Articles on: craft & maker

It goes without saying that CreativeLive is home to tons of super talented crafting enthusiasts. We love watching community members put their creativity to good use –– especially when their creations are turned into profitable business ventures!

On a budget this year? The time has come to break out the hot glue gun, clear your calendar, and devote yourself to a day of DIY project goodness.

The beauty of supermarket flowers is that they are dirt cheap. The trouble comes when you get them home, relieve them of their packaging, and they slump over into the vase.

[caption id="attachment_10353" align="alignnone" width="612"] Image via Flickr[/caption] If you're not much of a cook, potlucks and other bring-your-own-dish feasts can be extremely nerve-racking. Not only are you worried that yours will be the one side that no one touched, you also have to figure out when you're even going to have time to whip something up.

[caption id="attachment_10300" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: Matthew Yakel via Flickr[/caption] As a crafter or marker, you strive to make the best products you can, knowing that your customers will love them. But how much time do you actually spend considering who that customer really is, or what happens to the thing you've labored over once they purchase it?

[caption id="attachment_10255" align="alignnone" width="620"] All images via Megan Auman[/caption] As a maker, crafter, or really any kind of creative entrepreneur with a product to sell, the holy grail of sales is definitely wholesaling. Being able to focus on just making tons of what you love and letting retailers take care of the granular sales is a relief -- and can be a really great way to ensure your revenue stream.

[caption id="attachment_10059" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo by Maria Elena via Flickr[/caption] Blogging in and of itself isn't a highly lucrative pursuit for most creative entrepreneurs -- instead, it's an important part of their overall marketing and SEO strategy, which is a great reason to do it. However, if you're very savvy and also have the potential to sell digital products, like ebooks, crafting patterns, MP3s, or other goods which can be delivered and consumed via the internet, it's not that difficult to put your blogging skills to real work and start turning a profit.

[caption id="attachment_9699" align="alignnone" width="620"] Photo: William Warby via Flickr[/caption] Legend has it that the first Jack-O-Lanterns were actually made from turnips, not pumpkins, and the devil was involved in the deal. These days, the bright orange fruit (yes, it's technically a fruit) is the more likely candidate for ending up with a face on your front porch – no intervention from Lucifer needed.