Georgia Norton Lodge, who made a living painting other people's houses, finally bought her own house..
She describes them as “scrawled, wobbly, and full of joy,” but it was these paintings of other people's homes that allowed the artist to finally buy her own home. Thanks to the picture.
The Sydney resident and her young family have just settled into a two-bedroom apartment in the inner west suburb of Ashfield for $1.026 million.
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By painting other people's homes, artist Georgia and her family were able to buy their own unit in Sydney. Photo: Provided | @cassiellen_video
With the help of a $100,000 deposit from her business Georgia Draws a House and a buyer agent, Georgia was able to carve out a piece of Australia's greatest dream.
“Who would have thought that one day you could buy a house with just a pen and paper?” she told realestate.com.au. “That's ridiculous. It's shocking to me.”
Georgia started her lucrative side hustle in 2014 while working full-time as a graphic designer in hospitality branding.
Artists sell A5 drawings to homeowners all over the world. Photo: Provided | @cassiellen_video
A small A5 painting she made of her mother's house set her on a new career path, and she was soon drawing before and after her full-time job.
“I drew my mom's house and she really liked it. Then a friend of my mom's came over and looked at the drawing and said, 'Oh, I've been looking for someone to draw my house for a long time. “Where did you get it drawn?” Georgia explained.
“So I drew my mom's friend's house, then my friend's aunt's house. And then when the article was written in 2019, it basically exploded.” [about me].
“I quit my job the next day because I had hundreds of orders. It was pretty wild.”
She said orders for her paintings poured in every month, reaching as far away as Amsterdam, London and France.
“Scribble and Wobble” sketches start at $190 each. Photo: Instagram @georgiadrawsahouse
Georgia scoured realestate.com.au and Google Maps to find photos of addresses and drew more than 700 homes in a year.
“Every month, I sell 40 items in two minutes,” she says.
“It turned into a crazy, amazing income. But I don't think it was sustainable, so I needed to change things.”
The sales proceeds helped her start her own design agency. She has her own staff of three and painting is no longer her main income.
Georgia is surprised that her sketches, which she describes as “naive and childish,” have resonated with so many people.
Buyers range from people who are selling their family home or renovating an old home to people who want to preserve memories after they pass away.
“I feel like a home means so many things to so many different people. Photos of a home often tell the whole story of a family, their history and all the hard work they've worked for. “It represents that,” she said.
“These paintings are not extraordinary perfection; they are scribbled, wobbly, and full of joy. There is a chaotic warmth to everything I do, and I am amazed that people enjoy it so much .”
Georgia now teaches others how to make their artistic dreams come true with her Become an Artist from Home course, helping hundreds of women start creative businesses and earn extra income. .
She also runs a program that turns walls into giant coloring books, and her clients include Google Maps, Canva, Atlassian, and Visit California.
She currently teaches other artists how to generate profitable businesses. Photo: Provided | @cassiellen_video
She is passionate about encouraging others to take a chance on themselves and one day earn enough to buy their own home.
“I'm so honored and lucky to do what I do and teach it to others, but I have a formula,” she points out.
“If you're willing to put yourself out there and work hard, you might be able to make money doing what you love. If not, you can start a side hustle and earn a little extra money doing what you love. ” Money – It doesn't have to become a career, but it will feel great and you'll feel very proud if it does. ”
