Written by Ruby Hennessy-Grant
Being a student often means getting creative with both time and money. Over the past year and a half, I’ve built a small income stream through two creative outlets I genuinely enjoy: running an Etsy store selling digital products and writing for online platforms like Medium and here at the Charlie Blog.
Combined, they bring in around $500 per month, sometimes more, sometimes less, and allow me to earn in a way that feels creative and flexible.
Selling Digital Products on Etsy
This is my most secure and passive side hustle income, turning over a consistent $300 per month on average throughout the year and requiring very little input from my end.
Born out of my own passion for reading, I sell printable and fully digital accessories for e-readers, like lock screen artwork and cover designs, mostly based around some of my favourite books and characters.
In the beginning, getting the shop up and running took some time. Especially learning how to convert artworks into sellable listings, create listing templates, and ensuring the instructions provided answered the most common questions customers would ask. But now, it’s mostly hands-off. Some weeks, all I do is respond to a quick message from a customer. It takes minutes, and I can do it from anywhere.
The great thing about Etsy is that the platform takes care of a lot of the backend and marketing labour for you, reducing that learning curve and allowing you to focus on your product. As a seller, you do pay the price for this, with the platform taking about 30% of my earnings in fees. However, this works just fine for me and keeps my hours free.
One other downside to the platform is that it’s super saturated. Even my little niche of digital e-reader artwork has gone from a handful of sellers two years ago to an exorbitant number of people trying to get their slice of the pie.
My Etsy store: MyKindleDecorStore
Writing for Paid Online Publications and Blogs
I’d had the idea of writing long-form content about food culture and concepts in my head for a while, purely out of passion for the subject. Originally, I thought I would start a traditional blog to share my thoughts, and it was during the research for this that I stumbled across Medium.
Essentially the ‘YouTube of writing’, it’s a place where anyone can sign up to both write and read about any topic, with the opportunity to publish under established publications. Members of the platform can join the Partner Program and earn from their articles.
Writing is definitely more time-intensive, and earnings from Medium can fluctuate greatly. While articles continue to earn money once published, I’ve had months when I earned over $500 from a single article and months when I collectively earned only a few cents. While income isn’t guaranteed, this is a great space to deep dive into topics you’re passionate about and connect with others.
Lastly, signing up to write for the university blog — like this post — has secured me a little extra cash each month and provided yet another creative outlet to explore and build my writing skills.
My highest paid Medium article: Selling Food as ‘The Great Inconvenience’ in Your Life
These are just a few of the many side hustle options out there that have happened to work well for me. What’s great is that platforms like Etsy and Medium require little to no upfront investment and can become incredibly rewarding, both financially and personally.
What started as passion projects have grown into legitimate income streams that support my studies without overwhelming them. I’ve learned new skills, connected with like-minded people, and built confidence in my creativity and independence.
If you’re curious about starting something similar, my advice is to give it a go. The barrier to entry is often lower than you think, and you never know where it might lead.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
