I’m 24 and made £27k from my side hustle in a month, I didn’t expect it to take off but now even Harry Styles is a fan
IF you are creative, but have found yourself sitting at a desk for eight hours a day doing something you aren’t enjoying, you have come to the right place.
Drawing was always a hobby for 24-year-old Elena Gatti, who started sketching animals when she was just five-years-old.
But she certainly never intended to monetize the skill, until she started posted drawings on Instagram, to stay creative while studying advertising, art and design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Her art, which is influenced by vintage Italian advertisements, has a distinct and bold style and just a couple of months and a handful of Instagram ads later, Elena’s page caught traction and her side hustle business was up and running.
Today, the 24-year-old brings in a whopping five figures per month — on top of her income as an art director at a public relations agency — designing merchandise for musicians and bands like Harry Styles and Mt. Joy.
Her Chicago-based side hustle, Fiorenza Art, netted nearly £27,000 in sales in November 2021 alone, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
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The artist still posts her art to Instagram, but her side hustle’s real money comes from selling prints on her website and landing lucrative client deals, some of which cash out at £8.4k apiece.
Elena told CNBC: “The power that Instagram has for artists and creatives is unreal.
“You don’t really realise until you’re in the space how it can just spread like wildfire.”
When Elena was just seven-years-old, she learned that she was dyslexic.
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Art became more than just a creative outlet for her, as she relied on drawing to build her confidence and make friends.
After graduating from college in 2019, Gatti started interning at Zeno, a global PR firm where she now serves as an art director.
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That July, Fiorenza — Gatti’s middle name, and a tribute to her Italian heritage — made its first sale.
It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic hit that she decided to invest in “building out” a brand.
But after a couple of weeks of trying to grow Fiorenza strategically, investing in a handful of Instagram ads at roughly £42.25 each, her art was receiving little-to-no attention.
So, she made a commitment to herself: to only draw what made her happy, rather than what other people expected.
Within months, it paid off and Casetify, a Hong Kong-based phone case brand, reached out to her, and she launched her first collection in February 2021.
Her Instagram following had ballooned to roughly 30,000 users and in June 2021, something even more unlikely happened.
A member of Harry Styles’ team sent her a direct message on Instagram, asking her to help design merchandise for his upcoming tour.
Elena explained: “They found my art on the Instagram explore page and liked the style, particularly my bunnies.
“They told me if I was interested, this is the direction they wanted to go in. It all happened very fast.”
Harry Styles’ team laid out her work on sweatshirts, tote bags, beanies and more.
Her design of twisted bunnies layered on checkerboards became a featured image of Styles’ tour, which kicked off in September 2021.
The corresponding sales bump led to her side hustle’s best month yet: In November 2021, Fiorenza brought in £26,874 through a combination of new client deals and web sales.
Since then, in 2022, Fiorenza has brought in roughly £12,676 in web sales alone, selling art, clothing, bags and even blankets.
By February 2022, Elena sold her thousandth print and reached 100,000 followers on Instagram.
Elena commits to drawing something every single day – after finishing her day job at 5 p.m., she draws until 9 or 10 p.m.
She concluded: “If I can wake up and draw, it’s a great day, because I know I’m doing something that makes me feel fulfilled.
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“In your mid-20s, you’re always trying to figure out the next step, your purpose, and doing something I love has taken the pressure off needing answers.
“For now, I’m happy just taking it one day at time.”
