Starting an art challenge feels a lot like falling in love. The excitement is real, the inspiration is endless, and you’re ready to create something amazing every single day. But then, somewhere along the way, life gets busy, enthusiasm starts to fizzle, and what once felt like a fun adventure starts feeling like a chore. Sound familiar?
Keeping your energy up for a long-term art challenge isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We even talked about some of the blocks to working on your art here. If you’re in the middle of one—or thinking about starting—here are a few tricks to keep the enthusiasm alive.
First, make it easy on yourself. In the beginning, it’s tempting to go all out with big, detailed pieces, but that’s a surefire way to burn out. Instead, give yourself permission to scale down. Quick sketches, simple color studies, or even doodles still count. The goal is to keep showing up, not to create a masterpiece every time.
Next, switch things up. If you’re tired of painting, try digital. If you’ve been doing nothing but graphite, throw in some ink or watercolor. A change in medium can spark fresh excitement and help break up the monotony.
Another trick? Plan rewards. Maybe after a week of consistent work, you treat yourself to a new brush, a fancy sketchbook, or even just a guilt-free day of scrolling through Pinterest for inspiration. Having something to look forward to can make all the difference.
It also helps to share your progress. Whether it’s posting online, checking in with a friend, or even just flipping back through your own sketchbook, seeing how far you’ve come can be incredibly motivating. Plus, getting a little encouragement from others never hurts!
Lastly, if the art challenge starts feeling like a burden, remember why you started. Was it to improve your skills? To build a habit? To reconnect with creativity? Focusing on the original goal can help shift your mindset from I have to do this back to I get to do this.
At the end of the day, an art challenge is meant to be just that—a challenge. But it should also be fun, inspiring, and rewarding. So take a breath, shake off the pressure, and get back to creating. You’ve got this!
Be sure to watch our video about this topic. You can watch it here.
You’re thinking about starting an online art business to sell your art and digital products? That’s awesome! It’s such an exciting journey, and with the right steps, you can turn your passion into a thriving business. Here’s how you can get started and keep things running smoothly.
Start by defining your niche and learning who your audience is. What kind of art or digital products do you create? Are you into abstract paintings, digital illustrations, or maybe printable planners? Figuring out your niche helps you target the right audience. It’s like finding your tribe who loves what you create as much as you do.
Next up, creating a business plan is essential. I know, it sounds a bit formal, but it’s just a roadmap for your business. Think about your goals, who your customers are, and how you’re going to reach them. Also, consider your finances – how much you need to invest upfront and what kind of profit you’re aiming for. It doesn’t have to be super detailed, just enough to give you a clear direction.
Now, setting up your online store is where the fun begins. There are plenty of e-commerce platforms out there like Shopify, Etsy, WooCommerce, GumRoad, Redbubble, and Big Cartel. Choose one that fits your needs and budget. These platforms make it easy to showcase your products, manage inventory, process payments, and handle shipping. It’s like setting up a virtual shop where people can browse and buy your creations.
Your website is your online storefront, so make it look professional. Invest in a clean design that’s easy to navigate. High-quality images of your products are a must – they should make people go, “Wow, I need this!” Write detailed descriptions, set your prices, and make the checkout process as smooth as possible. Adding a blog is a great idea too. You can share your journey, tips, and updates, which helps build a connection with your audience.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is all about making your website easy to find on Google. Use relevant keywords in your product titles, descriptions, and blog posts. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly, loads quickly, and has quality backlinks. SEO might sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a game-changer for attracting more visitors to your site.
Marketing your products effectively is crucial. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest are fantastic for showcasing your work and engaging with your audience. Share behind-the-scenes looks, work-in-progress shots, and finished pieces. Consider running ads to reach a larger audience. And don’t forget about email marketing – it’s a powerful tool for keeping your subscribers informed about new products, promotions, and updates.
Customer service can make or break your business. Providing responsive and excellent customer service will set you apart from most others. Respond to inquiries promptly, address any issues professionally, and strive to exceed customer expectations. Offer special customer savings coupons, or add free items into each package sold. Happy customers are more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend your business to others. Word of mouth is incredibly powerful!
If you’re an artist, print-on-demand services like Printful, Printify,Redbubble, and Society6 can be a lifesaver. They let you offer a wide range of products without needing to keep inventory. These services handle printing, shipping, and customer service, freeing you up to focus on creating.
Diversifying your product offerings is a smart move. In addition to your original art, think about selling digital products like printable art, e-books, online courses, and design templates. Digital products, like journals and ephemera have low overhead costs and can be sold repeatedly, providing a steady stream of income.
Keep an eye on your performance. Regularly review your sales data, website traffic, and marketing metrics to see what’s working and what’s not. Tools like Google Analytics can help you track your performance and make informed decisions to improve your business.
Lastly, stay inspired and keep creating. Running an online business can be demanding, but it’s essential to stay motivated. Join online communities, attend workshops, and connect with other artists to keep your creativity flowing. Here is a video that will help you see how to get started and how to keep on top of everything: https://youtu.be/Rc6LakZ_Fvc?si=HU8ds6eqN6WjDSeV
Starting and running an online business selling your art and digital products is a journey full of passion, dedication, and strategic planning. Follow these steps, stay committed to your vision, and watch your creative talents turn into a successful online business. You’ve got this!
