Art projects aren’t easy to fund. Whether it’s a hobby or a professional project, you have to find a way to purchase materials and equipment.

For photographers, that means getting a good camera and lenses for your project. For a pottery project, you need to finance a kiln, clay, and pottery wheel.

Those things add up. It can be hard to figure out how to pay for these things, especially when you factor in that almost 80% of workers live paycheck to paycheck.

How can you fund your personal project? Read on to discover creative ways you can finance your next big project.

Figure Out Your Budget
How much do you need? You need to figure out how much your project is going to cost. Get out your spreadsheet and get to work.

You want to consider every single step in the project. Think of the materials you need, how much time it will take, and the costs of the materials. You can start shopping for these materials online and research the costs.

A food photography project would require a camera, stand or tripod, lighting, plates, backdrop, light reflectors, and the proper lenses. Then there are materials to make the food look amazing like tablecloths and plates.

On the low end, you could be looking at about $1,000 for these materials.

When you come up with your budget, you want to add a little bit of padding in your numbers. This is a contingency line in your budget. This is to ensure that you have enough to cover any contingencies.

Anything can happen in your personal project. It could take longer to complete than you realized, the cost of materials increased because of tariffs, you had to make changes to your initial plan.

A contingency line gives you a little breathing room in your final budget. You want to add 10% - 15% of the total costs of your personal project as a contingency.

Ways to Fund Your Personal Project
You have the estimated budget for your personal project. How much can you finance your personal project? Take a look at these creative ways to fund your next great project.

Crowdfunding
You can turn to a crowdfunding site to finance your art project. The trick to being successful is to tell a great story about your project.

Yes, you’re doing a personal project, but if you can explain how your project will impact the world, you’ll get more people to back your project.

Credit Cards
You can always use credit cards to finance your art project. That’s what director Kevin Smith did when he made Clerks in 1993.

It was quite a risk that turned out well for him. He went on to have a great career as a writer and director.

You should proceed with caution if you plan to use credit cards to fund your entire project. Credit cards have high interest rates that average 16%. That could take a long time to pay off, especially if you pay only the minimum payments each month.

If you do go this route, you’ll want to get credit cards that have 0% interest for the first 6-12 months. That gives you time to pay down the balances before interest kicks in.

Personal Loans
A personal loan is a much more viable option than credit cards to finance your project. This is good if you have a higher amount to finance, such as $1000 or more. The advantage here is that you often have lower interest rates than credit cards.

The interest rate that you have will depend on your credit score. You’ll want to check your credit report and make sure that your score is as high as possible.

Be sure to apply for one or two loans. Applying for too many loans at once can bring down your credit score.

Payday Loans
A payday loan is an option if you have a small amount of money to borrow and can pay the loan back right away. It’s meant to tie you over between paychecks.

You’ll want to take your time and shop around for loans. Check the terms of the loans out there and read the reviews about each loan company, like this Spotloan review.

Get a Side Gig
Instead of asking for money or borrowing money, you can get a side gig where you earn extra income. There are countless side gigs available, thanks to the gig economy. You can be a delivery driver, r you can use your existing skills to get side work.

For example, a graphic designer can pick up freelance jobs designing brochures and logos for clients.

The downside of getting a side gig for your personal project is that it’s time out of your schedule. It can be exhausting if you’re already working a full-time job. One other potential drawback is that if you make more than $600, you have to report that as income and pay taxes on your earnings.

At the same time, it might be worth it knowing that it’s temporary. You also don’t assume a lot of debt to make your art project happen.

Friends and Family
You can always rely on friends and family to finance your personal project. This is good if you have a small dollar amount to work with, such as $500.

This allows you to finance your project and give your friends and family a reason to support you in your work.

You have to approach asking them for money the same way you would as crowdfunding. Get them emotionally involved in the project and let them know why it’s important to you.

Funding your Personal Project
Starting and finishing a personal project can be incredibly rewarding. The hard part is getting started. Not due to a lack of motivation, but a lack of funds.

There are a number of ways you can finance your project. You can turn to family and friends, take out a personal loan, use a crowdfunding site, or get a side gig.

You can’t use lack of resources as an excuse not to start your project.

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