Here is why I use POD sites
I do it for complete freedom in creativity. Having a no holds barred approach to creating whatever you want along with the ability to make money off it. Yeah, that’s the bare bones of why I use POD sites.
However, there is more to it. So I’ll explain exactly why I use Print On Demand (POD) as well as the benefits of selling designs on these types of sites.
HOW DID I GET INTO IT?
Well, as I write this post, I currently work further education as job coach. I support young adults with special educational needs gain work experience to equip them with employable skills to move from education into a paid position. That said, I studied Motion Graphics as my degree and over the years I have tried to get into the design industry but it never seemed to work out.
After being out of university and working within education, I decided to get back into the design scene by fleshing out my portfolio with what I was interested in opposed to what I felt I had to by my degree.
Along the way of re-establishing myself, I bucked up onto my first Print On Demand (POD) site; Society6. This is when I coined the phrase “with 1 idea, can turn into many possibilities” as all you need is one design which then could be adapted to be applied to so many different products. It was amazing!
This then catapulted me into wanting to create a design that would be able to work effortlessly on a variety of products yet still hold itself as a stand alone art piece. That led to one of my first designs, which was “White Lines on Black I”. An abstract piece made.
THE NEGATIVES
Sites like Society6 are a wonderful hub of creativity. Filled with fantastic art, designs, photography and sketches from a wide varying collective of artists from multidisciplinary backgrounds.
Now, due to that is where the negative comes in. Imagine being a shopper who loves lush things and you go into the store that is filled with those lush things. How will you be able to choose them all? If your purse or wallet is terribly deep, yes, but if not, you’ll be limited. Meaning not all of the artists on these sites benefit the same level of financial success.
The idea of passive income by doing nothing is really a dream. To make it an actual stream of passive income, it takes time and there is a need to actively be aware of changes in trends to promote a collection or a standalone piece. As imagine having cooking apples, but for some reason April is when people go crazy for apple pies and apple crumble - even though apples are bought every so often, if you should promote it a little more during April then there is a higher chance of that passive stream of income being blustered.
THE POSITIVES
In the negatives, I focused on the getting spotted out amongst the herd. Still, for me, the positives lie in the utter freedom I get from not having to force myself into a design pigeon hole. I am able to do my whatever I want and run with it plus the highlight is seeing when someone purchases that design on whatever product I enabled it on.
The close second positive is being exposed to other areas of design that I was not ever involved in. Since publishing my designs on POD sites, I have taken an active interest in design trends that span across type, fashion, product and textile design. This opened me up to creating designs and patterns that would never have been made due to those different sectors’ audience interests.
Due to that, I have gained great bouts of malleability as it allows me to work based on what is the “in thing” while still holding true to what I like to do.
SO WHAT NOW?
I will continue on my journey for testing and exploring this creative world. The dream would be to have a collection in a store for those who like a rummage in a physical shop would be able to see and experience my designs and pattern work.