Do you love to create AI-generated art and wonder if you could make money with it? Then, keep reading to learn how to earn money with your AI art.
AI art is taking over, and many artists and illustrators are afraid of losing their jobs and clients. On the other hand, new technology also brings new opportunities and new jobs. Like in every other industry, there will be technological progress, whether you like it or not. The only decision you should make is to adapt and earn money with this new tool or to ignore it, sit in the corner, and cry.
Read more about the brand new opportunity to make money with AI on Fiverr:
How to make money on Fiverr with AI.
Get in early and build a successful business!
Do you like my AI images? You can see more of them on my website and even use them commercially if you get a yearly membership!
5 Stars Membership
The launch price is only 120 $ (yearly subscription)! Every month the price for new customers will increase + by 80$…
1. Way to make money with AI art — Artstation / Deviantart
My initial goal was to upload my images to stock photo websites like Shutterstock. You must provide links to your online portfolios in the application process. I have a website where I sell my digital artwork and social media templates. But I also created portfolios on Deviantart and Artstation to showcase my work.
But you can also sell your work on Artstation / Deviantart. You can sell your AI art as prints on Deviantart and Artstation. Additionally, you can create packages of similar AI images and sell them as products on Artstation. I created seamless pattern packs, which can be used for print, and beautiful abstract wallpapers in 8K, which can be desktop/laptop background pictures.
If you look on the marketplace in the category “artworks,” you will already discover several products made with Midjourney. They are “trending”, which means they were already sold a few times. Textures, landscapes, and flowers are popular.
You can also create an extensive portfolio pretty fast with AI art generators. Though I didn’t upload so much, I already got discovered and was offered several profitable work opportunities.
That’s why I don’t understand all the fear and hate toward AI art. I have more work than ever before, can work efficiently, and make more money. I worked for years as a traditional artist, photographer, and art teacher, and I was not making as much money as now.
If you like my content and want to learn more about AI art and how to make money with it, consider joining Medium as a member through my link. You will be able to read every story on Medium. Thank you so much!
Join Medium with my referral link – Stella Sky
Read every story from Stella Sky (and thousands of other writers on Medium). Your membership fee directly supports…
2. Way to make money with AI art — Stock photo sites
As I mentioned above, my goal was to apply as a contributor to stock photo sites like Shutterstock. There are many of them on the market, f.e. Istockphoto, Pexels, Unsplash, Dreamstime, Pixabay, and Motion Array. You have to find out which one will work best for you. Be honest upfront that you create your art with AI art generators, so there won’t be surprises and disappointments afterwards.
If you want to be successful and have many downloads on stock photo sites, you must research before you start creating and even before you build your portfolio. Go to the stock photo website of your choice and sort the illustrations with the “best selling” category. That way, you will know where the demand is and what you should work on.
Most stock photo sites pay a higher percentage with more downloads, f.e. 10% if you had only 20 downloads in a month, but 30% if you had over 2000 downloads in a month. You can only reach such numbers if you upload a ton of images, which is possible with AI art, and also when you produce images in demand. That is the problem for most artists. We want to create whatever we wish and wonder afterwards that nobody wants to buy it.
Some stock agencies offer a bonus if your assets make it in the top 20 downloads in their category in a month. That’s how I got an unexpected 120 $ extra in my first month uploading AI Art to a stock photo site. Did my research first.
3. Way to make money with AI art — Sell your own products
This may be the most profitable way to make money with AI art. But also, here, you have to do your research and decide who will be your ideal customer and where you will find him online.
I can give you some ideas as a starting point:
- sell printables and posters
- sell social media templates with AI art
- sell patterns for print-on-demand shops
- create your own print-on-demand shop (Redbubble/Printful)
- sell textures and backgrounds
- sell 8K laptop backgrounds
- sell iPhone backgrounds
- build your own image library with a monthly/yearly subscription
- offer custom work
I am sure that you will come up with even more ideas if you do your research.