Ask HN: Low entry barrier hobby that can potentially generate income?
What could it be? Youtube videos creation? Faceless route? Explainer? Over the desk vids?
19 comments
Perhaps visiting elder-care facilities and have them hand you pictures from their youth then using AI to make videos of a younger version of them participating in events from that time period and including videos of their departed loved ones back then and aged to be with them today. It should be cost adjusted for elderly to afford and they should get at least one free short video demo. Use this hobby to perfect ones skills.
Once one is good at this assist intelligence agencies and politicians with making ultra-realistic propaganda and blackmail videos to make the public question the validity of every video they see.
Once one is good at this assist intelligence agencies and politicians with making ultra-realistic propaganda and blackmail videos to make the public question the validity of every video they see.
That's clearly a sarcastic comment, but I'll reply as if it wasn't, since many people think this things can actually be a good idea.
The fake memories we didn't know we needed. No, wait, we actually don't need them. This is how we humans completely forget the importance of actual truth and memory and simply substitute it with generated trails likely (maybe?) to have happened.
The fake memories we didn't know we needed. No, wait, we actually don't need them. This is how we humans completely forget the importance of actual truth and memory and simply substitute it with generated trails likely (maybe?) to have happened.
The second part I was only half kidding. There could be decent money in making believable propaganda videos. Some are already doing it as a jab to their opponents. My ulterior motive would be to desensitize the general public to all video content and make them wary of believing anything they see. adding a layer of insulation from the media and governments to all people instead of just techies.
Elderly that are not using the latest tech would probably enjoy some reviving old memories and see what could have been. On the other hand it may cause them to become depressed. I guess one would have to try it out with a handful of people and study the outcome. It probably would not be a big money maker since most elderly in care facilities are on fixed incomes but it would be good practice. If this was tried I would be curious to see the outcome regarding what percentage appreciated this vs. were depressed by what could have been vs. where they ended up in life.
Elderly that are not using the latest tech would probably enjoy some reviving old memories and see what could have been. On the other hand it may cause them to become depressed. I guess one would have to try it out with a handful of people and study the outcome. It probably would not be a big money maker since most elderly in care facilities are on fixed incomes but it would be good practice. If this was tried I would be curious to see the outcome regarding what percentage appreciated this vs. were depressed by what could have been vs. where they ended up in life.
Influencer definitely doesn’t have a high entry barrier. Grab a camera, a microphone and start streaming your gameplay.
But it’s a sea of blood out there.
Btw if you like tinkering with cars, it’s a good business to offer on-site “suites” — just change tires, change battery and change oil — just do these three and a lot of people including me are going to happily offer you 80-100 CAD. If I go to a dealership, they charge me something around 250 and I need to wait for 4 hours at least, with an appointment.
You don’t need to do the more advanced work that requires heavy equipment, just do these three and maybe also change filters.
But it’s a sea of blood out there.
Btw if you like tinkering with cars, it’s a good business to offer on-site “suites” — just change tires, change battery and change oil — just do these three and a lot of people including me are going to happily offer you 80-100 CAD. If I go to a dealership, they charge me something around 250 and I need to wait for 4 hours at least, with an appointment.
You don’t need to do the more advanced work that requires heavy equipment, just do these three and maybe also change filters.
The second you start trying to monetize your hobby, it stops being a hobby.
You’re looking for a 2nd job or a side hustle. Just call it what it is.
You’re looking for a 2nd job or a side hustle. Just call it what it is.
I’ve had this idea that is just too awful for me to actually do it.
Create a script that generates brainrot videos with a voice just reading popular Wikipedia pages out loud.
Create a script that generates brainrot videos with a voice just reading popular Wikipedia pages out loud.
Actually I want the same thing but for txt and pdf files. I have a ton of stuffs I'd like to immerse myself in while driving. There are websites for this but I'd prefer something local.
Oh, the voice should also sound humane.
Oh, the voice should also sound humane.
You’ll be joining a lot of other people doing exactly the same thing.
The barriers to entry for this used to be slightly higher. You would have to write the script, read it out, edit any bloopers and then find some interesting b-roll to go along with it.
This is not all pretty much automated and the sea of AI slop on YouTube is quite incredible.
The barriers to entry for this used to be slightly higher. You would have to write the script, read it out, edit any bloopers and then find some interesting b-roll to go along with it.
This is not all pretty much automated and the sea of AI slop on YouTube is quite incredible.
Small typo - “This is now all pretty much automated…”
That’s not how economics work. Anything with a low barrier to entry will immediately be commoditized down to zero.
Things get cheaper but not zero. You could pick up knitting and sell hats on Etsy in a month.
It sounds like you have your mind set on videos (which to me is a grind rather than a hobby).
Personally, I would: make video games, 3d models, generative art, board games, short animated films, that kind of stuff.
You'll probably never make money from any of this, but you said "potentially"...
Personally, I would: make video games, 3d models, generative art, board games, short animated films, that kind of stuff.
