From Passion To Profit - Growing Your Hobby into a business

From Passion to Profit: Growing a hobby into a Business

About a year ago, I made the decision to take my art business seriously, this not only meant creating a logo, website and branding but I had to figure out how I was going to turn what had previously been a hobby, where I made a little bit of money on the side into a profitable business. Despite my decision to go at a slower pace, I've already seen encouraging progress since starting my business just over a year ago, which has reinforced my belief that consistent effort and patience will lead to lasting success. This blog post is here to remind you that it's okay to grow at your own pace, and sometimes the most meaningful achievements come from consistent, dedicated effort rather than quick wins.

In this blog post, I want to share the key decisions I’m taking to transform my passion into a sustainable, long term business, that not only allows me to continue enjoying my creative work, but that fits around the other commitments in my life. I hope my experiences will inspire and guide you in taking your own hobby to the next stage

Grow Sustainably

I've come to accept that the growth of my business will be steady and long-term. If you have other commitments, like raising a young family or balancing a full-time or part-time job, reminding yourself of this can be helpful. Unlike the myth of overnight success, the reality for most artists is that achieving sustainable growth is a gradual journey that often takes years. While some may find quicker success through luck, timing, or unique opportunities, for the majority, building an art business that fully supports you requires perseverance, patience, and a deep commitment to your craft. This video serves as a reminder that it's perfectly okay to grow at your own pace—sometimes the most meaningful achievements come from consistent, dedicated effort rather than quick wins.

Working at my home studio in West Sussex

Make a habit of doing a little every day

There will be days when you can't dedicate much time to your art, and that's okay. For most people starting an art business from scratch, this often means working on it as a side hustle alongside a full-time job or other commitments. However, I have found that even small actions taken daily can add up significantly over time and lead to meaningful progress. Remember, if you can only dedicate 20 minutes a day to your art, those minutes will accumulate over the year, often resulting in big progress that you don’t always see straight away. On days where you may not be able to create art, there are plenty of other productive tasks that you could tackle—such as updating listings in your Etsy shop, reaching out to clients, uploading new photos of your paintings on your website etc. Be prepared for slow and steady growth and try not to be discouraged by your current situation, as disappointment can lead to burnout and giving up. Set realistic expectations and be gentle with yourself; acknowledge and celebrate the small wins along the way. Finding satisfaction in incremental progress is key to staying motivated and committed to your journey.

Have a clear strategy for your income streams

There are countless ways to focus your time and energy to earn money as an artist. These options range from selling original paintings in galleries and creating prints to sell on Etsy, to having your own website to showcase and sell your artwork. You could also explore illustrating children's books, taking on commissions for clients, teaching your techniques to others, starting a Patreon, launching a YouTube channel, and much more! When you're first starting out, it can feel overwhelming to decide where to direct your efforts, so it’s important to develop a clear strategy for where you want to invest your time and energy

For me, my business plan was simple at the beginning—I focused on painting commissions of people's pets. During these early years, I concentrated on improving my painting skills, discovering my style, and figuring out which materials worked best for me, from different types of canvases and paints to the frames I preferred to use. Of course there were other things to think about, like how to market myself effectively to attract more commissions, how to price my art, and how to package and ship my work worldwide. This was more than enough to manage at the start, and as I grew more comfortable and confident, I naturally began to explore other opportunities to expand my business.

Painting a pet portrait commission in the early days of my business

Over the past year, I’ve made it a priority to diversify my income streams in order to build a more resilient business. I started by reproducing my artwork as greeting cards, bookmarks, and prints to sell on Etsy, and also began teaching art classes on Skillshare. While the growth in both areas has been gradual, it’s been steady, and I’m starting to see real progress. Of course, like anyone, I’d love to wake up one morning to find I’ve made thousands of pounds overnight—but I’ve come to accept that this is unlikely, and I’m perfectly okay with that.

Creating products from my art has given me an additional income stream 

focus on developing passive income streams

One of my main focuses now is setting up passive forms of income. while setting up these income streams can be a significant amount of work upfront, they can greatly maximize the return on the time and effort you invest in your art business over the long run. Commission work, is a great way to earn money and build a client base, but it often requires continuous effort to produce one piece at a time.

However I don’t believe there’s such thing as completely "passive" income as there is still ongoing work involved—like marketing your product or service and engaging with your audience to improve sales. However, once the initial setup is complete, the ongoing effort is usually far less compared to commission-based work.

Over six months, I have been focused on developing online classes on the platform Skillshare. And Whilst creating these classes is initially very time-consuming, these efforts have now opened up a new income stream for me but improved my overall skill set in areas such as teaching and video making. The beauty of this approach is that once the courses are up, they continue to generate income as long as they remain relevant and well-promoted, allowing me to benefit from my hard work for years to come.

Love what you do and resist the urge to compare yourself to others

It’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring your progress against someone else’s, but remember comparison can drain your energy and motivation. If you're feeling discouraged by seeing videos of seemingly unattainable success , you're not alone. I try to avoid these videos unless I feel they will inspire me rather than leave me with negative feelings about where I am.

Building a sustainable art business requires you to truly enjoy the work. The repetitive nature of daily tasks can feel draining if you don’t have a deep passion for what you’re doing. A sustainable business is one you genuinely love working on day after day.. Find what works best for you, and don’t feel pressured to follow conventional paths. For instance, if taking on commissions adds too much stress, you don’t have to offer them. If you want to start a YouTube channel but aren’t comfortable showing your face just yet, you can still create engaging content in a way that suits you. The key is to build a business that feels right for you, one that brings joy rather than burnout.

Working in my home studio

Keep the bigger picture in mind

Growth is rarely linear. There will be times when you feel on top of the world, and other times when it seems like you're stuck, with no visible progress. This is normal. Business growth, like personal growth, often comes in waves. Sometimes you’ll see rapid success, and other times, things may feel stagnant. If it feels like you're not making progress, set goals for yourself to look back on in a year's time—you might be surprised by how much you've accomplished. Remember that the version of you from a year ago would likely be thrilled to be where you are today, so don’t take that for granted. For example, when I first started my YouTube channel, my biggest goal was simply to have more people watch my videos. I’ve had to remind myself to celebrate each milestone as I reach it, rather than rushing to focus on the next goal too quickly.

It’s important not to get discouraged by the slower phases. Instead, focus on maintaining a long-term outlook. Pay attention to your analytics and metrics, but don’t let them dictate your emotions day to day. They can fluctuate, and the true measure of growth is seen over time, not in isolated moments. Success is a gradual journey, and the key is staying consistent and patient, knowing that every step—whether big or small—brings you closer to your long-term goals.

Good luck!