Over the course of 9 months in 2017, my partner and I sold all of our possessions, including 2 vehicles, and a house full of stuff. In order to sell the house for its maximum value, we also completed 3 months of renovations that had been lingering for over 3 years. We wrapped up 2 businesses and left a town and tight knit community that we both cherished. We did all of this in order to seek out a life of freedom, away from the hustle and bustle of the 9-5 life, but most importantly, we did it so that we could travel. This is our story…….
NOTE TO READERS: I wrestled with writing this post as I realize that people are following my blog because they want to read about my travels and adventures. But I’m realizing along the way that there are so many other things that go along with trying to become a full time traveller, and I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about those as well. Obviously, making money on the road is a big one, so here we are! It’s an important part of the puzzle, and honestly, it’s good marketing:) Thanks for your understanding and I hope you gain a little more insight into what the heck I am trying to create for myself out here in the big ol’ world! Xo
According to Wikipedia, Digital nomads are: ‘a type of people who use telecommunications technologies to earn a living and, more generally, conduct their life in a nomadic manner. Such workers often work remotely from foreign countries, coffee shops, public libraries, co-working spaces, and recreational vehicles.’
In listening to numerous podcasts, and reading all about life on the road, I have come across the term ‘Digital Nomad’ alot in my research. It is something that appeals to me, the ability to work and travel in this way. There are many career titles that can fall under this heading, the least of which are writing, and teaching English, both of which I am quite capable. However, making a career out of writing takes time to build, as does becoming an English teacher online. Not impossible, but not immediate income either.
(Click here for link to store.)
We have been away from the 9-5 for a couple months now, and all this time I have been thinking about what I would like to do with myself, and what direction I want to go to make a passive income on the side. I have been writing a bit, composing a couple articles that I would like to submit to various online publications, have started the rough outline of a book I want to publish one day, and have been, of course, blogging. None of which, at this point is making me any money yet. No surprise!
However, one evening while we were doing some artwork and listening to a travellers podcast (Zero to Travel), it was repeated to me again that if you are already set up to make a passive income on the side online, just do it. Even if it is something that you don’t want to do for the rest of your life, it will help you to find your bearings, and get your feet under you.
(Click here for link to store.)
Well, I realized that I DO have something that I can do, and decided that it wouldn’t take too much time to get it set up again. It is something that I have tried to do, over and over again in the past few years, in many different ways. And I think it’s because I had tried so many times, and hadn’t really gotten anywhere, that I suppose I had mostly given up on it. However, I have come to realize that the exact reason that it didn’t work is because I was “half-assing” everything. I didn’t have the time and energy to direct at this, I was too busy making a “real” living, so I could try and pay my mountain of bills that arrived non-stop every month.
And so in that moment, my spark for selling my Fractal (What the heck is a Fractal? Click here!) art was re-ignited and I decided, somewhat with a vengeance, to get my online stores up and running again!
(Click here for link to store.)
I have been really busy doing this for about a week, and I have to say that I am actually enjoying it! I have gone into each of my profiles and updated my descriptions, and really put some effort into the look of the stores. I have time to focus on promotion, tailoring my posts for certain crowds, and thinking outside the box when using hashtags and certain tag words. It feels good.
All of the images you see are created by me, and are then uploaded to websites. These websites do what is called sublimation printing onto the individual items. Each item is printed on demand, and then shipped directly to you from the company itself, and I maintain a portion of the sale. Some companies offer more of a commission than others, for some it really is a pittance, but at least it is something.
(Click here for link to store.)
As time moves on, I will be continuing to do some other artwork that I have been doing with pointillism and dotwork. These images I am building up on my new iPad Pro, which I am loving! I have made a couple of these images available in my shops, but there will be much more to come!
There are many other ways that people make money while living a nomadic lifestyle. I am really just starting to scratch the surface of this different life, and I’m sure it will take time to really carve out a niche for myself. In the meantime, I am happy to share my artwork with the world in this way.
(Click here for link to store.)
I have included links to the 2 stores that I am running underneath the sets of pictures that I have posted. Each group of items, is only available in each specific store indicated. Though I strive to have all of the fractal images available in both, this isn’t always the case. If you see an item you want, but can’t find the right image to go with it, please email me and I will make it happen! There are MANY more images available, please take a look if you are interested.
For Duvet Covers, Shower Curtains, Wall Tapestries, Coffee Mugs, Pillows, Makeup Cases and other Home Decor items, visit www.society6.com/jilla.
For clothing items including Tank Tops, T-Shirts, Dresses, Towels, and Leggings, please visit www.etsy.com/shop/JillianAmattDesigns.
As always, if you have ANY questions at all about any of my work, please email me at jillamatt@me.com or follow me on my ART business Facebook page at Jillian Amatt Designs or on instagram @jillianamatt.
For future reference, I will be making a page, find it at the top of this page, that says Shop Fractals. This will link you to the appropriate shops, so you won’t have to scroll through my blog posts to find this post, and get the links!
As this IS supposed to be a travel blog, please find related links to my travels below:
To see travel photos, and to follow our progress on Facebook, please follow our Facebook page Just Some Wandering.
Please follow my Instagram Page Just Some Wandering by clicking on the bottom right hand corner of this feed.
To learn about where I have previously traveled, click here.
To see my blog post menu, click here.
To email me directly, please do so at jillamatt@me.com.
Just Some Wandering 