Artists: Buy These Now.
Sorry to be dramatic, but I want to do you a favor. I am not an influencer, and while I don’t judge other people for linking all things under the sun on IG, I also sort of cringe at the idea of attempting to monetize my own everyday/family life. But don’t @ me if I link some toddler things in the future…
With that said, artists, please let me influence you to purchase these things. A few links are affiliate. If I had just bought them sooner, I would be have lived a better life. Being dramatic again, but seriously I pity the Christy of the past as she fumbled with copy-paper-printed shipping labels getting wrinkled and made illegible by disobedient packing tape (not to mention the dog hair getting stuck in there).
Rollo Printer. Do. Not. Wait. You click print and it prints in one second. You do not need to buy ink. If there is an error printing, the button flashes and you push and it reprints ON ITS OWN with no further clicking by you. It has its own website/shipping dashboard where you can easily input addresses, see rates, and track shipping. I was FLOOOOORED by the savings when shipping via UPS through the Rollo site, and am sad to say I no longer ship at Fed Ex despite everyone being so very nice there since 2018 when I started shipping work. They never lost or damaged a package, but how can I pay more than double (yep) when UPS also won’t likely lose or damage packages (they have very similar stats on this). And then! You simply peel the sticker and stick it to your package. No cutting the label out of copy paper, no dealing with the static between the paper and packaging tape, no wrinkling the label on accident and having to do the whole task over. Basically hired an assistant with the time this saves. (I just have the USB version)
Kodak Grayscale. I have been using this since first selling my work with Serena & Lily in 2018, because they required it in the photos so they could have accurate color on their online listings. You can take a photo of your work with this beside it, and then use the color picker in the white balance function of Lightroom to correct the color. I would say it’s right 90% of the time and really helps my photo editing process for selling online. A must-have.
Soft Lights. I bought two of these when I was filming my online course, and was immediately full of regret that I didn’t purchase them (or even know about them) sooner to photograph, um literally anything, in my studio. Some artists hire photographers for each collection but that must be so expensive- I have always just shot images myself, used the self timer, or begged my husband to help me for an hour here and there. When taking pictures of the studio for process shots, final images of work, or portraits of myself at the easel or with a collection, these are just absolutely necessary in hindsight. You can put them on a tripod (or just set them around on shelves etc), change the color temperature, AND adjust the brightness. So cool!
Loop Earplugs. I just got these for Christmas and they’ve already changed my life in one month. I am not sure if I have an official attention span difference, but it is very difficult for me to think while concurrent language is audible. Accomplishing anything while listening to a podcast or music with lyrics- not for me. Writing anything while someone is talking nearby- my personal hell. Finishing a thought in a painting with the last few marks before the session ends while my toddler is calling me (while playing with someone else or in crib just awake from nap)- so mentally painful and stressful! These earplugs make the other sounds in my house much quieter so I can focus more easily on any task. I am so grateful for them.
Logo Stamp. I considered having letterpress stationery made years ago, but it was just a coincidence that the artist didn’t get back to me so I purchased a stamp with my logo on it instead. I love it! It’s a fun ritual when I run out of stationery for thank you notes to go in shipments. I get the next pack of blank stationery and lay it all on the floor and stamp each one like a little factory. It feels like a meditation on the pieces that have sold, the need to replenish the stationery for new orders, and the amazing opportunity to do this as my job. Yes you could order bulk stationery, but this is more fun.
That’s it for now! For a list of specific painting materials I use, head here.