hey there!
Just like you, I'm many things, with painter, web designer, full-stack developer, and educator being among them.
This is my place to share with you all my resources, favourite tools, upcoming events and more. Consider this place your go-to resource for all things Artistech. You might as well bookmark this page right now.
I'm Parisa Golchoubian!
Quick Disclosure: Some of these links happen to be affiliate links which means when you click the link to purchase something on this page, it won't cost you more but I may receive a commission for sharing this with you. Which is great, because I was going to share it with you anyway!
All my favorite tools for running an
Art business
Website Platforms
Website Platforms
I've built, maintained and owned websites on MANY platforms including, WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and more. But the ones below are currently my top favourite.
01
Shopify
I always recommend Shopify to anyone looking to have a shop on their website. Shopify makes it's very easy to setup and launch your online store but the real benefit is in the ease of running the day to day of your shop. Shopify has made it super convenient to setup your shipping policy, print your shipping label, notify your customer that their order has been shipped and more. Shopify even has a deal with shipping courier like Canada post and USPS to offer 40%+ discounts on your shipping rates as a Shopify user.
If you want to sell your art through your website, Shopify is the way to go.
Free 14 day trial
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02
Showit
Free 14 day trial
If you don't need an e-commerce website (which I think you would) I'd recommend the Showit platform for building your site. I love the ease and flexibility of Showit. You can quickly build out or update a page without having to learn code or contact a developer! It's a beautiful, easy to use, drag and drop platform that this page is built on! You can buy templates, customize or start from scratch. There are beautiful templates built by designers for Showit websites. And best of all, if you have a Wordpress blog, integrating it with your stunning Showit website is super easy.
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03
Teachable
Free plan available
Looking to start an online course? You need a course platform to host your online course for students to view, comment and more. While there are plenty of platforms for offering online courses these days, I find Teachable's features to be the perfect addition to your Shopify website and at a much more affordable price than other course platforms. You can even get started with their free plan and upgrade for more of their automated features, as your sales grow. Adding an online course is a great way to diversify your income stream as an artist.
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Email list Builders
Email list Builders
Just like websites, my recommendations for email-list platforms are based on whether you have an e-commerce store or not.
01
Omnisend
Free 14 day trial
Omnisend is my go to email-list provider when it comes to e-commerce websites. It integrates beautifully with your Shopify store so that your email list subscriber can feel like they're shopping directly from their email. You can setup tons of automations with Omnisend, like sending emails to those who have abandoned their shopping cart, reminding them of what their missing out on, or send followup emails to those who have bought a custom commission on your website and need to provide addition information. There isn't much I haven't been able to do with Omnisend and their support team is very helpful.
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02
Convertkit
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I really like Convertkit's ease of use. It's very intuitive, has a clean interface ,and allows you to easily implement complicated rules, email sequences and automations using drag and drop blocks.
It however was not originally built for e-commerce and while you can make it work, I personally prefer to use an email-list provider like Omnisend for my e-commerce websites and use Convertkit for all my other businesses.
Free 30 day trial
Shopify Themes
Shopify Themes
When it comes to picking the right Shopify theme, it's important to not only pay attention to the aesthetics but, also to the functionality the theme provides. To save on development time and cost, I often advise artists to start with a theme closest to their vision and customize from there.
01
Artisan
By Outside the Sandbox
This theme was build with the needs of artisans in mind. Wether you're selling your physical work, a commission, or a workshop. this theme has you covered. It offers plenty of playful customization options so that you can really reflect the creative, inspiring side of your brand.
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02
Parallax
By Outside the Sandbox
If you're anything like me and you like the parallax effect on a website, this is the theme for you. Parallax scrolling is when the background content (i.e. an image) is moving at a different speed than the foreground content. Click on the link below to checkout this theme and see the demo.
Visit Site!
03
Impulse
By Archetype Themes
This is the theme I use on my own website. It's not only very flexible, but I also like how if offers the option to add certain graphics (like image frames) within the theme. This theme was built to support stores with high inventory so you can be sure that your store is built to grow with your business.
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04
Pipleline
By Groupthought
This theme has my favourite product page. It's very versatile and allows customizable features for offering commissions and personalized items. If commissions and customized products are a big part of your business, this might be your theme.
