Because why not, right?

Most of us creatives would absolutely love a gig where we could put our creativity to good use.

I know I would.

And while some of you actually have jobs that allow you to be creative, some don’t. This list is for those who don’t or creatives who want another outlet to express themselves creatively.

Now, some of these ideas are going to require a bit of an investment, and some require a lot of time. So tread lightly.

Here we go.

1. Start a Literary Magazine

I’ve always wanted to start my own literary magazine, and I actually did. But I didn’t know what I was doing so after I collected a few submissions, nothing else ever came of it.

But these days, there are so many resources at our fingertips, it’s not as impossible as it seemed to me I-don’t-know-how-many-years-ago.

That means it’ll likely be 10X easier for you.

You’ve got the tools and resources that you need online. So start with some research about how to start a literary magazine and get going from there.

2. Host a Writing Contest

Writers are literally everywhere and most are willing to pay a fee for a chance at winning a contest with a cool prize.

Just make sure you’re able to deliver whatever the prize is.

It could be just a portion of the money you make from people entering the contest.

But you should make sure you have enough prize money prior to hosting the contest. Otherwise, you could end up with a lot less money than you anticipated.

Figure out what kind of writing contest you want to host — essay writing, short story, flash fiction, etc.

Make a flyer in Canva or another design tool and start promoting your writing contest online. Social media can give it a boost.

3. Put on a Play at Your Community Theater

Do you love to write scripts and come up with characters? You could put on a play in your community theater.

Similar to what Erica (Diane Keaton) did in Something’s Gotta Give after being ceremoniously dumped by Harry (Jack Nicholson). She wrote a play about her experiences with Harry — falling in love and getting dumped.

If you have crazy life stories you don’t mind sharing with the public, put it in stage play format and charge a fee for admission.

Keep in mind your target audience and your location. How much would people in your area generally pay for a ticket like this?

Have fun with it. Get creative with the stage props and costumes. Let your creativity really shine.

4. Have a Theme Party and Charge for Admission

Halloween is creeping up on us and it’ll be here in the blink of an eye. You could host a Halloween party with a specific theme, such as Mean Girls costumes only.

Or really whatever movie you want.

Host it in an event space, if possible, or somewhere you have a lot of space.

That way, you have more options for entertainment. If you’re doing this for kids, you could include a pumpkin-carving station, face painting, bobbing for apples, a movie screening, hay rides, etc.

You could even hold a costume contest to make it even more interesting.

5. Create Content for Envato

Envato is a site where people can download millions of digital assets, including:

• Video templates
• Graphic templates
• Presentation templates
• Stock photos
• Royalty-free music
• Fonts
• WordPress templates
• CMS templates
• Sound effects

And the list goes on. Go check out their site and decide what digital asset category you’d like to submit your content to.

6. Sell Your Creations on RedBubble

RedBubble is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell custom-printed artwork.

People sell all kinds of things on there, such as phone cases, t-shirts, wall art, stickers, pillows, posters, and more.

Go check it out and sign up as a seller to start selling your custom art designs.

See what’s selling the most on there and what’s catching people’s attention the most. That way, you know at least one path to making a decent income on that site.

7. Host a Talent Show

Your community is likely filled with all kinds of talent. Allow the town locals to express themselves through your talent show.

Putting on a talent show doesn’t take a whole lot of work, and can even be fun (with the right people).

You’ll need to think about where you’ll hold auditions for the show, where you’ll put on the actual show, how many people can fit in the venue, etc.

Do some research on how to host a talent show successfully, and maybe at some point down the road, you could partner with companies looking for talent. You might even be able to host regular showcases and make it into somewhat of a career.

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