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Ways to make money from calligraphy (that aren't wedding calligraphy)

Updated: May 6, 2022

As I started to refer to myself as a moden calligrapher I started to hear the question "Ahh, so you do weddings?" again and again. Now it's easy to see why this is their first assumption, as weddings and calligraphy often go hand in hand, but I'd like to make others aware of what else you can do with calligraphy.

Here are a few calligraphy business routes that you can go down:


Teaching calligraphy (my specialty)

Teaching calligraphy is a popular calligraphy business option and there are lots of routes within this. You can teach workshops to the public or privately, tutor on a 1-to-1 basis, create a course (passive or active), create calligraphy resources such as YouTube videos, blogs and workbooks.


Creating signage for businesses

This is another great option that also embeds you within the local community. You can create signage for local businesses such as chalkboards, wall murals and window decoration.


Creating digital content such as logos and fonts

Calligraphy doesn't just have to be pen and paper, you can create digitally or convert your work to a digital format. It doesn't just have to be logos or fonts, you can create digital designs and upload to sites such as Redbubble which is a more passive products based business.


Selling calligraphy products such as greeting cards

Speaking of products, there are lots of products that you can create your calligraphy on. It may be that you create paper products such as greeting cards and prints or you apply your work to other products such as t-shirts and mugs. Greeting cards tend to be one of the most popular options.


Helping other calligraphers to grow their businesses

Calligraphy business coaching is an option if you like helping others and want to embed yourself further within the calligraphy community. I actually took part in Dina Calligraphy's Calligraphy Business Accelerator earlier this year. This was a course for those wanting to get their calligraphy business off the ground. You can watch a video where I discuss the programme with Dina in this YouTube video. I'm also now offering calligraphy business coaching services.


There are also calligraphers that host podcasts and calligraphy events. My favourite calligraphy business podcasts are The Biz Birthday Bash Podcast and The Modern Creative Podcast.


Licensing your work to large organisations

This isn't something that a lot of calligraphers have considered, but the calligraphy you see on the products of large organisations is often contracted out to calligraphers. This is a more complex option than the other options.


Custom commissions

You can create longer pieces of calligraphy for clients such as vows, poems and quotes. When clients come to you requesting custom commissions they are often for sentimental purposes and it's nice to be able to help with that.


These are just a few options off the top of my head, but why is it important? It's not because I'm against wedding calligraphy (which is a very popular calligraphy business option), I just want to raise awareness that earning money from calligraphy can come from many different avenues.

The fact that there are so many ways to earn an income from calligraphy also means that there's a niche for everyone!

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