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Shopify Apps
Shopify Themes
Shopify apps are website plugins that allow you to add a functionality to your website. Here are some I'd recommend to any artist.
01
Luck Orange
By Lucky Orange LLC
I consider this app my secret weapon. It allows you to see how visitors are interacting with your site, so that you can debug your design. It generates heatmaps of where people are clicking and even records visitors sessions so that you can watch what visitors are doing on your site. Super cool!
Visit Site!
02
Insta Feed
By Mintt Studio
A very light and versatile app for adding a live Instagram feed to your Shopify website. It's easy to use customizable and looks clean. What else can you expect from an app?
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03
Judge.me
By Judge.me
The perfect app for enabling customers to leave reviews on your site. It allows customers to leave star reviews with pictures and videos. You can have this both at the bottom of your product page and on your homepage to build trust with your website visitors.
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04
Langify
By Johannes Hodde
Are you targeting a global audience? This app allows you to reach new customers from all around the world by translating your shop into any number of languages. It redirects your international visitors to a translated version of your website with a click of a button.
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For Design
For Design
Whether you're looking to design your next instagram post, build mockups of your art in a staged room or put together pretty graphics for your website, these tools have got you covered.
01
Canva
Free Plan Available
My right hand women for design. It is so extremely easy to use I find myself barely opening Photoshop anymore. I build my social media posts, presentations, website graphics, brand boards and even product mockups all using Canva. The possibilities are really endless with this tool.
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02
Creative Market
Weekly Free Deals In Your Inbox
I love creative market! I can get lost for hours just browsing through their different selections. It's the perfect place to find design inspirations and let your creativity run wild. You can find anything from fonts, logos, graphics, backgrounds, templates - the list goes on and on.
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03
Placeit
Pay Per Download Available
Some of the most realistic room mockups I've used (and I've used them all). Placeit offers mockups for all sorts of things, from mugs, pillows and t-shirts to wall art. I'm on their monthly plan which allows for unlimited downloads but you can also pay per download if that works better for you.
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04
Canvy
Free Plan Available
An easy to use and versatile tool for building mockups of your artwork in a room setting. You can build gallery walls and pick a room from their long list of decor settings. It doesn't look as realistic as Placeit but the fact that you can have custom sizes and frames make up for it.
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For Pros
For Pros
A few tools for the pros. The list includes automation apps, booking tools, accounting softwares and more.
01
Zapier
Free Plan Available
Zapier is a tool that allows you to automate tasks between two or more apps without any coding required. Imagine you wanting to automatically enter your Shopify sales into your accounting software, or to automatically enrol those who have bought a course on your Shopify store in your teachable course.
Visit Site!
02
Calendly
Free Plan Available
Want to book studio visits to build engagement with your audience? Calendly allows you to offer a bookable calendar on your website where anyone can book an in-person or virtual visit, during the times and dates you have previously indicated. You can even ask them to fill a form, pay, and receive an automated reminder.
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03
Dubsado
Use the code "artistech" to save 20%
Dubsado is the tool I use for managing all my client relations. It allows me to send contracts and invoices, handle project management, create questionnaires and other forms, send and receive emails and more... all from one app. If commissions are a big part of your business I highly recommend.
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04
Wave
FREE
A completely FREE accounting software. No trials, no monthly plans & no credit card required. It's free, unless you sign up for payroll or customer payments. Couldn't recommend it enough. Sign up and handle your book keeping like a pro!
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For Painters
For Painters
Tools of my painting trade. A few items I love and use all.the.time when painting.
01
Easel
I love everything about this easel. How it tilts all the way to a horizontal position, how it's movable because of its wheels even how it lays flat for storage. If you're looking to invest in a new easel, defiantly check this one out.
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02
Apron
I've been looking for a painting apron for a while now and I was surprised to find this denim one on Amazon. It's perfect!
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03
Pallet knife
I have sooo many pallet knives but somehow always end up coming back to this one.
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04
Sta-Wet Palette,
The sta-wet pallet revolutionized my painting and I've heard the same from so many other artists. It is designed to keep your acrylic paint wet for weeks and even months! If you're an acrylic painter you have to give it a try!
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What's on my Lately?
bookshelf
don't you just love a good book?
Did someone say
freebies?
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Remember
It’s never too late
to rewrite your
your business
or reignite your
future
rebuild
dream
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