Be sure to check out some of our other previous posts about art and crafts here: theartisticdiva.com
This post is about learning how to use pinning for affiliate marketing. I hope this will be interesting and useful to my fellow retirees who may need to add some extra cash to their income. Since I retired, I have had to learn how to live on a much smaller income and getting paid once a month. It was a difficult change, but I think I have finally gotten used to it.
I am constantly researching ways to make extra cash to help my income go farther. One of the ways I stumbled upon was affiliate marketing. It sounds so easy but as I am learning, it is not. There are many things to learn and put in place before you start making any money, but now that I have gotten all that behind me I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I watch those video about making a ridiculous amount of money without any effort and in a short amount of time, but that’s just ridiculous and I hope no one really falls for that way of thinking. Any type of income producing activity will, by default require some time and effort on your part and comes with no guarantee that you will ever make a penny.
Introduction to Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing has been around for a very long time. Basically, what it is is “word of mouth” marketing. You find a product you like and use and you tell your friends about it. They try it out and you get paid a small amount for sending them to the product. That’s it in a nutshell. There are many videos and blog posts on the internet that explain affiliate marketing better, so I will just leave it at this.
How do you reach people to tell them about your product?
One of the ways that I have been exploring lately is the use of social media to attract people to my offers. Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, and Pinterest all have built in traffic that you can use to your advantage if you know how to do so. I have read countless blogs and watched innumerable videos on this topic and I have to tell you that there is a definite learning curve, but the end result is that using social media is an easy way to get started.
Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok have introduced stores that you can use to sell your products, but I have not yet tried this method.
Pinterest is a great place to get started with affiliate marketing. With over 300 million active users, there’s definitely a market for your products. You can promote your products through Pinterest by creating pins that focus on promoting your product and by creating boards that focus on a specific topic.
Here’s an example of a pin that is for affiliate marketing
You can also connect with other Pinterest users who are also interested in your product.
Most people already have a Pinterest account, but if not, just go to Pinterest.com and sign up for yours (it’s free!). You need to decide if you want your account to be for personal use or if you want to make it a business account. You can decide this later, so for our purpose just get a personal account. Once that is completed, you are good to go!
Introduction to Pinterest
Pinterest is a social media platform that allows users to “pin” images and videos onto a board for later viewing. The site also offers users the ability to share boards with other users. One of the main benefits of pinning for affiliate marketing is that it allows you to share affiliate links with your followers. This means that you can earn commissions on any products that you recommend to your followers.
Another advantage of pinning for affiliate marketing is that it can help you to connect with a wider audience. This is because Pinterest is popular with people who are interested in a wide range of topics. Pinterest is actually a search engine much like Google, but you have to admit it is much prettier than Google. In the search bar you enter the subject of your pin and see if there are boards you can join or follow so when you make your pin, you will automatically get some attention.
How Pinterest works as an affiliate marketing platform
When a user pins an image, Pinterest adds a link to the image that can be shared with others. Pinterest also allows users to follow other users and receive updates when they pin or share content. When a user follows a pin, Pinterest sends an automated message to the user’s followers informing them about the pin and providing a link to the pin. If the user clicks on the link, the user is taken to the page where the pin was pinned.
This is what you get with this product
In pinning for affiliate marketing you use images and links to products or services and can be an effective way to promote your business and make sales. There are, however, some basic guidelines you need to follow. Pinterest is about “pretty” so first and foremost your pin needs to be visually attractive. You must make sure that your pin is truthful. If it is an affiliate link, say so. You need to set up “boards” on your account to pin your images to. Then when someone follows your board, they will see your pins. The more people who see your pins, the more chances you have to make money.
The different types of pins that can be used for affiliate marketing
There are different ways of pinning for affiliate marketing. Some pins are designed to attract attention, while others are meant to help affiliates promote their products. Some pins are designed to be colorful and eye-catching, while others are more subtle. There are pins for affiliate marketing that feature logos, images, and text.
It’s important for affiliates to choose the right pin for their marketing campaigns.
Tips for creating successful Pinterest affiliate marketing campaigns
There are a few tips to keep in mind when creating successful pinning for affiliate marketing links.
1. Pin interesting, relevant pins that will help promote your product.
Pinning relevant pins to your product can help increase awareness and encourage buyers to explore your product further.
2. Use keywords in your pins to help promote your products to Pinterest users who are interested in that topic.
By including relevant keywords in your pins, you can help people find and follow your content more easily. Additionally, using keywords can help you rank higher in search results, which can help potential customers find your content more quickly.
3. Use a variety of pins to increase your chances of being found by Pinterest users.
A variety of pins can help you stand out from the crowd and ensure that you’re easily found when you need to be.
4. Make sure your pins are high quality, and that they accurately reflect your product.
Pin quality and accuracy is important if you want to build trust with your audience.
5. Make sure your pins are updated frequently, so that they remain relevant to Pinterest users.
6. Be sure to include a link to your product in your pins.
7. Promote your pins on other social media platforms, as well.
8. Use analytics to track the success of your pins.
9. Keep a positive attitude, and enjoy the process of creating successful Pinterest affiliate links.
Conclusion
Find yourself one product that you think you would like to tell others about, then sign up with that vendor to be an affiliate of their product. Once you are approved, make a beautiful pin using whatever editor you want (I use Canva, it’s free) and when you are satisfied, pin it on one of your boards. Even better, join a Pinterest Group Board that is about affiliate marketing or about your product and pin there. Talk about built for you traffic!
I hope you try this out and make yourself some extra cash to spend in your retirement. Follow this link to get the information you need!
