creating passive revenue

there seems to be a million designers out there in the world today – certainly a large concentration here in Portland. but what do you do with all that talent and no where to use it?

a good friend told me once that “artists & designers have the ability to create something out of nothing”.

sure you can draw, paint, sculpt, build – the usual efforts. but not everyone has the money for, or the outlet to buy art. so how do you make something that people can get easily, that doesn’t cost a fortune, and promotes who you are as an artist/designer?

another good friend one told me that “creating passive revenue streams are the key to financial independence”.

but as an artist/designer, how do you create passive revenue streams? creating a font that people can download is one way. licensing drawings or photos is another… one idea i’m seeing more of lately is the DIY paper toy… and i lovthere seems to be a million designers out there in the world today – certainly a large concentration here in Portland – and surprising as it may be, the design world is extremely competitive. so what do you do with all that talent and no where to showcase it?

a good friend told me once that “artists & designers have the ability to create something out of nothing“.

sure you can draw, paint, sculpt, build – the usual efforts. but not everyone has the money for, or the outlet to buy art. so how do you make something that people can get easily, that doesn’t cost a fortune, and promotes who you are as an artist/designer?

another good friend one told me that “creating passive revenue streams are the key to financial independence“.

but as an artist/designer, how do you create passive revenue streams? creating a font that people can download is one way. licensing drawings or photos is another… one idea i’m seeing more of lately is the DIY paper toy… and i love it!

Mark James' CardBoy series

back when i had my shop, i was just thrilled when i found the CardBoy stuff – how cool that sneakers and toys were coming together in a design savvy way. one of the things that artist Mark James does is offer a downloadable calendar version of his little creations as promotion for his releases. you print it, cut it, fold it, and boom – your own little desktop companion!

Josh McKible releases a promotional poster / cut-out paper toy promoting his upcoming Urban Paper Show in Tokyo.

certainly this wasn’t the first time this has been done – nor is it the last. i recently came across Josh McKible’s Urban Paper Toy and just could help falling in love with it’s simplistic design. like those before him, he is using this to promote his other work – his Urban Paper show in Tokyo.  but what if this was the show, the work, or what you were promoting? is there money to made in downloadable art? the folks over at Mibo are hoping so – for a small fee, you too can have your very own Wise Guy!

Wise Guys™ by Mibo

when iTunes came out and was charging $.99 for tracks, people (including myself) thought that no one would do that when they could just steal it for free.. but as times has proven, iTunes is doing just fine. it’s the traditional music selling industries that are suffering. within a couple of years of it’s release, distribution houses and mom and pop shops were going under like crazy.

so is this trend the possible future of art? probably not, but it could prove to be a great opportunity to promote yourself and your creative prowess to the world – and possibly make a few dollars while you’re at it.

what do you do that others can make out of paper?