Hobbies are important because people need an escape. Life can get stressful and having the time you need to do something just for you and something you love is important. Some people have found interesting hobbies that can also be profitable.

Students and teachers have found an outlet where they can be creative and enjoy doing something they love by selling their crafts and handmade items. Whether they are works of art are illustrations, clothing, paintings, or sculptures, anything and everything can be sold online.

This is exactly what Etsy allows. Members create their goods and then post it for sale to a global community. Etsy’s slogan is ‘If it’s handcrafted, vintage, custom, or unique, it’s on Etsy.’ It is the go-to place when searching for original and hand-made items.

On Etsy there are many different categories, some of which include jewelry and accessories, clothing and shoes, home and living, wedding and party, toys and entertainment, arts and collectables, craft supplies, and vintage.

According to Etsy’s website, “[They] have millions of one-of-a-kind items so you can find whatever you need (or really want).”

To ensure reliability and security, Etsy is certified as a Level 1 PCI DDS complaint institution which is a stringent security certification process recognized across the payments industry. Etsy is even featured on Netflix in a show called “Girlboss”, where the main character Sophia starts her own Etsy shop.

The show is based on a young girl that is struggling to figure out what she wants to do in life. She loves to thrift shop and bought an expensive jacket for ten dollars. She then goes on Etsy and sells the jacket for $600.

Sophia then starts thrifting and makes a decent profit off of Etsy and eventually starts her own company on the Etsy store.

Samuel Tillman, head of the art department, has an Etsy shop of his own. Tillman sells a variety of ceramic vessels. Tillman started his shop in the fall of 2018.

“I’ve always been interested [in] online marketplaces for artists but had never approached one as a seller,” Tillman said.

Tillman says that the sales support the cost of the materials, so he wasn’t expecting to make much profit. However, he still does it for fun.

“I try to put up a new batch of work every three-four months, though it depends on a lot of factors.  Once the work is made it has to be photographed and posted which takes time as well.”

Lauren Rasmussen (’20) also has a store of her own. Rasmussen started her shop at the beginning of January. She sells shirts, stickers, and bags that have her artwork printed on them.

“I started my shop because I love digital art and writing. I saw other artists and writers making money off of their work, so I thought I’d give it a try too,” Rasmussen said.

Since she just started, she updates her shop every few days or so, but she plans on updating it whenever she creates something new that she wants to share.

“I do 100% of the design work. If I have an idea for a new piece, I sketch it out and add color and finishing touches before saving the piece online where I can manipulate it and put it on different products that I want in my store,” Rasmussen said.

Art teacher Daria Souvorova also has an Etsy shop of her own that she started about three years ago. She sells porcelain dishes with 24-karat gold overlay, as well as silk scarves that she designs.

She also self-published a cookbook titled “Chez Nous: Communal Dinners,” which she sells on her Etsy shop too. She only updates her shop a few times a year.

“The porcelain dishes I make myself from start to finish,” Souvorova said. “The silk scarf was a watercolor design that I painted, then took a high-quality photograph [of] and had it printed on silk.”

The shops are easy to start and a fun and profitable way to create something you love. They provide a great outlet for creative people to showcase their designs and make some money. People can find whatever they are looking for, making Etsy an ideal shop for artists and consumers.