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Making Money from your Creative Talents

Writing articles can earn you an excellent income, although it is essential that you have a good command of the language, and know beforehand what topics editor's want. Take a look at the hundreds of magazines on the racks at your local magazine store, covering just about every conceivable subject including crafts, sport, fashion, home improvements, and auto mechanics. And there are hundreds more that your local store just doesn't have room to display on its shelves. Bear in mind that most of these magazines are published monthly; imagine how much written material the publishers of these magazines need on a regular basis to keep their pages filled with fresh original informative content? As a feature writer your job is to research and write short, informative articles (on subjects you know and love) and then sell them to these magazines. Bear in mind that while the copy you submit should be well-written (no spelling or typing errors), editors of these special interest magazines don't expect you to write like a seasoned pro; all they really want are original and interesting content for their readers, written clearly and logically, using reasonable sentence structure and grammar. Besides, these magazines all have in-house staff whose job it is to tidy these things up. Start by (a) listing every subject you can think of that interests you. Say you're an insurance agent. What about a short article (750 to 1,000 words) on the basics of life insurance? If backyard container gardening is one of your things, you could write about how you decide which herbs and vegetables to grow each spring. (b) Check out which magazines they carry that correspond to your interests. Buy two or three to start with and study them. Note the general writing style and average length of articles in each magazine. What special feature columns do they have? Think about where your material would fit best. Is there a unique angle that you could cover? Choose subjects that you know best for your first few articles. (c) Draft an article that copies the style and approach of the particular magazine(s) that you are targeting. Tip: Write as if you are explaining your subject out loud to a friend; revise the article until the required word count is achieved for that magazine, and until you are confident it reads as if it was written by one of the authors already published there. (d) Draft a concise cover letter that explains your background and interest in the subject, and ask whether they would be interested in publishing the attached article. Send a copy of the cover letter and article to all of the magazine(s) you are targeting.

You have to know what is happening in the popular music scene if you want to make money with music (assuming you already know how to play an instrument, sing, read music or have a talent for songwriting). Avenues to explore include getting a recording contract, songwriting, teaching, and gigging. There are a lot more inventive, respectful and easy ways to make money locally in your town; for example, every music student needs a music teacher. Every radio station needs royalty free production music. Many businesses need an ad jingle. Every club needs a band. And all of the above need people in the supporting roles to make it all work. What about ambient music in restaurants, elevators, doctors offices, music on hold for telephones, advertising jingles, local theater and musicals, movie scores, corporate and government videos. Plan to spend some time learning about your chosen path. There are lots of online learning resources for the musician. Remember, you'll get as much money out of your music as the effort you put into it. Try some online songwriting classes; enrol for one-on-one mentoring, or read books on the topic of interest. SA Musicians Wanted South African Gigs, Jobs, Auditions Apply; Big Talk Entertainment SA Music Artists, Bands, Performers Comedians and Entertainers online.

Being an artist can be very profitable if you know where to find clients. Potential outlets for your art include (a) Interior Decorators: Contact all of the interior decorators in your local and surrounding areas; inform them that you are available to create custom pieces for their clients. Offer prices comparable to other available art in your area. If you are capable of producing murals and sculpture make that known to each of them as well. (b) Furniture Stores: Offer to create artwork that compliment their most popular furniture groupings. Consider offering pieces on a consignment basis, creating a situation that is mutually beneficial for you and the store owner/manager. If you have a wide selection of work consider putting together a photo album to show their customers. (c) Display Homes/Commercial Premises: Many real estate agents, builders and property developers stage a residential home or vacant showroom to attract potenital buyers. In these situations, the show unit is beautifully decorated with fine art and furniture. Offer to provide art in each of their units that can be purchased with a clients new home/condo. The builder could even offer these as house-warming gifts and pay you directly.(d) Painting Contractors: Contractors are often asked by new homeowners to create murals; network with these types of service providers to undertake the job on their behalf; offer to pay a finder's fee for each referral, or allow the contractor to bid the project to the client and pay you directly.(e) Retail Locations: Approach independently-owned retail stores to devote a section to display your pieces; even stores (diner, cafe or restaurant) that do not focus on home decor would benefit from displaying your art to adorn their establishment. In exchange for displaying your work they would provide a small card displaying your contact information for their customers to purchase similar art. (f) Other avenues to market your art include consignment stores, flea markets, and art galleries. (g) You could make money teaching art.