3 Practical Ways to Make Money with AI Art in 2023
How to Make Money with AI Art (Key Takeaways)
The 3 most practical ways to make money from AI art in 2023 are:
- Sell AI Art Online
- Digital Downloads
- Print on Demand
- NFTs
- Amazon KDP Books
- Sell Freelance AI Artist Services
- Teach Others How to Create Good AI Art
It’s no news that artificial intelligence is a rapidly-evolving technology that brings with it a plethora of opportunities. We have witnessed true wonders in the area of AI image generation, but what if you could use the generated masterpieces to turn a profit?
In this blog post, we dive into the top 3 ways to make money with AI art and share some tips and best practices to help you succeed in this emerging field.
Monetizing AI-Generated Art: The Promise and Pitfalls
With the latest developments in artificial intelligence, we have seen entire industries change the way they operate – the artistic industry is no different. The rise of AI has brought a radical shift in the artistic space presenting new opportunities, as well as challenges.
Artists have found new ways to co-create masterpieces with AI art generator services through intelligent prompts and refined editing. With new artistic styles emerging on a regular basis, these AI inspired artworks appeal to a wide audience, creating undisputable potential for monetization.
However, AI-assisted artists have their fair share of challenges to monetize their works. For starters, AI generated art cannot be copyrighted. Check out Matthew Allen’s masterpiece below. This won the first prize at the Colorado State Fair and yet, the US government has ruled that it cannot be copyrighted due to the AI’s involvement in its creation. Furthermore, buyers may be skeptical to invest in art which wasn’t entirely created by humans, since they fear that someone could generate a close derivative of their possession.
With the rising popularity of AI art tools, anyone can easily create AI art in minutes. We therefore run the risk of having the market saturated by mass-produced AI artworks. To stand a chance at monetizing their works, AI illustrators need to have a meticulous marketing strategy that highlights the uniqueness of their AI-generated pieces, as well as the benefits of owning these possessions.
Having said that, the potential to sell AI-generated art is undeniable. With the right attitude and mindset, you can quickly be on your way to earning a full-time income as a professional AI artist. Follow the upcoming tips to fast-track your way to success in the ever-growing market of AI art.
1. Earn Money by Selling AI Art Online
Perhaps, this is the most direct way to earn money from AI art. Sell your creations on an online platform, either in digital format or printed on a physical product that will get shipped out to your customers.
1.1. Digital Downloads
Digital downloads are the quickest way to capitalize on your AI generated artworks. We streamlined the process in 3 easy steps:
- Create your artworks. You can get started using our very own AI image generator.
- List your AI-generated artwork on the online platforms of your choice. Or you may prefer to sell digital downloads of your artworks directly on your website or social media page. This is up to you. Keep in mind that some of the platforms earn a commission from the sales you make. These are our top recommendations:
- Advertise. You can do this organically by sharing your photos on social media or through pay-per-click advertising. Use Google’s keyword planner to find search volume for different keywords and the average cost per click. For example, the search term “picture of a dog” gets between 10,000 and 100,000 monthly searches on Google, and the top of page bid starts at €0.23. Similarly, with just €0.06 per click, you can rank on the top of the page for keywords like “dog images” or “puppy pictures”.
Bonus: You can also use the keyword planner to discover new niches or inspire the idea of your next masterpiece.
1.2. Print on Demand (POD)
This involves a little more work than the 3-step process mentioned above. Don’t worry, there’s no rocket science!
- Firstly, make sure that your AI-generated images are high quality since these need to be printed on physical goods (t-shirts, mugs, wallets, etc.). Our AI art generator is a great option 😉.
- Choose a print on demand service to fulfill your orders. The choice of your POD provider will determine the quality of the product, the shipping speed and your profit margins. It’s up to you to choose whether to prioritize quality and shipping speed over cost and profits. Having said that, these are the top dogs in the industry and you can’t go wrong with them:
- As mentioned previously, you have the option to sell the products directly on your website or an a 3rd party platform. We recommend Shopify to get started quickly and easily or WooCommerce on WordPress if you prefer to host your own site independently. If you wish to sell your POD products on a 3rd party platform, we suggest you start by listing your products on these platforms:
- Etsy
- Merch by Amazon (they take care of fulfillment as well)
- Redbubble
- Advertise, advertise, advertise! If you want to monetize custom AI art, make sure to constantly promote your product designs, be it through organic reach or paid advertising. Get your art in front of the right audience because sooner or later it will resonate with their interests and provoke purchases.
Note: According to Grand View Research, “The global print on demand market size was valued at USD 6.18 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.8% from 2023 to 2030“. Do not take these numbers lightly… AI Images + POD = Goldmine.
