their friends are going in that direction or there is a general public consensus that your hobby is not a very lucrative job to have.
I get that all these reasons are, in most cases, valid points but they don’t necessarily need to be right. There are thousands of examples of people going all in on their dreams and pulling off their ideas. All it takes is hard work, passion and the courage to try. These days, you can even test things out and see how things are going before you actually try to make the transition and make a full time job out of your hobbies.
Internet: The test zone
You will notice that I haven’t actually named any hobbies along the way. This is not a coincidence. The fact is that you can take any hobby and turn it into a decently paying job if you are creative and diligent enough. If you are not in a financially stable situation and can’t devote yourself full time, since you have to go to work, but you are still finding the time to do what you like in your free time, you can easily test things out by using the web with almost no investment. Setting up a website is something that can be done in a matter of hours these days and you can post photos of your work (or if writing is your passion, than text), put up music, basically whatever. This will put your name out there and you can get feedback on the quality of work you are doing. This will help you progress and network with people that have the same hobby as you. You can even attract your first customers and see how much money you can earn by doing what you do.
What do I need?
Well, obviously you need a website and a domain. If you don’t want to invest into these two, you can build a website to your liking by using IM Creator. They also provide a sub-domain for you. It is all very simple and you can find detailed instructions on how to use it on their website. You will need some good examples of your work, in the form of photos, text, software or something else depending on what your hobby is and what medium is best to represent it.
Social networks
Facebook, Twitter, G+ or whatever else your social poison of choice may be, can be used to spread the good word about your work. Some of them offer the option of finding specific groups of people and you can use that to find someone who shares your interests. This is basically marketing that doesn’t require a big investment but can pay off big in the long run. Again, this is the best environment in which you can learn from the feedback people give you, but don’t let yourself be discouraged by negative comments and reviews, because people can be really harsh on the Web. Try to filter out constructive comments and tips from those who just want to be harmful out of sheer boredom.
Patiently building up your dreams
I have to point out that these kinds of operations tend to take time to build up. Don’t expect hordes of followers and fans to start pouring in as soon as you start. Take your time, do what you like to do when you get the time and when you see an opportunity to go for it full time, grab it and never let go. Good luck and have fun.