How to make some extra cash, promote yourself and practice your craft in one shot.

You want to know how to earn a few bucks from your creative endeavor like, today?

Whatever the reason is you need to make money today doesn't matter. What matters is that you likely already have what you need to go out make  a few bucks now.

For example, back in my college years I found myself in need of a few extra bucks more than once.

Here's what I did...

Being a musician, I used to go downtown and perform on the street, busking.

It started out as an experiment to get some practice in and understand how my music was received by complete strangers. I figured a few people might be generous enough to leave a tip for my talent.

For a poor college kid, this turned out to be a  pretty lucrative way to get paid to practice and promote my music.

I ended up earning somewhere between $50 and $100 within a 2 hour timeframe.  This was immediate return on my efforts to bring the value of music to passersby on the street.

Plus, I would sometimes had out free sampler CDs of my music to those who stuck around for a bit and seemed to enjoy my songs. My website address was on the CD as well.  Some people even  asked to sign up on my email list on the spot (so I started carrying a notebook just for that purpose).

I ended up doing this regularly during college. It provided some income, but the greater value was the  exposure to new potential fans that my music received.

​Here's how the same idea could work for a photographer:

If you're in a town that has a tourist draw and you are a budding photographer, you could do the same thing.  Put out a little sign on the street offering to take people's photos using their own smartphone or camera (which they likely have with them), for tips.  

You're a professional photographer so you can frame it up real nicely and help them capture a memorable moment.

When you hand back their phone or camera be sure to hand them your business card with a link to your website where they could hire you for your photography services and/or order a print of one of your own photos to hang in their home.

With good street traffic and a friendly demeanor you'd be surprised at how many tips you'll make on the spot, not to mention the amount of free advertising and traffic you can drive to your website.

​Posted by: Nick Venturella

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