Siegfried Oyales began his first pottery class in high school. Within a few years, he was able to channel this passion into a profit.

With the popularity and availability of online markets, students around campus are making money from their hobbies through sites like Etsy and Facebook by selling items ranging anywhere from ceramics to jewelry to homemade planters.

Oyales, junior in FAA, created his own website where his art can be purchased. His focus is to sell tea bowls, platters and tiles.

“I wasn’t great, but my friend encouraged me to keep trying. The next year something clicked and I fell in love after I kept practicing,” Oyales said.

He realized after he had given away so many items as gifts, he could sell his items and make a profit.

“For me, it’s not about making money. Its about learning and using my skills, but it’s an added bonus to make cash on the side,” Oyales said.

Oyales’ ceramics are unique due to the way he manufactures his items. Oyales makes his own clay and glazes, fires his own work and runs his own studio. Though the profit is a benefit, the ultimate goal for him is others’ enjoyment of his work.

“My items are personal and sentimental. There is something special about valuing something handmade.”

Students are finding that selling their items is more than just a profit, but a valuable way to gain experience in the business sector.

Riya Shah, sophomore in Business, began making bracelets at a young age after her cousins passed down jewelry making kits, which she immediately took interest in.

“It was really cool seeing people I know wear them or getting pictures from people,” Shah said.

She started her passion by making beaded bracelets and eventually made anklets and braided friendship bracelets. During her senior of high school, Shah started selling her jewelry.

After accumulating many handmade bracelets, Shah decided to create an online market on Etsy to sell her jewelry. With both the online market and in-person sales, she started to quickly see her products circulate.

Shah said her pricing is reasonable compared to the cost of making the bracelets, but she can still make a considerable profit.

Shah’s experience selling items has given her insight into the process of starting a business and ultimately helped her decide on pursuing a business degree.

“I got to see the process of starting a very small business and all the things that go into it,” Shah said.

In the future, Shah would like to create a shop stemmed from other ideas such as making posters and utilizing her Photoshop skills.

“The best advice I would give is to research competitors, focus on the presentation and use many photos and tags to generate customers,” she said.

Another student, Marcia Chou, senior in FAA, also sells her items on Etsy. However, Chou is currently in the process of developing her own website, as her shop was more recently developed in the spring.

Chou sells small pots and said that selling them gives her both a sense of independence and a rewarding feeling.

“The best thing about this for me is when people see something that I designed and made with my own hands and say, ‘I need this in my life,'” she said.

Her inspiration stems from her parents who are in interior design, as well as her passion for nature and energy.

Chou originally became interested in selling her pots when she and a friend were looking for succulents at the Home Depot. Goodwill was the next stop, where Chou found unique vases and glasses to complete the presentation. As she developed a passion for creating her planters, she initially sold her creations in her parents’ store and soon moved to selling them on campus.

Challenges are an inevitable part of business, and Chou has experienced this, especially at the start of setting up shop.

“No one bought anything at first,” Chou said. “It’s not about people liking your product, it’s because people just don’t know about it.”

Planting is more than just throwing plants together in a vase. For Chou, she finds a unique setting for the plants and adds elements of design such as crystals.

Chou’s passion for creation just doesn’t stop at planters, but she designs rings as well. She invested in a kiln that helps her design rings to her liking.

“It’s complicated to make a ring. First you have to size it and continue to paste the clay to keep it moist,” she continued “you have to carve the ring, and then fire it for two hours in the kiln. After that you have to tumble the ring in order to give it shine.”

Chou’s long-term plan is to eventually sell her designs to oversea vendors and have her designs duplicated. As for now, she is developing an interest in ceramic sculpting and hopes to incorporate that into her collection.

“This is my outlet,” she said. “I’m the happiest when I am selling something or making something.”

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