This page is an ever-evolving list of the tools I tend to use for all the different aspects of my art business. They’re pretty much all here, blogs, books/authors, browser extensions, desktop applications, mobile applications, short-cuts, physical resources, local resources, etc. I’m not saying these are the best options, the best options for you, or even the best options for me, they’re just what I use in current workflows. Also, they’re probably not in any semblance of order :/

jump to the “Shit list”👇

Applications

  • Adobe Creative Cloud – Photoshop, Illustrator, Bridge, etc. I use most of the applications they offer and have the full subscription without any major complaints. Every now and then, they run unadvertised specials that you can take advantage of by canceling your current subscription and immediately resubscribing. I think accounts become eligible for those deals once every two years. I don’t know, I just did it so I get the big subscription for $20 less per month for a year.
  • Quickbooks – SMB accounting. I use the desktop version, not the online stuff, which I’ve found lacking.
  • AutoHotKey – this is one of the most powerful little tools that most haven’t heard about. I use it as both a text replacement tool and as a macro replay tool. I have to do the same repetitive set of clicks when printing shipping labels and such, and this tool can replay those clicks from a recorded macro so I just use a keyboard shortcut to do special printing tasks that normally open different windows and click through lists of options. This little program automates that entire process, and that’s really under-utilizing its power! I will also share some of the snippets I use.
  • Dropbox – cloud storage. I use it for a lot of different things, I store parts of my ebook library (article on my personal blog), deliverables for certain clients, some digital products that are sold through Etsy and my own websites, and manuscripts that I’m working on. Apps for all devices allow you secure access to everything from anywhere! I’ve always just used the free version of this service. (using my link to Dropbox gets us both 500Mb of extra storage for free)
  • Directory Opus – this is a replacement for Windows Explorer (not internet explorer, it’s not a browser!). I can’t even describe how powerful this application is. As an artist, I find it so valuable in so many ways for interacting with files on my PC. I have certain image folders configured to sort and display in specific ways. Its dual-pane view is something I wished for in Windows for years! Built-in duplicate file finder and powerful search engine, and so much more! Check out the website for more info. There are also lots of free add-ons to do even more things!
  • Bulk Rename Utility – makes renaming a bunch of files at once stupidly simple and does so many more things to groups of files. I still use it sometimes, but I mainly installed it when I was getting a handle on all the crazy asset files from a few clients, and they were named oddly. Free!
  • Fontbase – the best free font manager I’ve ever used. Replaced NexusFont with this since NF hasn’t been updated in years. Fontbase is so much faster and better at doing this job, and the free version is pretty good. Although, if you use Adobe products for asset/art creation, I highly suggest upgrading to the Awesome plan.

Blogs

  • ArtBizSuccess.com – I’ve read Alyson’s blog for a couple of years and have participated in several webinars. I bought her book. Free and paid learning opportunities.
  • TheAbundantArtist.com – I discovered Cory’s blog in 2018; I’ve read some of it and even bought his book. I’ve attended a couple of his webinars, which have always been pretty informative on the topics they’re covering. However, I sometimes feel they could be shorter and still cover all the information well. Free and paid learning opportunities.

Books/Authors

  • Atomic Habits by James Clear – I can’t recommend this book enough! Every time I open this book, I learn something new. It’s densely packed with useful, actionable information.

Browser Extensions

  • Cold Turkey (replaces RescueTime) – RescueTime changed models. However, I’ve discovered I need something that can force structure at times, but I found Cold Turkey, which doesn’t store my usage data outside of my computer, so there’s no data for a company to sell. I’m tired of companies profiting from tracking me. It’s why this site doesn’t have any external analytics.
    • RescueTime – with this one browser extension, I discovered where the hell my time got wasted or used productively. It’s brilliant! I had to tweak it for my situation (e.g. Etsy isn’t a time-waster because 99% of my time there is spent managing multiple shops). Although not necessary, I recommend kicking in some cash for the premium level…the “Focus Time” feature is worth its weight in gold! UPDATE 2021: I’ve stopped using this kind of thing. I’ve used it for 3-4 years and have learned how to do the right things without it, but it did teach me a lot!
  • 1Password – it’s best practice to have different strong passwords for every online thing. Keeping track of that would be a nightmare without this! It’s a combo desktop app/mobile app/browser extension, so I have access to my passwords/secure notes on every device I use, but they’re all encrypted and protected, so other people can’t access them. No tracking codes, unlike most other services of this kind!
  • ClipGrab – download YouTube videos to watch later. I rarely use this, instead just opting to bookmark the link, but some are good enough that I want to keep a copy in case it goes away online.

Facebook Groups

  • The Artist Garage Group – artists selling equipment, displays, tents, and supplies all over the U.S. Not for selling your art!

Other Resources

  • Square – it’s what I use to process credit card transactions on my website and when I’m doing markets in person. It’s cheaper than every other system I’ve ever heard of (a few have now matched their pricing, but never their full feature set!). Lots of reader options so it doesn’t matter if you need a full register setup for your coffee shop(s) or just a small thing that’s easy to carry in your pocket and use at markets, they have it. (using my link to signup for Square gets us both free processing of $1000 in transactions!)
  • Pirate Ship – this is the shipping system I have tied into my online shop(s). I was using Shipstation, but this has all the integrations I use, plus it’s free. I like saving the $9/mo.

Websites

  • You Need A Budget – I use this website/mobile app to budget my personal and business finances. Most micro-business owners do expense tracking, but I’ve not heard of any within my sphere that do actual budgeting. Certainly not the degree of accuracy and clarity that YNAB allows me by following their “4 Rules”. Sign up for a 34-day trial through my link, and if you decide to purchase a subscription, we both get a free month!
  • Cash App Taxes – cheaper than filing through TurboTax or H&R?! Often, it’s even free, even for folks filing Schedule Cs!
  • CreativeMarket.com – fonts, mockups, and stock resources. Offers weekly freebies and monthly bundle deals
  • Facebook Business Suite – This replaced Later.com for scheduling FB and IG posts. It has fewer features and is clunky because it’s Facebook-level effort development, but it’s also free. Probably because they’re tracking the fuck out of everything I do on the site.
  • MightyDeals.com – a good source for fonts and stock resources. Sometimes offers some ideal bundles.
  • GraphicRiver.net – part of the Envato family of resource websites. Offers monthly freebies.
  • DesignCuts.com – an excellent source for fonts and stock resources. Offers weekly freebies and monthly bundle deals.

The Shit List

These are companies I actively avoid and why. I’ve tried to limit the list here to ones somehow related to my art business. You don’t need to email/contact me to tell me you (dis)agree.

Hobby Lobby – weaponized a perverted version of Christianity against people. Treat employees horribly. Caught knowingly trying to steal cultural artifacts from the Middle East.

Chick-fil-a – weaponized Christianity against people. (This is a recurring them from “godly” people and companies.) (it’s on the list because when running errands for the art biz, who doesn’t like to grab a quick bite of less-than-healthy grub?)