For Chelsea Hearty and Ian Moores, the recipe for success began with a midnight snack.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, Hearty and Moores, who had worked in food and hospitality, were among the hundreds of thousands of workers who found themselves out of a job and with little to do during lockdown.

Moores decided to fill some time B次元官网网址� and a late-night sugar craving B次元官网网址� by baking. He got off the couch and put on an apron with a mission to make B次元官网网址渢he best cookie anyoneB次元官网网址檚 ever had.B次元官网网址�

After about an hour of tinkering with a family recipe, Moores had baked up what Hearty described as a B次元官网网址減erfect little angel pillowB次元官网网址� of a treat.

A few bites in, Hearty and Moores knew they had a buttery hit on their hands.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e always wanted to work for ourselves,B次元官网网址� said Moores. B次元官网网址淭his was our opportunity to do that.B次元官网网址�

As the pandemic prompts employers to slash jobs, a number of crafty Canadians are turning their hobbies into B次元官网网址渟ide hustles,B次元官网网址� supplemental sources of income that often double as a creative outlet.

From thrifting to mask-sewing to jewelry-making, almost any artisanal enterprise can find a customer base online.

Etsy Canada, an online marketplace thatB次元官网网址檚 popular for side businesses, says new shop openings increased by more than 250 per cent during its most recent quarter, compared to the same period last year.

Some critics see side hustles as a symptom of a precarious labour market that leaves workers with no choice but to enter the gig economy.

But business owners like Hearty and Moores, whose snack led them to found Courage Cookies, credit the pandemic with giving them the push to abandon the daily grind for a shot at self-made success.

The B次元官网网址渁ngel pillowB次元官网网址� was the first flavour in their Courage Cookies repertoire. The operation has since expanded from the best-friends-turned-business-partnersB次元官网网址� kitchen into an online delivery business operating out of a commercial space, and a semi-permanent pop-up store at TorontoB次元官网网址檚 StackB次元官网网址檇 market.

The pandemic brought Jamie RajfB次元官网网址檚 career in the music industry to an abrupt halt. But it also pushed her to follow a childhood passion for hunting down B次元官网网址渢reasuresB次元官网网址� in unlikely places by opening up an online vintage shop.

In between job applications, the 29-year-old spent months scouring garage sales and hole-in-the-wall stores for mid-century housewares, carefully curating each decades-old find to appeal to Instagram buyers.

Since launching Good Day Vintage, an Instagram business operated out of her Toronto home, in August, Rajf said sheB次元官网网址檚 sold most of her inventory, turning a profit of a few thousand dollars.

B次元官网网址淚 have really learned from this that itB次元官网网址檚 important to have something that you work on that you have total control over,B次元官网网址� said Rajf, who found full-time employment over the summer. B次元官网网址淚 can get out of it what I put into it, as opposed to working for someone else.B次元官网网址�

Jeff Donaldson, a doctoral candidate at Carleton UniversityB次元官网网址檚 School of Public Policy and Administration, said todayB次元官网网址檚 workers need multiple streams of income as a form of B次元官网网址渋nsuranceB次元官网网址� against industrial disruption.

B次元官网网址淪ide hustles are not meant to replace your main source of income,B次元官网网址� said Donaldson, who specializes in emergency preparedness. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e meant to provide insulation.B次元官网网址�

Shauna Brail, an associate professor at the University of TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Institute for Management and Innovation, noted that while some side hustles are passion projects, others are B次元官网网址渟urvival jobs.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭hese are often short-term solutions, particularly for those B次元官网网址� who havenB次元官网网址檛 necessarily chosen to work in the gig economy,B次元官网网址� said Brail. B次元官网网址淚n a way, itB次元官网网址檚 chosen them, because itB次元官网网址檚 the last possible option.B次元官网网址�

She pointed to women in the workforce who have shouldered the brunt of the economic fallout of the pandemic, particularly mothers who have been tasked with taking on extra caregiving duties.

Statistics Canada reported last month that employment among mothers with school-aged children had nearly returned to pre-shutdown levels. But the agency said the number of mothers working less than half their usual hours in September was still 70 per cent higher than before the pandemic in February.

Brail noted that many popular side hustles, such as mask-sewing and cooking, capitalize on what is traditionally treated as womenB次元官网网址檚 unpaid domestic labour.

As Azure Johnson stitches together a sewing business from scratch, the mother of four has been thinking about what sheB次元官网网址檚 lost and what sheB次元官网网址檚 gained since March.

Johnson, who is Plains Cree from the Samson Cree Nation in Maskwacis, Alta., said her identity was wrapped up in her work helping vulnerable people build life skills at an Edmonton non-profit.

But when the shutdown left her without childcare, Johnson made the difficult call to take a leave of absence so she could look after her boys.

B次元官网网址淚 didnB次元官网网址檛 know how my bills were going to get paid, or the next time I could go get groceries,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淎ll I knew is that we were home, and we needed to be safe, and we needed to have a backup plan.B次元官网网址�

Then, Johnson ran into a problem that would lead her toward a financial solution.

Her right ear isnB次元官网网址檛 fully developed as a result of a congenital condition, so she canB次元官网网址檛 wear traditional masks. Instead, Johnson pulled out her sewing machine to create masks that tie at the back of the neck.

At first, she sold the masks to family and friends, then word got around she was making face coverings for people who needed different styles and sizes.

RAED MORE:

Customers started placing so many bulk orders that her sewing machine couldnB次元官网网址檛 keep up, Johnson said, so she found a distributor. By late October, she estimates sheB次元官网网址檇 sold a total of about 8,000 masks.

But Johnson didnB次元官网网址檛 stop there. SheB次元官网网址檇 always had a flair for putting an B次元官网网址淚ndigenous twistB次元官网网址� on familiar items. And her sons, who had dutifully helped her sew, trim and sweep, had some ideas of their own.

Azure and Co. has grown into a family business offering products ranging from teddy bears clad in traditional prints to T-shirts encouraging Indigenous men to take pride in their braids.

When she left her job, Johnson felt like she lost her B次元官网网址減osition in the community.B次元官网网址� But sheB次元官网网址檚 since found other ways to give back, including volunteering and making specialized masks for First Nations schools.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not the same as what she had, but it is her own, and Johnson is looking forward to seeing where Azure and Co. can take her.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e come to a point where I think it just may be a choice for me to actually not return to work nine-to-five,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l just do my own thing and help in my own lane.B次元官网网址�

Adina Bresge, The Canadian Press

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