1.3. NFTs
With the increasing popularity of blockchain technologies, NFTs (non-fungible tokens) offer a great opportunity to profit from selling AI art. The idea is to convert your digital art into NFTs and sell them on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea and Rarible.
The process is rather simple. Let’s take OpenSea as an example.
1. Create an image using the AI tool of your choice. Then, go to OpenSea and create an account. Click the Profile icon in the top right corner and select Create.
2. Upload your image, and add a title and description (optional).
3. You will have the option to customize your NFT with more sophisticated properties like unlock-able content and levels, but this is not necessary to get started. Once you’re done customizing your NFT, click on Create.
4. Once again, click on your Profile icon.
5. Then, select your newly-created NFT, navigate to the top-right of the screen and click on List for Sale.
6. Choose whether to sell for a Fixed Price or Timed Auction, set your price, and click on Complete listing.
Note: If you create your NFT directly on OpenSea, it does not cost anything to list it for sale. However, keep in mind that OpenSea charges a 2.5% commission fee from the sale price.
1.4. Amazon KDP Books
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) by Amazon gives you the power to create and publish books quickly and easily without the usual red tape. With the rapid evolution of AI art generation, there’s a golden opportunity to create books in minutes and set up a passive stream of income.
While you can create any sort of book using AI art, children’s storybooks and coloring books tend to be the easiest to get started with. Different AI art generators have varying interfaces, but they all usually include the option to select the drawing style and mood of the illustration.
For example, here’s how to create an outline image for a coloring book using AI Generator Kit.
- Type a description of your outline image (e.g. “pencil outline of a cheerful lion”).
- From the Advanced Settings section, choose your art style. For this example, we’re using line art. Optionally, you can choose the lighting style for your art piece.
- Choose the mood for your image. We’ll be using cheerful in this case.
- Click on Generate to get a high-quality AI-generated outline for your children’s coloring book.
Combine your collection of images (and text if writing a storybook) into a single PDF using the editor of your choice (e.g. Canva) and use Kindle Create to convert it to KPF format. Then, follow the step-by-step wizard in Amazon KDP to publish your book.
2. Make Money Selling Freelance AI Artist Services
Individuals and businesses are constantly on the lookout for freelancers who can help out with media related tasks that are beyond their abilities or simply not a priority in their schedule. Platforms like Fiverr (see below) and Freelancer offer a great opportunity for you to make a profit off your AI-generated images and your artistic abilities in general. Clients might be looking for a variety of media that you can deliver using AI, such as logos, posters, stock photos, or creative visuals. Also, don’t be shy to reach out to potential clients directly through email or social media and pitch your ideas.
It might be difficult to acquire new customers at first since you won’t have any testimonials to prove that your work is any good. Don’t get disheartened! Follow these 3 tips instead to make your life easier:
- Portfolio: Showcase your work through a portfolio of previously created artworks. This will give potential clients an idea of what to expect from you.
- Pricing: Make sure to price your services fairly. If you want a fast start, we recommend to under-price your work in the early stages to give your clients more reason to choose you over competitors.
- Testimonials: Especially in the beginning, request clients to review your work after completion. Customer reviews are essential for giving future clients the peace of mind that you are reliable and the quality of your work is good.
3. Teach Others How to Create AI-Generated Art
Yes – in this booming AI era, people are willing to pay lots of money to learn how to use AI to their advantage. Don’t take our word for it, check out this story on Business Insider about Ole Lehmann who made over $175,000 in less than a month by selling a course teaching people how to use AI to boost their business productivity.
You could approach this in two different ways:
- Offer live consulting sessions about how to create art using AI. You can schedule calls for free using Calendly and host them online using Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams.
- Create a video course or book describing the ins and outs of the process. It’s crucial to focus on tips and tricks which are not commonly discussed publicly, such that people get true value from your material. You can self-publish your books on Amazon KDP and sell your video courses on platforms like Udemy and SkillShare (you can use SkillShare to deliver live classes or consulting sessions as well.
Tip: Create a community around your book or course, be it a forum, social media page or chatroom. This will help keep your students engaged and creates a support system for them. This is critical for their success and yours, as a teacher.
Conclusion
There are countless way to monetize AI-generated art, but in this post, we highlighted the 3 most practical methods to do so. Yes, the approaches outlined in this post are practical and simple to follow, but that does not make them easy. Turning your masterpieces into profit takes hard work, dedication, and creativity. You need to constantly improve your skills, create high-quality artwork, market yourself effectively, and provide value to your customers.
By following the methods and strategies outlined in this guide, we’re confident that you can turn your passion for AI art into a profitable business. The journey won’t be plain sailing, but with perseverance and determination, a full-time income through AI-generated art is certainly achievable.
We hope you found this guide helpful and informative. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below. We’d love to hear from you!
