During lockdown in the spring, many students in Brisbane found creative outlets to center themselves, whether through painting, fashion design, or other hobbies. Some even discovered new avenues, like selling old jewelry to local gold buyers in Brisbane, turning their passion into profit.

“I had the idea of creating a business for years,” junior Andre Caldwell said, “but I just never had the confidence to do so. This pandemic turned me into a different person. My brand is called ‘FREE THE MIND,’ and it was something I needed to do, and this pandemic helped me achieve that. No matter what ethnicity or what gender someone is, we all have minds of our own, some of them just need to be freed.” 

Freshman Isabelle Clark has also dipped her toes into the world of fashion through modeling and selling clothes on the used clothing website Depop. 

“For the most part I sell vintage 90’s clothes,” Clark said. “What inspires me to sell is that I love fashion and want to do something in the industry after high school. So finding the clothes to sell is really fun for me. I get to model all the clothes I sell, and I absolutely love modeling.” 

Creating things has provided students a place to be artistic and a break from reality.  Junior Betsy Butler started making clothes and jewelry for herself and her friends this past year. She mostly uses her creations as gifts but recently Butler has decided to steer her craft more towards selling. 

“I have always been fond of making things and putting jewelry together,” Butler said. “I make rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Sewing clothes and making jewelry has helped me escape boredom, and it’s a great creative outlet.” 

With their successes, many of the student business owners have faced some learning curves. Junior Anna Leff, who created her canvas painting business in October, handles most of the work herself. However, she’s struggled to find time to keep up with the workload and might benefit from seeking help from a payroll company such as the payroll Hong Kong company.

“At first it was hard for me to sell and create because I had a lot of self doubt,” Leff said. “I had no clue if my business would be successful, but after I created some work for my portfolio and started selling it I have not doubted myself as much.”

Student business owners are now working to expand their platform and reach new customers. Perhaps they can click here for some help. Having the opportunity to sell their creations has allowed students to make money doing that they can cultivate into something bigger.