Five years ago, I gave up my apartment in downtown Toronto, put everything in a storage unit, and decided to become nomadic... full time.

It’s hard to believe how much has changed in my life since then. How much travel has changed me.

Aside from having to live out of a suitcase for five years... learning I need far less to feel so much more fulfilled, making friends and building a community worldwide, some of whom I don’t even speak the same language as, becoming more patient, finding joy in human connection rather than the predictability of life, creating art all around the world... the list goes on and on.

I’ve had to make a lot of changes to my lifestyle along the way.

I’ve adopted a capsule wardrobe where every top matches every bottom. Every inch of my suitcase has to be an essential. Everything I buy means letting something else go, which means I’m way more conscious of my buying habits. It’s made me more responsible with both my pocket and my consumption, and much more aware of how much waste we produce as humans.

I’ve also had to make a lot of changes to the way I run my business. Everything has to be fully online. I can’t keep inventory, and even my art supplies have to be bought at each new location and either used up, given away, or left behind before I move on.

And then there’s how I create art...

I now create mostly on my iPad. I’ve worked for years to make my digital work look and feel like my painting style, but I also love plugging myself into every community I land in.

I’m a slow traveller. I stay in each location for a minimum of a month so I have time to build routines, a community and friendships around me. I integrate with the local art community, learn their styles, make art with them, take a scan, and at the end of it... I just leave the artwork behind.

There’s something cathartic about the non-attachment of it all. Letting go of a piece you created makes you take creating less seriously. It takes the pressure off and makes you realize it’s all play...

Despite all of that, there’s one element that has kept coming with me, and that’s the scan.

So another one of my lifestyle and business changes has been adopting print on demand.

All I need is a good scan. I upload it to a POD vendor that is completely integrated into my website, and the rest feels like magic.

This means that I can be anywhere on this planet and my customer can be anywhere too.

Once a piece sells on my website, the POD vendor gets a notification through the integration with my Shopify website. They receive the scan, all the specs for the print or product and the customer’s address. They make it and ship it directly to them.

It does seem magical in a way, but my favourite part of all is that many of these vendors aren’t just one print shop. They’re a network of print shops around the world.

So if your customer is based in Japan, for example, the closest print shop to them can fulfill that order.

This means I don’t have to deal with crazy shipping prices. If you’ve ever tried shipping an artwork to the other side of the planet, you probably know...

Before POD, I once sold a notebook to Australia for $28 and then realized the shipping was $85! Crazy. I had to tell the customer and give them a refund.

But it was a lesson learned.

And it’s not just about cost either. Having the work produced closer to where the customer lives means it doesn’t have to travel halfway around the world to get to them, which can reduce the carbon footprint associated with shipping.

And because it’s print on demand, things are only produced when someone actually buys them. No boxes of prints sitting around waiting to sell, no unnecessary inventory, and less potential waste.

For me, it’s not only easier and more affordable. It just feels like a much more responsible way to run my art business. Better for my nomadic lifestyle, and better for the planet too.

And maybe one of the most important parts: I can do all of this while selling through my own website.

My customers don’t have to shop through a POD marketplace. They buy directly from me, on my website, and the POD vendor works quietly in the background to produce and fulfill the order.

I have so much more to say about everything I’ve learned: all the tips and tricks and the small and big things that have made this process work for me.

But instead of making this blog post go on forever, I’ve put it all into a 20-page guide called Art Prints, Simplified.

The ease, convenience, and just plain makes-sense-ness of this makes me want to help every artist set it up on their website.

And you know that we’re here to support you so that tech isn’t the reason you’re not selling your work. So if, after reading the guide, you feel like you’d still like our help, we’re offering a consultation and strategy session bundled with the tech integration as well.

>>> Click here to grab my Art Prints, Simplified guidebook <<<

I can’t wait for you to experience this for yourself. I’ve implemented this for so many artists already, and I can’t wait for you to be our next success story.