You'll probably never make money from any of this, but you said "potentially"...
Just be aware that if your aim it to generate income it’s not a hobby anymore.
Also remember that for every successful person making money online - there is a long tail of people grinding away making next to nothing.
For example, my YouTube channel with just over 50K subscribers makes around $80-$90 per month. And I’m considered by a lot of people to be “successful”.
Sponsorship can bump this up - but being very honest - if I had been earning my consulting rates for the time I spend on this “hobby” I would be happily retired by now.
Also remember that for every successful person making money online - there is a long tail of people grinding away making next to nothing.
For example, my YouTube channel with just over 50K subscribers makes around $80-$90 per month. And I’m considered by a lot of people to be “successful”.
Sponsorship can bump this up - but being very honest - if I had been earning my consulting rates for the time I spend on this “hobby” I would be happily retired by now.
I used to be a machinist and had tech as a hobby. Eventually I got good enough at tech and now I have machining and mechanical things as a hobby.
Hobbies are just jobs you don't get paid for. Focus on acquiring skills and enjoying it. When you stop enjoying it, it becomes mind numbing, tedious, work. I haven't "worked" in that sense, for years.
Hobbies are just jobs you don't get paid for. Focus on acquiring skills and enjoying it. When you stop enjoying it, it becomes mind numbing, tedious, work. I haven't "worked" in that sense, for years.
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Self-publishing books. Low barrier to entry, high barrier to sustainable profitability.
Authoring your own web novel on webnovel.com or other such websites
Find some thing you enjoy creating digitally and just do that and publish.
Straight ort is probably toughest to sell, but ... if you enjoy it, one day there might be enough fans to sign up to patreon, buy your prints, book, e.t.c.
Like, you are probably choosing the Brandon Sanderson route, "Even if I never publish any of these novels, and I will die with 20 books worth of written stories that almost nobody knows about, it was still worth it!" As late sit pterry said, "Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself." You probably won't become next Sanderson or next Weir (Martian was self-published as a web-series) ... I would think that if you find your audience, you could become someone like qntm?
Also, books that teach about stuff have easier time finding an audience.
Especially if you already have a hobby that you can write about. This is the thing, you need something you are excited about or at least persistent about doing. My partner has been training dogs for over a decade, and writing training plans is not as lucrative to have as the main income, but it scales better than training in person, right ;)
Simmilarily, you could make games, publish them on itch and probably won't become next Maddy Thorne (of Celleste fame) but you could become new Brozef (look up Felvidek, it started as his university ...thesis? I think? And now it is like a game on steam and people even bought it!)
Boardgames/tabletop can be a thing - itch can work there too, but there might be a local game jam where you could cobble something together and then somebody might print&play it?
People still like to get ~human made assets. 2d art. 3d models. I used to faf around in blender a decade ago and even I heeded the siren call of a well rigged character for 10$ :D
Yeah ... reading this after myself - you are thinking the wrong way around. You need something you are excited about or at least persistent about doing. If you have several, yeah thinking about which one is more commercially viable can be good. If you have something concrete in mind, that is like a project that is good too, but you should be honest with yourself if you really need the money, or if this is a "eh, could be nice if something comes out of it, but it was time well spent even if not"
Straight ort is probably toughest to sell, but ... if you enjoy it, one day there might be enough fans to sign up to patreon, buy your prints, book, e.t.c.
Like, you are probably choosing the Brandon Sanderson route, "Even if I never publish any of these novels, and I will die with 20 books worth of written stories that almost nobody knows about, it was still worth it!" As late sit pterry said, "Writing is the most fun you can have by yourself." You probably won't become next Sanderson or next Weir (Martian was self-published as a web-series) ... I would think that if you find your audience, you could become someone like qntm?
Also, books that teach about stuff have easier time finding an audience.
Especially if you already have a hobby that you can write about. This is the thing, you need something you are excited about or at least persistent about doing. My partner has been training dogs for over a decade, and writing training plans is not as lucrative to have as the main income, but it scales better than training in person, right ;)
Simmilarily, you could make games, publish them on itch and probably won't become next Maddy Thorne (of Celleste fame) but you could become new Brozef (look up Felvidek, it started as his university ...thesis? I think? And now it is like a game on steam and people even bought it!)
Boardgames/tabletop can be a thing - itch can work there too, but there might be a local game jam where you could cobble something together and then somebody might print&play it?
People still like to get ~human made assets. 2d art. 3d models. I used to faf around in blender a decade ago and even I heeded the siren call of a well rigged character for 10$ :D
Yeah ... reading this after myself - you are thinking the wrong way around. You need something you are excited about or at least persistent about doing. If you have several, yeah thinking about which one is more commercially viable can be good. If you have something concrete in mind, that is like a project that is good too, but you should be honest with yourself if you really need the money, or if this is a "eh, could be nice if something comes out of it, but it was time well spent even if not"