Can you imagine what it would feel like to wake up and to go to work feeling energized and excited to start?
For 42% of Gen Z and Millennial side hustlers, following a passion is one of their main drivers for choosing to start a side venture. And chances are, if you’re an enthusiast for a particular hobby, you’ll be more knowledgeable about it and would have developed skills in that field because you enjoy it so much, which directly translates to business success if you were to turn that hobby into a profitable business or side hustle.
3 Hobbies To Make Money In 2025
You might already be aware that hobbies such as photography, writing, and DIY can make you money. But what about some less-obvious ones? What if you are an avid collector and enjoy building a stash of vintage or rare items? Here are some ways to monetize three unique hobbies in 2025 so you can work in something that excites you every day:
1. Collecting Items
The first thing you need to consider when buying and selling collectibles is to identify your niche. This could be art books, figurines, board games, or even LEGO sets, according to America’s Antique Mall, a specialist within the collectibles and vintage arts sector. As you expand your collection, you can post videos to YouTube about them and educate others on their value, so that people are familiar with your passion for collecting and if interested, they can purchase from you. You can sell your valuables on sites such as Etsy, eBay, and specialist antique stores and companies who buy vintage and rare luxury items from collectors, such as Sotheby’s.
This side hustle and hobby can easily see you making thousands of dollars, depending on what niche you choose to specialize in and if there is a clear profitable demand.
2. Traveling
Travel is another popular hobby for many people. There are myriads of options to choose from when it comes to making money from traveling, whether you enjoy hiking and experiencing nature, eating out and tasting the culture of the locals, or attending festivals and events.
You could take your camera with you and capture breath-taking photos of the scenery from unique angles, then upload and sell these stunning photos as stock images. You could also create a travel vlog (a video log) or a blog documenting your experiences and providing advice for other travel enthusiasts. Or you might establish a social media presence where you are tasting and evaluating local foods and creating spinoff recipes from them. Another way to leverage your love for travel is to become a travel consultant or agent, engineering bespoke travel experiences for individuals and corporate entities.
3. Creating Art
You already know that you can make money from selling art collectibles, as given in the first example hobby above, but there are other ways you can leverage your passion for art and design to make money as a side hustle. These include:
- Creating and selling wall art digitally on Etsy for customers to download and print
- Creating a YouTube channel providing art, design, and craft tutorials
- Starting a subscription box business, selling arts and crafts kits as subscription boxes
- Designing book covers and product labels (advertizing your services on Upwork or Fiverr)
- Becoming a makeup artist and creating a course teaching makeup lessons as a means of passive income
- Turning your designs into printables on mugs, t-shirts, and other printed products and selling with a print-on-demand service
There are so many more options to monetize your arts hobby, depending on the type of art that you specialize in. But the list above should give you a good starting point for ideas and help you brainstorm, and you can even combine ideas to help you diversify your income.
Virgin founder Richard Branson once famously said, “There is no greater thing you can do with your life and your work than follow your passions in a way that serves the world and you.” This is the way to start 2025. Lead with passion (your hobbies), a niche, and high demand. These three ingredients will help you make more money and enjoy your career, even if the job you work in your 9-5 is not fulfilling.