It’s a rough moment in our industry. I’ve been feeling it. So have many other creatives - judging by the sentiments in people’s posts and newsletters.

The threat of AI, the uncertainty over the state of the world, it’s all making companies shrink their budgets and hold their money close.

So what can we do as artists? We can take this time as an opportunity to work on personal projects that show off any skills we want to highlight. I love taking personal projects and making them into print on demand products through Printful. It’s a no-investment way to get your work out into the world on quality products.

I want to share a project I created last week that added a lot of joy to my life, made marketing fun, and earned me some money. No client needed!

I happened upon a feel good story on TikTok about a guy, Oliver, who was diagnosed with a condition that could potentially leave him paralyzed. It made him stop and reassess his life.

He decided to quit his corporate job, sell everything he owned, cash out his 401K and buy a boat. He spent a year learning how to sail and then launched from Oregon to set sail for Hawaii with his rescue cat Phoenix.

This story resonated with me so much. 

I had done something similar. I was in a 9-5 that I was miserable at. It got so bad that I became depressed and then had a panic attack after a meeting went awry. It made me step back and assess if this was how I wanted to spend my life. Trading my health for a paycheque and the myth of the “stable job.”

The answer was heck no!

So I took a leap of faith. No boat involved - I quit my job and restarted my freelance illustration business. I figured I could dip into my savings if things got rough. Turns out I didn’t ever have to! Now, seven years later my income has surpassed what I was making there. Also happens that the “stable job” I was in doesn’t even exist anymore - as the whole department got laid off.

You only get one life, and tomorrow is never guaranteed.

Seeing Sailing With Phoenix’s story inspired me to want to create an illustration to help support him in his decision to build a new life. So I got sketching. I hand-lettered one of his quotes from a posted video “The Pacific Ocean literally does not care” and featured him, the boat and his kitty Phoenix above. 

I decided to turn my design into some merch to raise money. I decided to split any profit 50/50 and donate it to Oliver and Phoenix. 

Printful made it so easy to get my design up.

I uploaded my design. To keep it simple I chose to design a t-shirt, sweatshirt and tote bag. I linked them to my Etsy shop and had everything designed and good to go a mere hour after I finished the illustration. I was shocked at how easy it was!

🛒 Support the Journey:
Check out the Sailing with Phoenix merch collection: Click here to shop

I posted a video talking about why I made the illustration and showing the process I went through to design in. Then I linked it to my shop and the orders started rolling in.

I couldn’t believe how fast and easy it was to get merchandise out in the world. The best part was, since it was all automated and linked to my Etsy shop, I’d see the order come through, get fulfilled by Printful, and ship to my customer. No additional effort on my part at all! 

Plus, I get to see my customer’s information since the order came through my own shop. With other print on demand sites that information is usually hidden. This means I also have the option to add them to my email list for future marketing.

I also got to adjust the price slider and instantly see how much profit I would be making on each order. I set a price that was affordable, but still allowed for a bit of profit for me and the donation.

Curious about how I created this merch? I used Printful, my favorite print-on-demand service that integrates seamlessly with my online shop. Printify is another great option.

Although I only chose clothing and a tote, Printful  & Printify have so many options to put your art on. You can create wall art like posters and canvases. Home decor like blankets, pillows, and candles. Footwear, bags, fanny packs, mouse pads - the merchandise options are endless. Hey, I could even design a pet collar, leash, bandanna and bowl for Phoenix!

I’m a big believer in income diversification for artists. The more options you have for customers the bigger the chance that you’ll succeed as a professional creative. Print on demand through Printful  & Printify are definitely one of my income streams and I’m glad they’re around to make marketing my art so easy.

In these uncertain times you can take comfort in taking control of your business by making new art and partnering with a print on demand provider like Printful  & Printify

I’m excited that there are people in the world wearing my artwork and supporting Oliver and myself in building lives that we’re excited to be living.

Thank you! Xoxo

- Alana

*This blog contains affiliate links, so you can get your own awesome print on demand products and support me, as I get a little kickback as well when you use the link. Thank you!